Xcode coding assistance rumored to be early Apple generative AI effort

Xcode to get new AI-powered coding and testing tools

The new Xcode feature will allegedly work similarly to Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, which uses OpenAI technology to suggest code and functions in real-time in a code editor. GitHub Copilot is part of Microsoft's Copilot suite of AI-powered tools.

According to a Bloomberg report, the new tools will "use artificial intelligence to predict and complete blocks of code," which would streamline the coding process for developers. Apple is also allegedly exploring the use of AI to generate code for testing applications, a process can be particularly tedious.

Apple is currently pushing its engineers to try the features in-house before it releases them to the broader public. While there's no concrete timeline for these tools to appear, sources familiar with the project indicate that it will likely be out sometime this year.

Earlier in February, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple is spending "a tremendous amount of time and effort" on AI features that will be announced in the coming months.

However, Cook has said that Apple isn't leaping onto the AI bandwagon just to catch up with the rest of the industry. He's said that Apple has been looking for a point for adding AI features — and that it has found it.