Pioneer Square Labs has introduced an open-source coding assistant called JACoB, which stands for “Just Another Coding Bot.” The idea for JACoB came from Kevin Leneway, a principal software engineer at the company, who wanted to explore building an AI summer intern using GitHub Copilot and GPT in his development workflows. The tool integrates with GitHub and other existing development tools, allowing it to write and review code, automate mundane development tasks, flag security flaws and coding bugs, and map codebases. JACoB is designed to learn patterns and improve the quality of its output over time.
PSL, the Seattle-based startup studio behind JACoB, states that the tool includes built-in guardrails to prevent runaway processes. Initial usage has shown that JACoB can enhance efficiency and developer productivity without compromising quality or security. Despite its humorous name, JACoB performed better than eight similar coding agents in testing. One significant aspect of JACoB is that it is now open-source, allowing developers to inspect the underlying code, contribute to its improvement, and run it locally for added data protection and code security.
JACoB currently focuses mainly on TypeScript and JavaScript, as the team wanted to narrow down the use case to ensure quality. While there are plans to expand its capabilities in the future, the team believes that starting with a specific focus will lead to a better overall product. Although JACoB has not been officially spun out of PSL to become its own startup, Leneway mentioned that the team is moving in that direction. By open-sourcing the project, they hope to gather feedback from users and continue to refine the tool based on real-world usage.
The development of JACoB is a result of combining existing workflows and development processes with AI technology to create an efficient coding assistant. By integrating with tools like GitHub, JACoB aims to streamline tasks that developers commonly perform, such as code writing and reviewing, automating tasks, and identifying potential issues in code. PSL believes that JACoB can be a valuable resource for developers and companies looking to improve their development processes and enhance productivity. By open-sourcing the project, they invite the developer community to collaborate and help shape the future of JACoB.
