JetBrains has announced the launch of Junie, an AI-powered coding agent designed to redefine how software developers interact with code.
Dubbed as a step towards the future of co-creation in integrated development environments (IDEs), Junie promises to improve productivity, code quality, and task execution for millions of developers worldwide.
JetBrains says the introduction of Junie is a testament of its mission to “enable and scale the next generation of technologies to make software development a more productive and enjoyable experience.”
According to the company, AI tools and features have already opened new creative possibilities, but Junie takes this commitment further by aiming to “boost productivity even further – improve code quality, unlock future innovations, help execute complex tasks, and change the way you work with code.”
A leap in developer productivity
Junie represents a new category of “agentic AI,” enabling developers to fully delegate routine tasks or share complex ones with their very own coding companion.
“With Junie, you can fully delegate routine tasks to your very own personal coding agent or collaborate with it to execute more complex ones together,” the company explains.
The early performance metrics look promising. Based on SWEBench Verified, a benchmark of 500 developer tasks, Junie successfully solves 53.6% of tasks on a single run. This figure highlights Junie’s potential to adapt to the varied complexities of software development.
JetBrains believes Junie will be a transformative tool for developers and organisations alike.
“Junie will unlock the power of coding agents for millions of developers and companies around the world,” the company says.
Seamless integration into familiar environments
The transition to using Junie has been designed to minimise disruptions to developers’ workflows. JetBrains has ensured that Junie works within familiar JetBrains IDEs, allowing users to ease into adoption without overhauling their existing development processes.
“Getting started with Junie is as easy as installing it into your IDE,” JetBrains stated.
The company recommends developers begin by delegating simpler tasks as they acclimate to working with the AI-powered tool before moving on to more complex assignments.
As developers grow comfortable pairing with Junie, the agent can even be integrated into team workflows. This scalability reflects JetBrains’ vision for “redefining tasks to get the most from your coding experience powered by agentic AI.”
Given the rise of AI-generated tools, concerns over relinquishing control are natural. JetBrains has taken steps to ensure Junie serves as an assistant rather than a replacement.
“With Junie, you stay in control, even when delegating tasks,” the company assured.
Developers retain the ability to review code changes and examine how Junie executes commands. This level of oversight ensures that relying on Junie won’t compromise project context or critical decisions.
Enhancing code quality
JetBrains is positioning Junie as more than just a productivity booster; it’s also a tool for improving code quality. While the company acknowledges that AI-generated code can contain flaws, Junie’s capabilities go beyond simple code generation.
By harnessing the power of JetBrains IDEs alongside large language models (LLMs), Junie can “generate code, run inspections, write tests, and verify they have passed.” These features transform it into a multi-faceted development assistant that not only accelerates workflows but raises the standards of the resulting code.
Trust is a significant factor in developer adoption, and JetBrains has worked to make Junie a reliable collaborator. The agent is designed to understand both the context of projects and individual coding styles, adapting accordingly.
“Junie is designed to understand the context of any given project, so it can adapt to your coding style,” assures JetBrains. Additionally, Junie can align with specific coding guidelines, making it suitable for varied workflows and ensuring developers maintain control over task execution.
JetBrains has launched an Early Access Program (EAP) for Junie. Developers can now join the waitlist to gain early access, test the tool, and provide feedback to shape its future development.
Junie is currently supported in JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate and PyCharm Professional IDEs. Compatibility with WebStorm is set to follow soon. However, at the time of writing, Junie is limited to OS X and Linux platforms, with no word yet on when Windows support will be introduced.
By combining agentic AI with robust IDE integration, Junie represents a bold step in enhancing the productivity, creativity, and teamwork potential of developers.
See also: Cloud and automation propel future of development environments
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