Tags: AI coding assistants

OpenAI has added plugin support to its Codex coding assistant, a move aimed at narrowing the functional gap with rival AI coding tools from Anthropic and Google. The new plugins are packaged bundles that may contain skills, app integrations, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, letting users configure Codex for specific tasks with a single click. While power users could already achieve similar results through custom instructions and MCP servers, the plugin library—featuring integrations such as GitHub, Gmail, Box, Cloudflare, and Vercel—offers a more streamlined, searchable experience. Read more

OpenAI announced an agreement to acquire Astral, the creator of popular open‑source Python development tools such as uv, Ruff, and ty. The acquisition will integrate Astral’s projects into OpenAI’s Codex team, allowing AI agents to work more directly with tools developers already use. OpenAI pledged continued support for the open‑source community while enhancing Codex’s capabilities. The move intensifies competition with Anthropic’s Claude Code, which recently added the JavaScript runtime Bun. Earlier this month, OpenAI also secured Promptfoo, an open‑source security tool for large language models. Read more

OpenAI has teamed with Cerebras to run its Codex-Spark coding model on the Wafer Scale Engine 3, a chip the size of a dinner plate. The partnership aims to improve inference speed, delivering roughly 1,000 tokens per second, with higher rates reported on other models. The move reflects OpenAI’s broader strategy to reduce reliance on Nvidia by striking deals with AMD, Amazon and developing its own custom silicon. The faster coding assistant arrives amid fierce competition from Anthropic, Google and other AI firms, underscoring the importance of latency for developers building software. Read more

A hands‑on experiment compared Google’s Gemini 3 Pro (a “thinking” model) with Gemini 2.5 Flash (a “fast” model) for vibe‑coding—a workflow that creates web projects through natural‑language prompts. Using the same project idea, a horror‑movie showcase, the author found the Pro model produced a more polished result with fewer manual steps, while the Flash model was quicker but required more specific prompting and frequent fixes. The test highlighted differences in speed, depth of reasoning, and user effort, offering insight for developers choosing between Gemini’s model tiers. Read more

Anthropic has introduced Claude Code as a beta feature within Slack, allowing developers to initiate full coding sessions directly from chat threads. The integration expands on existing Slack capabilities by automatically selecting repositories, posting progress updates, and linking to pull requests without leaving the conversation. This move underscores a broader industry shift toward embedding AI coding assistants in collaboration platforms rather than traditional IDEs. While competitors like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and OpenAI Codex are also exploring similar integrations, Anthropic’s rollout highlights the strategic importance of workflow‑centric AI tools. Security and dependency concerns accompany the new functionality, prompting teams to consider access controls and platform reliability. Read more

Microsoft posted a brief message on X boasting that its Copilot could finish code before a user finishes a coffee. The post quickly attracted a wave of critical replies, with many users linking the claim to ongoing frustrations with Windows 11 updates and bugs. Commentators questioned whether AI‑generated code was contributing to stability issues and expressed broader concerns about reliance on artificial intelligence for software development. The episode highlights the tension between Microsoft’s push for AI integration and the skeptical response from the tech community. Read more