Google’s Gemini Code Assist Just Got Smarter – But Should You Trust It Yet?

Let’s face it — coding can be exhausting. Between fixing bugs, adding features, reviewing old code, and keeping up with new frameworks, even the best developers get overwhelmed. So when Google announced new updates to its AI coding assistant, Gemini Code Assist, at the Cloud Next conference, it definitely caught people’s attention.

The big headline? Gemini Code Assist now has “agentic” abilities. In plain English, that means this AI tool can now act more like a helpful teammate than just a suggestion box. It doesn’t just spit out lines of code — it can now take multiple steps to complete more complex tasks. Imagine describing an app idea in Google Docs, and this AI actually starts building it for you. Sounds a bit like science fiction, right?

But it’s real — and it’s now in preview.

This update isn’t just about keeping up with the competition (though let’s be honest, it’s also about that). Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and that hyped-up AI developer bot Devin from Cognition Labs have been gaining serious traction. Google had to show it’s still in the game — and maybe even ahead of the curve.

Now, Gemini Code Assist can do more than just autocomplete your code. It can:

• Generate work plans for projects

• Report its progress step-by-step (which is kind of like watching a robot intern check in every hour)

• Translate code from one language to another

• Add new app features

• Review your code for errors

• Write unit tests and documentation

And here’s the cool part: it even has its own Kanban board, where you can manage and track these little AI agents like a software project manager.

Sounds dreamy. But here’s where we need to pause for a reality check.

As powerful as this all sounds, we’ve been here before. Fancy AI tools often promise the moon, but when you dig deeper, they can still trip over basic logic or miss important security details. Studies have shown that many of these AI coding assistants — even the best ones — still introduce bugs or security flaws without realizing it. That’s kind of terrifying if you’re using it for anything serious.

Even Devin, the AI developer that made headlines, only completed 3 out of 20 coding tasks correctly in a recent evaluation. That’s not exactly confidence-inspiring.

So, what’s the takeaway?

Gemini Code Assist is a huge step forward, and for many developers, it could mean faster workflows, less grunt work, and more time for creativity. But it’s not a magical fix-it-all tool. It still needs you — the human developer — to guide it, check its work, and make sure it’s not building a house of cards.

In short: exciting times, but don’t hang up your keyboard just yet.