Replit Teams promises to help developers collaborate on code faster with AI
Replit, a Silicon Valley startup that has promised to power coding projects with the help of AI, has launched a new app, in closed beta, for businesses and teams.
Replit Teams is designed to let entire teams collaborate on a coding project, all while Replit's AI automatically fixes errors and suggests changes. Humans can decide if they want to take the AI's advice or not, but Replit says the new tool should expedite the coding process for teams. The app will also come with an AI chatbot so users can ask the platform to write or explain code.
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Replit is one of a growing number of startups using AI to help companies and individuals build software more efficiently. Plus, with serious backing from Silicon Valley heavyweights Andreessen Horowitz and others, it's established a foothold in the space.
Still, Replit has big competitors, including Microsoft's GitHub Copilot and Amazon's AWS CodeWhisperer, not to mention all the popular AI models. If the rise of generative AI over the past year has taught us anything, it's that AI models can quickly spit out code. And while human intervention is still important in verifying the results, now more than ever, AI can be relied upon to build apps in one fell swoop.
Replit doesn't seem concerned about the competition. In an interview with Semafor on Tuesday, Replit CEO Amjad Masad said that the company uses a proprietary algorithm to drive coding changes, and is currently more capable at providing fixes and suggestions than OpenAI's GPT-4. Masad added that Replit's models have also been improved based on the app's use since the startup was founded in 2016.
In addition to AI, Replit Teams will run on what the startup calls "ultra-fast workspaces." Teams will be able to show, in real time, who is coding, what they're coding, and keep track of ongoing tasks. Replit Teams will also offer security controls that only allow authorized users in and remove those who should no longer have access to a given project.
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For now, teams interested in joining the Replit Teams closed beta program will need to sign up to get access. It's unclear how much Teams will cost, but Replit offers individuals free limited access to its platform while a $15 per user per month tier gets you full access to its tools. As of this writing, Replit says its Teams pricing is "coming soon."