At its Cloud Next event, Google announced the introduction of Duet AI into its cloud services Apigee API Management and Application integration to support developers in building APIs, integration flows, and extensions that connect Vertex AI or ChatGPT to real-world data through APIs. These capabilities will come in a private preview through Google Cloud’s Trusted Tester program in the coming weeks.
Duet AI is Google's AI-powered collaborator available across the Google Cloud and their IDE to enhance productivity. Developers can access Duet AI capabilities through a chat interface, available in the Google Cloud console, and IDEs such as Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IntelliJ (via Cloud Code extensions). By responding to natural language prompts, Duet AI in Apigee API Management and Application Integration automatically generates API specifications and integration flows using provided enterprise assets and context.
Apigee API Management is Google’s longstanding API gateway service, allowing developers to build, secure, and manage APIs. With the addition of Duet AI, they can create API specifications from requirements they describe in natural language. In a Google blog post, the authors explain:
These specifications will reuse your enterprise context, such as security schema or other API objects cataloged in API Hub. This is a big productivity enhancement, as building API specifications usually requires specialized knowledge and time-intensive development.
Duet AI can also recommend improvements by highlighting errors and inconsistencies in syntax, semantics, and styles in line with other enterprise APIs cataloged in API Hub. Furthermore, developers can create an extension to Vertex AI or ChatGPT from the APIs cataloged in API Hub.
The other product infused with Duet AI is Google’s recent generally available service Application Integration, an integration Platform as a Service designed to allow developers to connect applications and SaaS products with visual point-and-click configurations. The Duet AI can create integration flows from requirements described in the natural language provided in the service through an interface. When doing so, Duet AI automatically suggests integration flows consistent with the existing integrations based on enterprise assets (such as APIs cataloged in the API Hub) when applicable.
Screenshot of Duet AI in an integration flow built-in Application Integration (Source: Google blog post)
Duet AI can create a default data mapping within the integration flow that connects the two applications based on the variables created in the integration flow and the integrated applications. In addition, Duet AI can also generate documentation and functional test cases using different data sets.
With Duet AI, Google catches up with Microsoft Copilot, an extension of OpenAI ChatGPT incorporated into service through Azure and Microsoft 365 offerings. No copilots are available yet for Logic Apps (similar to Google Application Integration) and Azure API Management; however, developers can, for instance, create policies leveraging GitHub Copilot.
Gabe Monroy, VP of product management at Google Cloud, said in a "What's next for application developers" session at Google Cloud Next:
Through the Apigee plugin integrated into Cloud code, developers can stay in their IDE of choice. They can access Apigee and get Duet AI assistance right where they work.
Lastly, a signup page for Duet AI in Apigee API Management and Application Integration in the private preview is available.
