JetBrains announced last year that all IntelliJ-based IDEs and .NET tools will integrate the new feature of AI Assistant (AI Assistant) ; and said it will integrate it into the core workflow of the IDE, especially the strengths of JetBrains IDE - Deeply integrate code understanding with AI.
But things are not all smooth sailing. Whether it is due to incompatible company policies or concerns about security risks and other reasons, some JetBrains customers have strong resistance to AI Assistant and they hope that the plug-in does not appear in their JetBrains applications. However, given that the plug-in code has been "deeply integrated", the related removal work is very complicated.
Since the AI Assistant plug-in debuted, more than a dozen posts have been posted on JetBrains' YouTrack issue board seeking ways to remove, uninstall, or otherwise remove the plug-in. In a topic titled "Providing the possibility to completely remove the plug-in from the system" , it is detailed why you do not want to install the plug-in in the company's developer tools such as PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA and other applications.
Developers have raised numerous concerns, calling the plug-in "bloatware," a risk to corporate intellectual property, a security issue, a nuisance, and a breach of trust.
"I just want to make it clear that I cannot use this product at the company I work for because security does not allow the default AI implementation to be part of the product."
"This is unacceptable. It shouldn't be bundled by default with something that sends the entire codebase to God knows where. This is a terrible move by JetBrains and I will not be renewing my subscription after this. This is a An irreparable breach of trust."
"The service is AI-based and you don't know the provenance of the code it feeds you, which is a huge problem in itself because it creates a questionable licensing/IP/legal situation. But the biggest problem isn't that it It’s AI, but because it leaks the user company’s intellectual property to unknown places, and may directly leak it to competitors.”
In response, Matt Ellis of JetBrains explained in a statement to The Register :
"While the AI Assistant plugin is bundled and enabled by the plugin itself, the AI functionality is not enabled by default and data is not sent externally without the user's consent. You must log in, accept the data policy, and then purchase Subscribe or start a trial. Any data sent to the AI service is not used for training. We also provide ML support for ranking and completion, which is provided by the model on the device, no data is sent outside the device. "
Ellis claims there are many customers who are happy with bundled plug-ins, so the company is working on ways to both bundle and completely unbox the AI assistant. He pointed out that the problem with removing bundled plugins is that it can break application signatures and cause some update issues.
When asked how many JetBrains customers objected to the AI assistant, a spokesperson said: "We cannot determine whether these opinions represent the position of all our customers. We understand the strength of this sentiment and we are listening to all aspects of the community." Feedback includes many happy individuals and businesses who are using AI assistants."