path: root/doc/user/ai_features.md

---
stage: AI-powered
group: AI Model Validation
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: index, reference
---

# AI/ML powered features

GitLab is creating AI-assisted features across our DevSecOps platform. These features aim to help increase velocity and solve key pain points across the software development lifecycle.

## Enable AI/ML features

> Introduced in GitLab 16.0 and [actively being rolled out](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/118222).

Prerequisites:

- You must have the Owner role for the group.

To enable AI/ML features for a top-level group:

- Enable [Experiment features](group/manage.md#enable-experiment-features).
- Enable [third-party AI features](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features) (enabled by default).
  To disable AI features powered by third-party APIs, clear this setting.

These settings work together so you can have a mix of both experimental and third-party AI features.

## Generally Available AI features

When a feature is [Generally Available](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#generally-available-ga),
it does not require [Experiment features to be enabled](group/manage.md#enable-experiment-features).
Some of these features might require [third-party AI features to be enabled](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features).

The following feature is Generally Available:

- [Suggested Reviewers](project/merge_requests/reviews/index.md#suggested-reviewers)

## Beta AI features

[Beta features](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#beta) do not require
[Experiment features to be enabled](group/manage.md#enable-experiment-features).

The following features are in Beta:

- [Code Suggestions](project/repository/code_suggestions.md)
- [Explain this vulnerability](application_security/vulnerabilities/index.md#explaining-a-vulnerability-beta)

## Experiment AI features

[Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment) AI features require
[Experiment features to be enabled](group/manage.md#enable-experiment-features) as well as [third-party AI services to be enabled](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features).

The following features are in Experiment:

- [Fill in merge request templates](project/merge_requests/ai_in_merge_requests.md#fill-in-merge-request-templates)
- [Summarize merge request changes](project/merge_requests/ai_in_merge_requests.md#summarize-merge-request-changes)
- [Summarize my merge request review](project/merge_requests/ai_in_merge_requests.md#summarize-my-merge-request-review)
- [Suggested merge or squash commit message](project/merge_requests/ai_in_merge_requests.md#suggested-merge-or-squash-commit-message)
- [Generate suggested tests in merge requests](project/merge_requests/ai_in_merge_requests.md#generate-suggested-tests-in-merge-requests)

The rest of the features described on this page are also in the Experiment phase.

### Explain Selected Code in the Web UI **(ULTIMATE SAAS)**

> Introduced in GitLab 15.11 as an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment) on GitLab.com.

This AI feature is an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md) on GitLab.com that is powered by Google's Codey for Code Chat (codechat-bison).

GitLab can help you get up to speed faster if you:

- Spend a lot of time trying to understand pieces of code that others have created, or
- Struggle to understand code written in a language that you are not familiar with.

By using a large language model, GitLab can explain the code in natural language.

Prerequisites:

Additional prerequisites [beyond the two above](#experiment-ai-features).

- The project must be on GitLab.com.
- You must have the GitLab Ultimate subscription tier.
- You must be a member of the project with sufficient permissions to view the repository.

To explain your code:

1. On the left sidebar, at the top, select **Search GitLab** (**{search}**) to find your project.
1. Select any file in your project that contains code.
1. On the file, select the lines that you want to have explained.
1. On the left side, select the question mark (**{question}**). You might have to scroll to the first line of your selection to view it. This sends the selected code, together with a prompt, to provide an explanation to the large language model.
1. A drawer is displayed on the right side of the page. Wait a moment for the explanation to be generated.
1. Provide feedback about how satisfied you are with the explanation, so we can improve the results.

You can also have code explained in the context of a merge request. To explain
code in a merge request:

1. On the left sidebar, at the top, select **Search GitLab** (**{search}**) to find your project.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Code > Merge requests**, then select your merge request.
1. On the secondary menu, select **Changes**.
1. On the file you would like explained, select the three dots (**{ellipsis_v}**) and select **View File @ $SHA**.

   A separate browser tab opens and shows the full file with the latest changes.

1. On the new tab, select the lines that you want to have explained.
1. On the left side, select the question mark (**{question}**). You might have to scroll to the first line of your selection to view it. This sends the selected code, together with a prompt, to provide an explanation to the large language model.
1. A drawer is displayed on the right side of the page. Wait a moment for the explanation to be generated.
1. Provide feedback about how satisfied you are with the explanation, so we can improve the results.

![How to use the Explain Code Experiment](img/explain_code_experiment.png)

We cannot guarantee that the large language model produces results that are correct. Use the explanation with caution.

### GitLab Duo Chat **(ULTIMATE SAAS)**

> Introduced in GitLab 16.0 as an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment).

This feature is an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md) on GitLab.com. It requires the [group-level third-party AI features setting](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features) to be enabled.

GitLab Duo Chat is powered by Anthropic's Claude-2.0 and Claude-instant-1.1 large language models and OpenAI's text-embedding-ada-002 embeddings. The LLMs are employed to analyze user questions to collect appropriate context data from the user's project, and to generate responses. In some cases, embeddings are used to embed user questions and find relevant content in GitLab documentation to share with the LLMs to generate an answer.

You can get AI generated support from GitLab Duo Chat about the following topics:

- How to use GitLab.
- Questions about an issue.
- Summarizing an issue.

Example questions you might ask:

- `What is a fork?`
- `How to reset my password`
- `Summarize the issue <link to your issue>`
- `Summarize the description of the current issue`

The examples above all use data from either the issue or the GitLab documentation. However, you can also ask to generate code, CI/CD configurations, or to explain code. For example:

- `Write a hello world function in Ruby`
- `Write a tic tac toe game in JavaScript`
- `Write a .gitlab-ci.yml file to test and build a rails application`
- `Explain the following code: def sum(a, b) a + b end`

You can also ask follow-up questions.

This is an experimental feature and we're continuously extending the capabilities and reliability of the chat.

1. In the lower-left corner, select the Help icon.
   The [new left sidebar must be enabled](../tutorials/left_sidebar/index.md#enable-the-new-left-sidebar).
1. Select **Ask in GitLab Duo Chat**. A drawer opens on the right side of your screen.
1. Enter your question in the chat input box and press **Enter** or select **Send**. It may take a few seconds for the interactive AI chat to produce an answer.
1. You can ask a follow-up question.
1. If you want to ask a new question unrelated to the previous conversation, you may receive better answers if you clear the context by typing `/reset` into the input box and selecting **Send**.

To give feedback about a specific response, use the feedback buttons in the response message.
Or, you can add a comment in the [feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/415591).

NOTE:
Only the last 50 messages are retained in the chat history. The chat history expires 3 days after last use.

### Summarize issue discussions **(ULTIMATE SAAS)**

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10344) in GitLab 16.0 as an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment).

This feature is an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md) on GitLab.com that is powered by OpenAI's
GPT-3. It requires the [group-level third-party AI features setting](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features) to be enabled.

You can generate a summary of discussions on an issue:

1. In an issue, scroll to the **Activity** section.
1. Select **View summary**.

The comments in the issue are summarized in as many as 10 list items.
The summary is displayed only for you.

Provide feedback on this experimental feature in [issue 407779](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/407779).

**Data usage**: When you use this feature, the text of public comments on the issue are sent to the large
language model referenced above.

### Show deployment frequency forecast **(ULTIMATE SAAS)**

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10228) in GitLab 16.2 as an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment).

This feature is an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md) on GitLab.com.

In CI/CD Analytics, you can view a forecast of deployment frequency:

1. On the left sidebar, at the top, select **Search GitLab** (**{search}**) to find your project.
1. Select **Analyze > CI/CD analytics**.
1. Select the **Deployment frequency** tab.
1. Turn on the **Show forecast** toggle.
1. On the confirmation dialog, select **Accept testing terms**.

The forecast is displayed as a dotted line on the chart. Data is forecasted for a duration that is half of the selected date range.
For example, if you select a 30-day range, a forecast for the following 15 days is displayed.

Provide feedback on this experimental feature in [issue 416833](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/416833).

### Generate issue descriptions **(ULTIMATE SAAS)**

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10762) in GitLab 16.3 as an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#experiment).

This feature is an [Experiment](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md) on GitLab.com that is powered by OpenAI's
GPT-3. It requires the [group-level third-party AI features setting](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features) to be enabled.

You can generate the description for an issue from a short summary.

1. Create a new issue.
1. Above the **Description** field, select **AI actions > Generate issue description**.
1. Write a short description and select **Submit**.

The issue description is replaced with AI-generated text.

Provide feedback on this experimental feature in [issue 409844](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/409844).

**Data usage**: When you use this feature, the text you enter is sent to the large
language model referenced above.

## Data Usage

GitLab AI features leverage generative AI to help increase velocity and aim to help make you more productive. Each feature operates independently of other features and is not required for other features to function.

### Progressive enhancement

These features are designed as a progressive enhancement to existing GitLab features across our DevSecOps platform. They are designed to fail gracefully and should not prevent the core functionality of the underlying feature. You should note each feature is subject to its expected functionality as defined by the relevant [feature support policy](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md).

### Stability and performance

These features are in a variety of [feature support levels](../policy/experiment-beta-support.md#beta). Due to the nature of these features, there may be high demand for usage which may cause degraded performance or unexpected downtime of the feature. We have built these features to gracefully degrade and have controls in place to allow us to mitigate abuse or misuse. GitLab may disable **beta and experimental** features for any or all customers at any time at our discretion.

## Third party services

### Data privacy

Some AI features require the use of third-party AI services models and APIs from: Google AI and OpenAI. The processing of any personal data is in accordance with our [Privacy Statement](https://about.gitlab.com/privacy/). You may also visit the [Sub-Processors page](https://about.gitlab.com/privacy/subprocessors/#third-party-sub-processors) to see the list of our Sub-Processors that we use to provide these features.

Group owners can control which top-level groups have access to third-party AI features by using the [group level third-party AI features setting](group/manage.md#enable-third-party-ai-features).

### Model accuracy and quality

Generative AI may produce unexpected results that may be:

- Low-quality
- Incoherent
- Incomplete
- Produce failed pipelines
- Insecure code
- Offensive or insensitive

GitLab is actively iterating on all our AI-assisted capabilities to improve the quality of the generated content. We improve the quality through prompt engineering, evaluating new AI/ML models to power these features, and through novel heuristics built into these features directly.