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Last year, Cognition launched the wave of AI agents with a product called Diviner — the first in the world AI Engineer. The offer had remained secret for several months, but it is now available to everyone and allows you to learn new things very quickly. Case in point: The Scott Wu-led startup just released Devin 1.2, which brings a number of new features to take the AI engineer’s ability to manage entire development projects to a whole new level.
The biggest highlight of Devin 1.2 is its improved contextual reasoning, which allows the agent to better manage and reuse code. It also includes the ability to receive voice messages through Slack, giving users a more transparent way to tell Devin what to do.
This development comes at a time when AI-based agents are being touted as the future of modern work. Experts believe that there will soon come a time when humans and agents will work together, with the former seamlessly handling repetitive tasks (which is already starting to happen). Recently, at CES, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang said that in the future, corporate IT departments would evolve into “HR departments” for AI, responsible for recruiting and retaining agents working in different functions within the company.
What does Devin 1.2 bring?
Although not a major upgrade, Devin 1.2 introduces some interesting features to make the agent better at its job. The number one feature here is the improved ability to reason in context within a code repository. This essentially means that Devin can now better understand the structure and content of a repository.
With this understanding, the agent can identify which file is relevant for a particular task, recognize and reuse existing code and patterns, and be more precise in suggesting changes or creating pull requests (PRs), thereby reducing errors and manual adjustments.
For developers, this feature would mean accelerated workflows and reduced cognitive load related to searching for files, understanding codebases, or fixing inconsistent code.
The other notable update in Devin 1.2 is the introduction of voice messages. Devin can also take voice commands from users, via Slack.
All you need to do is tag Devin in a Slack chat, hit the “Record audio clip” button, and describe the task or feedback the AI engineer needs to perform. Devin will prepare an action step by step and start executing the command using its development tools: its own shell, code editor and browser.
This move simplifies how one interacts with the agent, avoiding the need to type natural language prompts into Devin’s chatbot-style interface.
Improved login process, new business controls
Cognition also made some usability improvements in Devin.
For example, in the new version, the company introduces machine snapshots to simplify the process of logging into Devin’s workspace.
“If you sign in to Devin during the integration with Devin’s browser, we will save the cookie for future sessions (if the cookie expires, you will also need to provide credentials for Devin in Secrets). This also unblocks authentication processes that require visiting a URL on Devin’s machine,” the company wrote in a statement. blog post.
Cognition is also introducing Enterprise Accounts, where organization administrators will have a centralized console to manage multiple Devin workspaces, including members and their access controls, as well as their billing.
Finally, the company is adding a usage-based billing model, allowing users to pay for additional capacity beyond their subscription limits. This way, once users have exhausted their monthly ACU allocation, they can continue building beyond that limit by paying for additional usage.
The model has been active since January 9, with users able to set their additional usage budgets based on their needs. This allows users to stay in control of their spending while ensuring uninterrupted service when they need additional capacity.
Currently, Devin is generally available for technical support at a starting price of $500 per month, with no limit on places. Several companies are already integrating it into their workflows, including Lumos, OpenSea, Curai Health, Nu Bank and Ramp.
Devin’s new capabilities come as competition in the AI engineering space heats up. From GitHub Copilot widespread adoption of Magic and Poolside AI, raising substantial funds to develop cutting-edge capabilities, the race to create the ultimate AI Coding Assistant intensifies. Each player is working to redefine software development, promising faster workflows, reduced cognitive load, and seamless collaboration between humans and AI.
As these AI-powered agents continue to evolve, they are not only transforming the way developers work, but also shaping the future of modern work itself, where efficiency and innovation rely on a partnership between humans and machines.
By 2028, Gartner An estimated 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, enabling autonomous decision-making in 15% of daily work.
