Mendix 10.12 update brings AI tools & enhanced security

Mendix has announced the release of Mendix 10.12, a significant upgrade to its low-code platform. It introduces various new features focused on AI-assisted development, enhanced developer experience, and improved governance and security. The upgrade aims to bolster organisations’ ability to innovate rapidly while maintaining robust control over their application development processes.

A notable highlight is the introduction of Maia, an AI-powered coding assistant in Mendix 10.12. This tool is designed to provide guidance, assistance, and generation capabilities to Mendix developers.

Hans de Visser, Chief Product Officer at Mendix, stated, "These updates emphasise the need for improved developer efficiency and project acceleration in an increasingly competitive market driven by automation and AI. This release not only boosts developer productivity but supports expansive global reach and compliance, ensuring that developers and business technologists can create engaging, intelligent, and innovative applications with speed and ease."

"With no compromise to control and governance, Mendix’s powerful enterprise-grade low-code platform democratises access to enhanced AI capabilities and makes business-critical software development easier and faster."

Among the new features is the updated Conversational UI, which provides reusable components to easily implement AI chatbots in Mendix applications. This includes compatibility with Amazon Bedrock and OpenAI connectors, enabling developers to quickly produce informative and original content. Additionally, the platform now includes a Retrieval Augmented Generation feature, which allows customers to generate AI-grounded content based on their data. An AI Bot Starter App has also been introduced to help organisations quickly start their own private chatbot and virtual assistant solutions.

Mendix 10.12 promises significant improvements in developer productivity through updates such as the integration of Mendix Chat into Maia. This offers immediate, detailed answers to users' questions based on several sources, including documentation and learning paths. There are also updates to the Workflow Recommender, Logic Recommender, and Best Practices Recommender within Maia, all of which aim to provide real-time assistance to developers.

The new release ensures improved governance and security for low-code applications, with features like advanced audit trails, portfolio management, marketplace curation, and enhanced security management tools. These updates enable centralised control, aiming to ensure quality and compliance without compromising innovation.

Aristteles Terceiro Neto, Industrial Transformation Manager at Vivix, endorsed the upgrades: "As a manufacturer, we must continually push the boundaries of our technology platforms to achieve maximum productivity and customer satisfaction. We rely on Mendix to create these efficiencies during the software development lifecycle and in our core business processes and are already unlocking greater value with generative AI-infused applications."

Neto highlighted the company's success with a specific tool: "In one instance, our Virtual Engineer chatbot powered by Mendix and Amazon Bedrock is helping us achieve 80% faster resolution of customer complaints. These early results are exciting, and it's great to see how the Mendix roadmap for AI is evolving to act as a key enabler in our Industry 4.0 strategy."

Mendix 10.12 represents a step forward in integrating AI capabilities into low-code development. It aims to enhance both the user experience and application security controls. The inclusion of advanced AI tools and improved developer aids seeks to provide a versatile and secure platform for rapid innovation.