Stack Overflow, the website where developers ask and answer questions, has started a new program to share its large database of information. Through this program, called OverflowAPI, companies can access Stack Overflow’s questions and answers.
Google is the first partner in this program. Google will use Stack Overflow’s data to improve Gemini, its artificial intelligence tool for Google Cloud. When developers use Google Cloud, Gemini will show answers from Stack Overflow. This means developers won’t need to leave Google Cloud to find helpful responses.
Stack Overflow and Google will show what they’ve been working on at Google’s Cloud Next conference in April. Their goal is to make it easy for developers to get answers without searching multiple places.
While Stack Overflow and Google are working together, the new API is available for any company to partner with Stack Overflow. Other businesses that make AI products may also want to access the helpful Q&A information.
In the future, developers may be able to get answers from AI chatbots instead of searching websites. However, Stack Overflow still wants to be the best source of trusted, high-quality answers. Their plan is for humans and AI to combine efforts to ensure developers can rely on answers from tools like Gemini.
Inside Google Cloud, answers from both Google and Stack Overflow will appear together. This means developers won’t have to switch between sites. They can find everything they need in one place. Citations will also be included so people can check if the answers are correct.
Stack Overflow collects value from the large community of experts who have generated answers over many years. An important goal is to keep this knowledge of high quality, not diluted by lower-quality AI responses. That’s why Google is integrating human aspects of Stack Overflow too.
Both companies emphasized humans will continue playing a key role. The partnership aims to enhance developer experience while respecting what makes Stack Overflow so useful. With cooperation between people and AI, the new program could make finding trusted answers even easier.
