Google pays Android developers for private code to improve AI coding tools

Google is paying Android developers for access to their private code repositories to improve AI coding tools like Gemini. The email says developers keep 100% intellectual property rights, and the license is non-exclusive, so project ownership and monetization channels remain unchanged.

Google says real-world code (including legacy code, business logic, etc.) is better than public repositories for training engineering-focused AI. This move aims to compete with GitHub Copilot and Anthropic Claude Code, but paying for private projects raises trust concerns about how code is used and audited.