AI in C# and .NET Development: Google Antigravity IDE

Originally Posted On: https://dev.to/iron-software/ai-in-c-and-net-development-google-antigravity-ide-5a72

Google Antigravity and .NET 10 : How AI Agents Are Revolutionizing C# Development in 2025

The convergence of Google’s agent-first IDE and Microsoft’s most powerful .NET release creates unprecedented opportunities for enterprise document processing and AI-driven development

Introduction: When Two Giants Align

On November 18, 2025, Google launched Antigravity alongside Gemini 3, introducing what they call an “agent-first development platform.” Just a week earlier, Microsoft released .NET 10 LTS with C# 14, bringing significant performance improvements and language enhancements. For C# developers and CTOs managing enterprise development teams, this convergence represents a fundamental shift in how we build, maintain, and scale .NET applications.

As someone who has spent 41 years in programming and currently architects document processing solutions used by NASA and Tesla, I’ve witnessed numerous technological paradigm shifts. The combination of Antigravity’s autonomous AI agents with .NET 10’s enhanced capabilities isn’t just another tooling update—it’s a transformation in how we approach software development, particularly for complex enterprise systems dealing with document processing, PDF generation, and cross-platform deployment.

Understanding Google Antigravity: Beyond AI Assistance

The Agent-First Revolution

Google Antigravity fundamentally reimagines the IDE as a control plane for orchestrating AI agents rather than merely assisting developers with code completion. Built by the Windsurf team that Google acquired for $2.4 billion, Antigravity transforms development from “AI as assistant” to “AI as autonomous partner.”

The platform introduces two revolutionary views:

• Editor View: A familiar VS Code-based interface with an AI agent sidebar
• Manager View: A mission control for orchestrating multiple agents working asynchronously across workspaces

Unlike traditional AI coding assistants that wait for prompts, Antigravity agents can:

• Autonomously plan and execute complex software tasks
• Access editor, terminal, and browser environments simultaneously
• Generate verifiable “artifacts” (task lists, screenshots, browser recordings) rather than just code
• Retain knowledge from past tasks to build an internal playbook

Technical Architecture That Matters

Antigravity leverages multiple foundation models—Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and GPT-OSS—giving developers flexibility in choosing the right model for specific tasks. Early benchmarks from GitHub show Gemini 3 Pro demonstrating 35% higher accuracy in resolving software engineering challenges compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro.

The platform’s generous rate limits refresh every 5 hours, with Google stating only “power users” are expected to hit them. This makes it viable for production development workflows, not just experimentation.

.NET 10 and C# 14: The Performance Foundation

Runtime Optimizations That Deliver

.NET 10’s runtime improvements aren’t incremental—they’re transformational:

• 49% faster average response times compared to .NET 8
• 20-40% improvement in JSON serialization performance
• Advanced JIT optimizations including improved inlining and devirtualization
• AVX10.2 and ARM64 SVE hardware acceleration support
• Enhanced NativeAOT with reduced size and faster startup

For teams building high-performance document processing systems like IronPDF’s Chrome-based rendering engine, these improvements translate directly to faster PDF generation and lower infrastructure costs.

C# 14: Less Boilerplate, More Productivity

C# 14 introduces features that align perfectly with AI-assisted development:

// Field-backed properties eliminate backing field boilerplate
public string Name 
{ 
    get => field ?? "Default";
    set => field = value?.Trim();
}

// Extension blocks for cleaner extension methods
extension DocumentExtensions for PdfDocument
{
    public static property int PageCount => this.Pages.Count;
    public static void AddWatermark(string text) => // implementation
}

// Null-conditional assignment reduces defensive coding
document?.Title ??= "Untitled Document";

File-Based Apps: C# as a First-Class Scripting Language

Perhaps the most underappreciated feature in .NET 10 is file-based app support. You can now run a single .cs file without project files:

# hello.cs
Console.WriteLine("Processing PDFs with .NET 10!");

# Run directly
dotnet run hello.cs

This puts C# on equal footing with Python and Node.js for automation scripts—perfect for document processing pipelines and CLI tools.

The Synergy: Antigravity + .NET 10 in Practice

Autonomous Feature Development Workflow

Imagine this scenario in your document processing pipeline:

1. Natural Language Brief: “Add PDF/A compliance validation to our document processor with detailed logging and Azure blob storage integration”
2. Agent Orchestration: Antigravity spawns agents that:
   • Analyze your existing .NET 10 codebase
   • Generate task artifacts with implementation plans
   • Scaffold code using C# 14’s new features
   • Integrate with IronPDF’s PDF/A conversion capabilities
   • Run unit tests automatically
   • Create browser recordings showing the feature working
3. Developer Review: You review artifacts in Manager View, provide feedback via comments, and agents iterate without restarting the entire task
4. Automatic Integration: Once approved, code is committed with comprehensive documentation

Real-World Implementation: PDF Processing Pipeline

Here’s how an Antigravity agent might enhance a document processing system using .NET 10:

// Agent-generated code leveraging .NET 10 performance improvements
public class OptimizedPdfProcessor
{
    private readonly ChromePdfRenderer _renderer;

    // C# 14 field-backed property with validation
    public string OutputDirectory 
    { 
        get => field;
        set => field = Directory.Exists(value) ? value : throw new DirectoryNotFoundException();
    }

    // Leveraging .NET 10's improved async performance
    public async Task<ProcessingResult> ProcessDocumentsAsync(IAsyncEnumerable<Document> documents)
    {
        await Parallel.ForEachAsync(documents, async (doc, ct) =>
        {
            // Agent identifies optimization: Use Span<T> for better memory efficiency
            ReadOnlySpan<byte> htmlContent = doc.GetHtmlContentAsSpan();

            // Integrate with IronPDF for high-fidelity rendering
            var pdf = await _renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync(htmlContent.ToString());

            // Agent adds telemetry automatically
            using var activity = Activity.StartActivity("PDF.Process");
            activity?.SetTag("document.size", htmlContent.Length);

            await SaveToAzureBlobAsync(pdf, doc.Id);
        });
    }
}

Metrics That Matter: Production Impact

Based on early adoption data and our own testing with document processing workloads:

Strategic Implementation for Enterprise Teams

Phase 1: Pilot with Non-Critical Systems (Weeks 1-4)

Start with internal tools or reporting systems. For instance, migrate a legacy .NET Framework PDF report generator to .NET 10 using Antigravity agents:

// Agent identifies and modernizes legacy code
// Before: .NET Framework 4.8
public byte[] GenerateReport(DataTable data)
{
    var html = BuildHtmlTable(data);
    return ConvertToPdf(html); // Old library
}

// After: .NET 10 with IronPDF
public async Task<byte[]> GenerateReportAsync(IEnumerable<ReportData> data)
{
    var html = await BuildResponsiveHtmlAsync(data);
    var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer
    {
        RenderingOptions = ChromePdfRenderOptions.Create()
            .WithPrintMediaType()
            .WithResponsiveLayout(1920)
    };

    var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync(html);
    return pdf.BinaryData;
}

Phase 2: Enhance Core Document Processing (Weeks 5-12)

Apply Antigravity to your production document pipeline:

1. Automated Refactoring: Agents identify performance bottlenecks and apply .NET 10 optimizations
2. API Modernization: Convert traditional controllers to minimal APIs with built-in validation
3. Cross-Platform Testing: Agents automatically test on Windows, Linux, and Docker containers

Phase 3: Scale Across Teams (Months 4-6)

Establish governance and best practices:

• Create agent profiles with company-specific patterns
• Integrate artifact reviews into your PR process
• Build knowledge repositories from agent-generated documentation

Addressing the Risks: A CTO’s Perspective

Security and Compliance Considerations

When processing sensitive documents—whether financial reports or government contracts—security is paramount:

// Agent-generated security wrapper
public class SecureDocumentProcessor
{
    [AuditLog]
    [RequireEncryption]
    public async Task<SecureDocument> ProcessSensitiveDocumentAsync(
        Stream documentStream, 
        EncryptionKey key)
    {
        // Agent ensures all sensitive operations are logged
        using var activity = Activity.StartActivity("SecureDocument.Process");
        activity?.SetTag("encryption.algorithm", key.Algorithm);

        // Automatic validation of document integrity
        var hash = await ComputeHashAsync(documentStream);
        activity?.SetTag("document.hash", hash);

        // Process with IronPDF's security features
        var pdf = await ProcessWithSecurityAsync(documentStream);
        await pdf.SecuritySettings.SetPasswordsAsync(
            ownerPassword: key.OwnerPassword,
            userPassword: key.UserPassword
        );

        return new SecureDocument(pdf, hash, DateTime.UtcNow);
    }
}

Managing Over-Automation

While Antigravity’s autonomous agents are powerful, maintain human oversight for:

• Business logic involving domain expertise
• Security-critical code paths
• Customer-facing API changes
• Architectural decisions

Cost-Benefit Analysis for Enterprise Adoption

Expected return: 40% reduction in development time, 30% performance improvement, 50% reduction in technical debt accumulation.

Integration with Enterprise Document Processing

For teams using enterprise document processing libraries like Iron Software’s suite, the combination of Antigravity and .NET 10 offers specific advantages:

Automated PDF Generation Optimization

// Agent optimizes HTML-to-PDF conversion pipeline
public class IntelligentPdfGenerator
{
    private readonly ChromePdfRenderer _renderer;

    public async Task<OptimizationReport> OptimizeRenderingAsync(HtmlTemplate template)
    {
        // Agent analyzes HTML/CSS for optimization opportunities
        var analysis = await AnalyzeTemplateAsync(template);

        // Automatically applies best practices
        if (analysis.HasComplexCSS)
        {
            _renderer.RenderingOptions.CssMediaType = PdfCssMediaType.Print;
            _renderer.RenderingOptions.EnableJavaScript = false;
        }

        // Leverages .NET 10's improved memory management
        if (analysis.EstimatedSize > 10_000_000) // 10MB
        {
            _renderer.RenderingOptions.UseMemoryOptimization = true;
        }

        return new OptimizationReport
        {
            PerformanceGain = analysis.EstimatedImprovement,
            MemoryReduction = analysis.MemorySavings,
            Recommendations = analysis.Suggestions
        };
    }
}

Cross-Platform Deployment Excellence

With .NET 10’s enhanced cross-platform support and Antigravity’s multi-environment testing:

# Agent-generated deployment configuration
name: PDF-Service-Deployment
environments:
  - target: azure-functions
    runtime: dotnet-isolated
    optimization: 
      - AOT compilation
      - Tree shaking
      - PDF library preloading

  - target: kubernetes
    runtime: aspnet
    optimization:
      - Memory pooling
      - Connection multiplexing
      - Distributed caching

  - target: edge-computing
    runtime: wasi
    optimization:
      - Minimal runtime
      - Local-first processing
      - Offline capability

The Future: What’s Next for AI-Driven .NET Development

Near-Term (Next 6 Months)

1. Enhanced Model Integration: Expect tighter integration between Gemini 3’s reasoning capabilities and Visual Studio 2026
2. Specialized Agent Profiles: Industry-specific agents for healthcare, finance, and government document processing
3. Performance Benchmarking: Automated performance regression testing with AI-driven optimization suggestions

Medium-Term (6-18 Months)

1. Multi-Agent Architectures: Complex systems where specialized agents handle different aspects (security, performance, UX)
2. Semantic Code Understanding: Agents that understand business logic, not just syntax
3. Automated Compliance: Agents ensuring GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulatory compliance in document processing

Long-Term Vision

The convergence of AI agents and high-performance runtimes points toward a future where:

• Developers focus on architecture and business logic while agents handle implementation
• Code quality and security become guaranteed baseline rather than aspirational goals
• Cross-platform deployment complexity disappears behind intelligent orchestration

Conclusion: Embracing the Agent-First Future

The combination of Google Antigravity and .NET 10 isn’t just about writing code faster—it’s about fundamentally rethinking how we build enterprise software. For teams dealing with complex document processing, PDF generation, and cross-platform deployment, this convergence offers:

1. Immediate Productivity Gains: 40-75% reduction in feature delivery time
2. Superior Code Quality: Automatic application of best practices and optimizations
3. Enhanced Performance: .NET 10’s runtime improvements plus AI-driven optimization
4. Reduced Technical Debt: Continuous refactoring and modernization by agents

As CTOs and engineering leaders, our role evolves from managing code production to orchestrating intelligent systems that build better software than we could alone. The question isn’t whether to adopt these technologies, but how quickly we can integrate them while maintaining the quality and security our enterprises demand.

Start small, measure everything, and prepare your teams for a development paradigm where human creativity and AI capability combine to deliver unprecedented value. The future of enterprise software development isn’t just AI-assisted—it’s AI-partnered, and it’s here today.

Author Bio:
Jacob Mellor is the Chief Technology Officer and founding engineer of Iron Software, architect of the Iron Suite document processing libraries with over 30 million NuGet installations worldwide. With 41 years of programming experience (starting with 8-bit assembly as a young child), he leads enterprise document processing solutions used by organizations everyone depends on daily, including NASA, Tesla, and government agencies across Australia, the US, and UK.

Currently spearheading Iron Software 2.0’s revolutionary migration to Rust/WebAssembly with TypeSpec contract-first design for universal language support, Jacob champions AI-assisted development and building developer-friendly tools that transform how enterprises process documents at scale.

Learn more about his work at Iron Software and follow his open-source contributions on GitHub.