Jorge and Will from Lotas have developed Rao, an AI coding assistant for RStudio, to enhance the workflow of the approximately 2 million R users who currently lack effective coding support within their IDE.
AI-powered code assistant integrated into a custom fork of RStudio IDE, leveraging OpenAI and Anthropic models with local context awareness and environment interaction.
2025-07-22
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Highlight 1
Seamless integration of an AI assistant directly into RStudio, preserving user workflow without switching contexts.
Highlight 2
Strong support for multiple data science file types beyond just R scripts, enabling broad applicability for data analysts.
Highlight 3
Privacy-conscious approach with zero data retention and transparent security practices.
Improvement 1
Expand support and optimization for other popular R IDE configurations or add-ons to increase accessibility beyond the forked RStudio.
Improvement 2
Enhance user onboarding and tutorials within the IDE to quickly demonstrate Rao’s capabilities to new users.
Improvement 3
Develop clearer guidelines and safeguards for sensitive data input, especially until formal BAAs are signed with AI providers.
Product Functionality
Introduce plugins or extensions to support vanilla RStudio users who do not want to switch IDEs completely, and offer deeper customization options for different user preferences.
UI & UX
Improve onboarding flow with interactive demos or guided tours within the IDE; refine UI elements to clearly indicate Rao’s active assistance and available commands to reduce any learning curve.
SEO or Marketing
Create content-rich blog posts and tutorials targeting R data science communities and forums, highlight use cases and success stories, and optimize landing pages for keywords related to 'AI assistant for RStudio' and 'R coding AI tools'.
MultiLanguage Support
Add support for multiple languages for UI text and documentation to cater to the global R user base, potentially starting with major languages used in data science communities such as Spanish, Chinese, and French.
- 1
What is Lotas Rao and who is it for?
Lotas Rao is an AI coding assistant integrated into a customized version of RStudio, designed primarily for R programmers and data scientists who want to speed up coding and analysis workflows within their familiar IDE.
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How does Rao help me with my R coding projects?
Rao uses AI to understand your current coding context—including files and variables—allows you to write, run, and debug code directly in RStudio, helping you iterate faster and more efficiently without switching to external tools.
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Is my data safe when using Rao?
Yes, Lotas has zero data retention agreements with AI model providers, meaning your data is not stored. However, users are currently advised not to input sensitive or regulated data until formal business associate agreements are signed.