GitHub Copilot

What is GitHub Co-Pilot?

GitHub Copilot is an artificial intelligence (AI) code completion tool designed to work with code editors like Visual Studio Code. The tool, which was developed by GitHub in collaboration with OpenAI, is credited with speeding up the development process for experienced programmers and lowering the barrier to entry for new programmers. 

Copilot makes writing code easier and more efficient by offering real-time autocomplete suggestions as developers type in a compatible integrated development environment (IDE).

Techopedia Explains

The tool’s suggestions can range from a single line of simple code to large blocks of complex code. Developers can accept or reject suggestions, and Copilot refines its predictions based on this feedback.

GitHub Copilot’s suggestions are based on patterns and syntax that Copilot learned during its training with publicly available open-source code repositories on GitHub.

According to GitHub documentation, Copilot is trained in all software development languages that appear in public repositories. It is best known, however, for its support for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Go. 

How Does GitHub Copilot Work?

Subscribers can install GitHub Copilot as a code editor extension for Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, and an increasing number of popular integrated development environments (IDEs). As the developer types new code, Copilot analyzes the surrounding code to generate suggestions for completing lines, fixing bugs, and optimizing AI algorithms.

Under the hood, Copilot uses large language models (LLMs) similar to those used by ChatGPT. GitHub Copilot was originally built on the OpenAI Codex, an LLM that was trained on tens of billions of lines of open-source code from GitHub. 

Open AI has since retired Codex, and the latest versions of GitHub Copilot were trained with new models developed through a collaboration between GitHub, OpenAI, and Microsoft Azure AI. 

The newest models have a deeper understanding of code context because they can refer to project files and documentation to understand the programmer’s intent.

What is GitHub Copilot Used For?

GitHub Copilot is a versatile tool that can be used by programmers with different skill levels. Copilot’s suggestions can be used by entry-level programmers to:

• Generate boilerplate code for tasks like defining basic functions and classes.
•  Assist with common data structures and loops.
• Simplify setup for repetitive configurations and imports.
• Provide examples of basic error handling and error logging practices.
• Generate comments that can be used to help write code documentation.
• Assist with language-specific idioms.
• Provide examples of software library functions and software framework components.

More experienced programmers can use Copilot suggestions to:

• Write boilerplate code to automate repetitive or mundane coding tasks.
• Explore different approaches and solutions to complex coding problems.
• Generate complex code structures.
• Suggest refactorings to improve code efficiency, readability, and maintainability.
• Help write unit tests and integration tests.
• Provide relevant code examples and syntax for different languages and frameworks.
• Automate application programming interface (API) integration.

Pros and Cons

GitHub Copilot has generated both excitement and apprehension within the programming community. According to GitHub, business users are using Copilot to generate more than 46% of their code, and the tool has helped them write code 55% faster. Proponents have applauded Copilot’s ability to accelerate software development and democratize programming. 

Detractors, however, have expressed concern about the legal and ethical implications of using AI to generate code. While its ability to boost productivity is undeniable, Copilot faces many of the same concerns the rest of generative AI faces.

This includes questions about potential biases in outputs, worries about over-reliance on AI leading to skill degradation, and the potential for code generators to limit job openings for human programmers. 

Ultimately, Copilot’s potential hinges on recognizing the tool’s limitations and promoting its judicious use on a case-by-case or project-by-project basis.

Subscription Options

GitHub Copilot has several subscription plans for personal and business use. 

Copilot is free for verified students, teachers, and qualified open-source project leads. It is also available for free to individual user personal accounts as a one-time only 30-day trial.

After the free trial, individuals who want to continue using Copilot need to commit to a paid personal account monthly or yearly subscription plan. 

Currently, personal account subscriptions for GitHub Copilot cost $10 per month or $100 per year. Copilot Business costs $19 per user per month, and Copilot Enterprise costs $39 per user per month.

What is GitHub Copilot X?

GitHub Copilot X is a future iteration of Copilot that is expected to include Copilot Chat, Copilot Voice, and Copilot Pull Requests projects as basic features. 

• Copilot voice

It was formerly known as “Hey, GitHub!” This feature allows developers to use voice prompts instead of text prompts. 

• Copilot Pull Request

The Copilot Pull Request (PR) feature is designed to help development teams write better pull request descriptions and help team members review and merge PRs faster. In version control systems, a pull request ensures every piece of code is reviewed before it is integrated into another branch or repository.

• GitHub Copilot Chat

It is a conversational AI extension for GitHub Copilot that allows developers to interact with GitHub Copilot. Developers can use Copilot Chat to ask coding-related questions and receive formatted answers. Copilot Chat, which was first introduced as an extension for Visual Studio Code, is now available in both business and individual subscriptions.

At this point in time, it is unclear whether Copilot X will be the release name of a future Copilot iteration or remain a project name.

Currently, GitHub seems to be prioritizing the development and promotion of Copilot Workspace, which already incorporates the features mentioned above.

GitHub Copilot Competitors

GitHub Copilot’s biggest competitor is expected to be Google Duet AI for Developers. Both tools have IDE plug-ins, can generate code from natural language prompts, can make suggestions for completing code snippets, and can provide context-aware suggestions within specific codebases. 

Other notable competitors include:

Amazon CodeWhisperer

Offers plugins for JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio Code, and AWS Cloud9. 

Ask Codi

It offers plugins for JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio Code, and Sublime Text.

Tabnine

Offers plugins for JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text. Also has community-developed plug-ins for Vim, Emacs, and Jupyter Notebook.