Nikolai Avteniev, a software developer, recognized the potential of Microsoft Corp.’s Copilot coding helper as soon as he laid eyes on a preview version of the product in 2021.
Microsoft’s GitHub-powered assistant, employing OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence, showed occasional flaws but amazed StubHub’s Avteniev by efficiently completing code with minimal input; pressing the tab key did the rest.
It took three keystrokes, as opposed to fifteen, he recently recalled. “It was nice a little speed boost.” Three years on, GitHub’s Copilot, now powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, has expanded capabilities: it answers queries, converts code between languages, and plays a crucial role in writing software, including for corporate systems.
Copilot is transforming software engineers’ work lives, with 1.3 million users, including 50,000 businesses like Goldman Sachs, Ford, and Ernst & Young. It saves engineers hundreds of hours monthly, tackling tedious tasks and freeing time for complex challenges.
Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion, aiming for Copilot to rival Tabnine, Amazon’s CodeWhisperer, and Google’s Replit Ghostwriter. Copilot’s AI is also being integrated into Office, Windows, Bing, and other Microsoft products, with beta testing underway.
GitHub Copilot, like all AI, has limitations. Developers note it occasionally retrieves outdated code, offers unhelpful answers, and suggests buggy or potentially copyright-infringing content. Since it’s trained on public repositories, there’s a risk of replicating security issues or introducing new ones if recommendations are blindly accepted.
GitHub stresses that Copilot is an assistant, not a replacement for human programmers, putting the responsibility on users to use it wisely. CEO Thomas Dohmke calls for robust guidelines to prevent lazy reliance on Copilot’s suggestions, expressing confidence in engineers’ ability to maintain integrity.
Coding assistants, such as Copilot from GitHub, have the potential to be even more transformative because generative AI can automate a lot of the work that software engineers do today.
Aaron Hedges, a developer with over 15 years of experience, found relief from burnout with Copilot. Working for ReadMe, he values Copilot’s autocomplete feature and ability to answer questions within the programming window, boosting efficiency. At $10 a month, Hedges happily subscribes to Copilot, saving time for leisure activities like building websites for Dungeons & Dragons fans amid a busy family life.
Also Read: Microsoft to Invest $1.5 Billion in UAE’s Top AI Firm G42
