GitHub Copilot X

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See also: Artificial intelligence applications and software development apps

Introduction

GitHub Copilot X is the next step in the evolution of AI-powered software development, incorporating new features and enhancements designed to make developers more productive, efficient, and creative. By incorporating OpenAI's GPT-4 model and introducing chat and voice interfaces, GitHub Copilot X aims to redefine the developer experience throughout the entire software development lifecycle. The goal is to minimize manual tasks and boilerplate work, allowing developers to concentrate on innovation and accelerating human progress. The "X" in the name signifies both the potential expansion of experiences offered and the intended magnitude of impact on developer achievement.

Availability, Pricing, and Accessing Upcoming Features

GitHub Copilot X is not a separate product offering but a representation of the company's vision for the future of GitHub Copilot. As GitHub designs, tests, and builds features that align with this vision, they are also determining the best way to provide these features to their customers. Specific timelines for the availability of these features are not guaranteed. Developers who are interested in previewing upcoming features can join the waitlist for the specific features they want to explore. Each feature's waitlist is separate, and joining one does not imply interest in multiple features.

AI-Powered Developer Experience

GitHub Copilot X builds upon the success of GitHub Copilot, which has already helped developers code up to 55% faster and now writes 46% of code. It includes a range of new features designed to enhance and streamline the software development process.

GitHub Copilot Chat

GitHub Copilot Chat is a chat interface integrated into VS Code and Visual Studio that enables developers to communicate with their AI assistant directly within the IDE. This feature can provide in-depth analysis and explanations of code blocks, generate unit tests, and suggest bug fixes. It builds upon the work of OpenAI and Microsoft in developing ChatGPT and the new Bing.

GitHub Copilot Voice

In addition to the chat interface, GitHub Copilot X also includes GitHub Copilot Voice, which allows developers to give natural language prompts verbally.

Copilot for Pull Requests

GitHub Copilot X introduces AI-generated descriptions for pull requests, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. It can automatically fill out tags in pull request descriptions based on changed code, which developers can review or modify as needed. Future enhancements include AI-assisted sentence and paragraph suggestions for pull requests and a feature to warn developers about insufficient testing and suggest potential tests.

GitHub Copilot for Docs

GitHub Copilot for Docs is an experimental tool that uses a chat interface to provide AI-generated answers to questions about documentation for languages, frameworks, and technologies. It initially supports documentation for React, Azure Docs, and MDN, with plans to expand to other repositories and internal documentation. The aim is to create a personalized experience for developers based on their codebase and documentation.

Copilot for the Command Line Interface (CLI)

To further enhance the developer experience, GitHub Copilot X includes a CLI tool that can compose commands, loops, and obscure flags to assist developers in using the terminal more efficiently.

Powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 Model

GitHub Copilot X leverages OpenAI's GPT-4 model, which offers significant improvements in logical reasoning and code generation. This allows GitHub Copilot X to better understand a developer's codebase and provide more tailored suggestions in pull requests and documentation summaries.

Responsible AI Use and Technical Preview Prerequisites

GitHub emphasizes responsible AI use in their Copilot platform, focusing on professionalism, code quality, and data protection. Access prerequisites for GitHub Copilot technical previews vary:

Copilot Chat: Active Copilot subscription and VS or VSCode usage.
Copilot for Pull Requests: Organization admin or repository owner status.
Copilot for Docs: No prerequisites, supports selected documentation.
Copilot for CLI: Active Copilot subscription required.