Copilot can now be used across the entire coding creation lifecycle

Ben Wodecki, Jr. Editor

March 23, 2023

2 Min Read

At a Glance

  • GitHub updated its AI coding tool, Copilot, including voice recognition as one of several new features.
  • OpenAI’s GPT-4 is powering the AI-powered tags in pull request descriptions features.
  • GitHub is working on a ChatGPT-style interface where devs can ask questions about business documentation.

GitHub has unveiled the latest version of its generative AI coding tool, Copilot X, now with GPT-4 integration and new features.

Released today, this new version adds chat and voice functionality, all built on top of OpenAI’s new GPT-4 large language model. Copilot X is also set to be applied to the command line and pull requests.

The new iteration sees Copilot expand beyond code completion, with developers able to use the tool across the entire code creation lifecycle.

It includes a chat interface to GitHub’s code-editing section. The chat function recognizes what code a developer has typed in and can interact with the user on error messages. It also includes Copilot Voice, a voice-to-code extension enabling users to speak prompts in natural language.

Developers can also utilize AI-generated descriptions for pull requests on GitHub. The new functionality is powered by GPT-4 and adds support for AI-powered tags in pull request descriptions through a GitHub app that organization admins and individual repository owners can install. Developers can still review or modify the suggested description.

“With AI available at every step, we can fundamentally redefine developer productivity. We are reducing boilerplate and manual tasks and making complex work easier across the developer lifecycle,” wrote Thomas Dohmke, GitHub CEO, in a blog post.

Dohmke revealed that internal teams at GitHub are tinkering with the ability for Copilot X to automatically suggest sentences and paragraphs as developers create pull requests. GitHub is also working on a feature where Copilot X will automatically warn developers if they are missing sufficient testing for a pull request.

Moreover, GitHub is building a ChatGPT-like interface so developers can ask questions about documentation, idiomatic code, or in-house software.

GitHub had partnered with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI to create an earlier version called just Copilot, powered by OpenAI’s coding model, Codex. Microsoft, GitHub’s parent company was also involved in the creation.

The trio is being sued by developers claiming the initial version copied swatches of code without permission from the creators. Nevertheless, they pushed on with the launch of Copilot for Business, last December. Copilot for Business is a subscription service for enterprises, charging $19 a month per user for the AI-powered coding tool.

GitHub Copilot is different from Microsoft Copilot, a new suite of generative AI tools built as productivity aids in apps such as Word and PowerPoint.

Read more about:

ChatGPT / Generative AI

About the Author(s)

Ben Wodecki

Jr. Editor

Ben Wodecki is the Jr. Editor of AI Business, covering a wide range of AI content. Ben joined the team in March 2021 as assistant editor and was promoted to Jr. Editor. He has written for The New Statesman, Intellectual Property Magazine, and The Telegraph India, among others. He holds an MSc in Digital Journalism from Middlesex University.

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