GitHub has announced changes to its platform that will use AI "in every step of the developer lifecycle". The intention is to make natural language become the universal programming language. The announcement was made at GitHub Universe.

Most of the changes are based on Copilot, GitHub's AI-powered "pair programmer" which has until now used OpenAI Codex to suggest code in real time in the editor of your choice. Copilot Chat uses your code as context, and is able to explain complex concepts, suggest code based on your open files and windows, help detect security vulnerabilities, and help with finding and fixing errors in code, terminal, and debugger.

The main elements of the announcement start with general availability of Copilot Chat for Copilot users at no additional cost in JetBrains IDEs. The chat option will also be added 'soon' to GitHub's mobile environment and github. GitHub says Copilot Chat will be generally available in December 2023 as part of existing GitHub Copilot subscriptions for organizations and individuals. This offering is also available at no cost to verified teachers, students, and maintainers of popular open source projects.

The improvements to Copilot come from the fact it is now based on GPT-4, and also now offers code-aware guidance, inline chat slash commands, smart actions, and JetBrains support.

The use of GPT-4 brings more accurate code suggestions and explanations, according to GitHub. The new inline Copilot Chat gives developers the means to chat about specific lines of code directly within the flow of their code and editor.

Slash commands are also being added, along with context variables, so you might use /fix to fix or improve code, or generate tests by entering /tests. Single click shortcuts have also been added for a range of actions including viewing fix suggestions, pulling request review content, or speeding up commits and pull requests with a generated response.

GitHub has also announced a new subscription tier for Copilot Enterprise that includes all the Copilot elements, personalized and customized with the context of your organization's codebases.

GitHub also announced Advanced Security with AI, which uses GPT-4 powered security features like code scanning autofix and secret scanning for generic secrets, and showed off a preview of Copilot Workspace, an AI-powered, natural language bridge that GitHub says will help developers go from idea to running code in minutes.

GitHub CoPilot has a waiting list for access to the new version.

More Information

GitHub CoPilot Sign Up

GitHub Website

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