In the fast-evolving world of software development, intuitive AI-driven interactions are becoming essential to unlocking new levels of productivity. Today, we’re excited to share our latest innovation – a guided chat experience within GitHub Copilot that reshapes how developers interact with AI. This guided chat experience is available in Visual Studio 2022 17.12 Preview 3 and above.
This guided way to chat was created with one clear goal in mind: to make interactions between developers and AI more natural, effective, and aligned with everyday workflows. It is our deep belief that conversational AI is the future of development, and we’re committed to leading that transformation.
Making Copilot Conversations Smarter and Simpler
As we’ve refined GitHub Copilot, one thing has become clear: while users appreciate the potential of AI-driven tools, there’s a learning curve. Developers have shared that crafting the right prompt can sometimes feel like a challenge—understanding how to phrase a question, knowing what context to include, and making the most of Copilot’s capabilities. In some cases, the experience left users feeling like they were getting too much or too little from their interactions.
Customer feedback highlights the challenge:
- “The chat experience is helpful, but I wish it felt more like an assistant—something that could help guide me and give me only what I need without extra noise.”
- “I love how Copilot just starts generating, but it sometimes feels like I have to sift through a lot to get to what I actually wanted.”
These insights inspired us to rethink how AI should work for developers. Rather than relying only on intent-based commands or predefined prompts, this chat allows for a more fluid, conversational experience—one that adapts to the user’s context and needs.
How does this work?
Our guided chat experience takes Copilot beyond simple input-output exchanges, turning it into a collaborative assistant. When the context is clear, Copilot provides direct and relevant answers. When it isn’t, Copilot guides you by asking follow-up questions to ensure clarity and precision.
The implications are significant:
- More Engagement: Developers spend less time figuring out how to phrase their prompts and more time focused on the task at hand.
- Less Complexity: Copilot’s ability to guide and clarify reduces the need for developers to navigate complex intent systems.
- Increased Productivity: With less back-and-forth and more focused responses, developers can move faster through their workflows.
In our early trials, we’ve seen encouraging signs that Guided Chat makes a real difference. So we are excited for you all to try it out.
As we continue refining this guided way to chat, user feedback and engagement will be at the center of our improvements, ensuring that it delivers the intelligent and seamless experience developers need.
Thank you for your continuous feedback
We owe much of our progress to our users’ invaluable feedback. Your insights and suggestions have been instrumental in making Visual Studio better with each update. We appreciate your continuous support and look forward to bringing you more innovative features.
