May 7th, 2024

Using GitHub Copilot as your Coding GPS

In this series, we delve into GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio, showcasing how it aids coding. GitHub Copilot functions as a coding GPS, guiding you through software development in Visual Studio. In our new short video, Bruno Capuano shows how this smart coding assistant boosts coding efficiency and quality.

GitHub Copilot: an assistant, not a replacement

Bruno says GitHub Copilot improves your coding in Visual Studio, not replaces developers. Microsoft agrees, saying AI should help humans, not replace them. CEO Satya Nadella says AI should boost productivity without replacing people.

Developers should check the code GitHub Copilot suggests. Sometimes it may suggest wrong code, called “hallucinations.” Though GitHub Copilot is usually accurate, however, reviewing its suggestions is important to be sure.

First, install GitHub Copilot. You can find setup help in GitHub Copilot documentation or our Microsoft Learn tutorial for installing GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio.

Using LLMs for a new way of interaction

GitHub Copilot uses Large Language Models (LLMs) for its core. LLMs bring a new way to interact with computers. They use probabilities and lots of data to generate responses from natural-language prompts, making coding feel like a conversation. This interaction covers more than text; it includes images and videos as well.

Illustration with an overview of AI capabilities, including computer vision, voice recognition, image recognition, and more.

Because LLMs can vary, developers need to oversee this, ensuring consistency in their results.

Embracing the Future with GitHub Copilot

As AI becomes more common in industries, developers should adapt. Tools like GitHub Copilot can help by making coding more efficient and adaptable. To keep up, it’s important to learn about AI tools, their strengths, and their limits. Check out our resources and full-length video tutorial for more about GitHub Copilot and how to use it in your projects!

Additional Resources:

Author

Cynthia Zanoni
Cloud Advocate
Laurent Bugnion
Principal Cloud Advocate

Laurent is a Principal Cloud Advocate for Microsoft, expert in .NET, Visual Studio and is interested in Azure services such as Serverless, App Services, SignalR, Blazor, Data, AI and more. He works from home (Zurich, CH) for Microsoft Azure. His blog is at http://blog.galasoft.ch. He was also the author of the well-known legacy open source toolkit MVVM Light for XAML and Xamarin