Howdy, fellow coders! Today, I want to talk about a tool that has been making waves in the programming community lately – Github Co-Pilot and that I have been reviewing for about a month now. As a software developer, you know that coding can be a challenging and time-consuming task. But with the help of Co-Pilot, you can simplify your coding process and work more efficiently. Now, it’s far from perfect and I should clarify that I am only talking about the current version Co-Pilot here, not the upcoming Co-Pilot X.
So, what exactly is Github Co-Pilot? It is an AI-powered coding assistant that uses machine learning to suggest code snippets and help you write code faster. Co-Pilot is built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model, which makes it incredibly powerful and versatile.
One of the most significant advantages of Co-Pilot is that it can help you write code more quickly and accurately. For example, if you’re working on a project and need to create a function, you can simply type in the name of the function and a brief description of what it needs to do. Co-Pilot will then suggest a code snippet that you can use as a starting point, which can save you a significant amount of time.
Another benefit of Co-Pilot is that it can help you learn new programming languages and libraries. If you’re working with a new language or library that you’re not familiar with, Co-Pilot can provide you with suggestions and examples to help you learn faster. This can be especially helpful if you’re a new developer or working on a project that requires you to use unfamiliar technology.
Co-Pilot can also be useful for debugging code. If you’re struggling to find a bug in your code, Co-Pilot can suggest potential solutions based on the code you’ve already written. This can help you identify and fix the problem more quickly. I’ve found the ideal way to use Co-Pilot to be via the Visual Studio Code extension.
Of course, like any tool, Co-Pilot has its limitations. It’s not perfect and there may be times when its suggestions are not entirely accurate or are just kind of weird. However, with some guidance and refinement, Co-Pilot can be a valuable tool in any developer’s toolbox. It’s also just not a good idea to allow it to generate large portions of your code, due to potential IP issues and that the AI likely will not understand the context of your project; the challenge with most large scale software projects tends to be getting the business case broken down into fully-developable user stories.
In conclusion, Github Co-Pilot is a powerful tool that can help you write code more efficiently, learn new programming languages, and debug your code but should be used with moderation and a boulder of salt. Another AI powered tool that can help your business is my Alice automation and reporting bot. If you’re struggling with working with data between legacy and more modern systems, then Alice can help.
