The tool that started pair-programming with AI
GitHub Copilot is an AI programming assistant from GitHub, the code hosting service. Since its 2021 launch it has been the pioneer that spread the practice of developing alongside an AI.
What it does
- Completion: proposing the continuation of code you are writing
- Chat: answering questions about errors and approaches
- Explanation: describing what unfamiliar code does
- Agent features: carrying out changes on your behalf
The standard way to use it is embedded in an editor such as VS Code, where it has become part of daily practice for many programmers.
Not the same as Microsoft Copilot
The names invite confusion. GitHub Copilot is for programming; Microsoft Copilot is a general work assistant across Word, Excel, and other applications. GitHub is owned by Microsoft, so they are siblings, but their audiences are entirely different. GitHub for developers, Microsoft for everyone else, is the short version.
Learning to program with it
Copilot made writing code with AI the new normal. For beginners it works something like a tutor available at the moment a question arises. The counter-argument is that using suggestions without understanding them prevents skill from developing — while learning, thinking first and then comparing against the suggestion is the better habit. Even now that more autonomous tools such as Cursor and Claude Code exist, it remains a standard choice.
The name refers to a copilot supporting the person flying rather than taking the controls. That framing subsequently became the general term for AI assistance across the industry.