🤖 What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered developer tool built by GitHub and powered by generative AI models from GitHub, OpenAI, and Microsoft.

It assists developers throughout the entire software development lifecycle, including:

• Code completion in IDEs
• Chat-based coding assistance
• Explaining code
• Generating pull requests
• Reviewing code
• Fixing vulnerabilities (Autofix)
• Terminal command generation
• Enterprise knowledge indexing

It works inside editors, GitHub.com, CLI, mobile, and enterprise environments.

✨ Key Features

1. AI Code Completion

• Context-aware inline code suggestions
• Supports many programming languages
• Trained on public repositories

2. Copilot Chat

• Natural language interaction inside IDE or GitHub
• Explains code
• Answers documentation questions
• Generates edits and refactors

3. Agent Mode

• Can autonomously:

  • Write code
  • Create pull requests
  • Respond to feedback
  • Work on assigned issues

4. Copilot CLI

• Use natural language in the terminal
• Plan and execute complex workflows

5. Multi-Model Support

Users can choose models optimized for:

• Speed
• Accuracy
• Cost

Includes models from:

• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• Google
• Others (depending on plan)

6. Enterprise Capabilities

• Codebase indexing
• Private model fine-tuning
• Policy management
• Audit logs
• Governance controls
• Secure MCP server access

7. Security Features

• Vulnerability detection
• Code pattern filtering
• Optional duplication detection filter
• GitHub Copilot Autofix (via GitHub Advanced Security)

💼 Use Cases

👨‍💻 Individual Developers

• Speed up coding
• Reduce boilerplate
• Learn unfamiliar APIs
• Refactor code
• Generate tests

🏢 Teams

• Standardize coding practices
• Improve PR quality with AI code review
• Increase productivity
• Reduce repetitive tasks

🏭 Enterprises

• Organization-wide governance
• AI-powered code review across all pull requests
• Knowledge-aware suggestions using internal repositories
• Controlled model usage & compliance
• Secure AI integration within workflows

🎓 Students & Open Source Maintainers

• Free access (with limitations)
• Learning assistance
• Project acceleration

💰 Plans Overview

❓ FAQ (Key Questions)

1. Does Copilot copy and paste code?

No. It generates suggestions probabilistically based on context. It does not retrieve or store code snippets from specific repositories.

2. What data was it trained on?

Publicly available code and natural language text, including public GitHub repositories.

3. Does GitHub use Business/Enterprise data to train models?

No.

4. Can it introduce insecure code?

Yes, potentially — like any tool. However:

• It includes vulnerable pattern filters
• Users are encouraged to apply code scanning and security review

5. Does it retain prompts?

Depends on access method:

• IDE prompts generally not retained
• Web/mobile/CLI prompts may be retained for 28 days
• Engagement data kept for 2 years (Business/Enterprise default)

6. Is it GDPR compliant?

Yes. GitHub offers a Data Protection Agreement (DPA).

7. Can non-licensed users use Copilot code review?

Yes — if enabled by an enterprise admin. Usage is billed as premium requests.

8. Is it meant to replace developers?

No. It’s designed as a productivity tool (“Copilot,” not “Autopilot”).

🧠 Positioning Summary

GitHub Copilot positions itself as:

An AI-powered developer platform that integrates deeply into the development workflow — from code editor to enterprise governance — offering productivity, automation, and AI-assisted collaboration at scale.