# GitHub Copilot

> An AI assistant inside the code editor that suggests and writes code.

- Level: Basic
- Topics: AI, Software
- URL: https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/github-copilot/
- In Spanish: [GitHub Copilot](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/es/github-copilot/)

**GitHub Copilot** is an AI coding assistant made by GitHub, launched in 2021. It runs inside the editors developers already use, such as Visual Studio Code, and is powered by large language models that were trained on huge amounts of code and text.

It works in a few ways. As you type, it suggests the next lines in grey, and you press Tab to accept them. In a chat panel you can ask things like "what does this function do?" or "write a test for this". In its more autonomous modes it can take a task, edit several files, run commands and open a pull request on GitHub for a person to review.

It matters because it changed how a lot of everyday programming is done: less typing of repetitive code, more reading and checking. That last part is key. Copilot can be confidently wrong, invent functions that do not exist, or suggest code with security problems, so its output needs the same review as a colleague's. Similar tools include Cursor, Claude Code and others; they differ in how much they do on their own.

## An analogy

Like the autocomplete on your phone keyboard, but for code and much more ambitious: sometimes it finishes your word, sometimes it drafts the whole paragraph. You still decide what gets sent.

## Keep in mind

- Suggests code as you type and answers questions in a chat inside the editor.
- Built on large language models; it predicts likely code, it does not understand your business.
- Its suggestions can be wrong or insecure, so they need review.
- It is a paid service with plans for individuals, companies and a limited free tier.

## Go deeper

- [What is GitHub Copilot? (official docs)](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/what-is-github-copilot)
- [GitHub Copilot on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GitHub_Copilot)

## Related terms

- [Artificial intelligence](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/artificial-intelligence/): Getting computers to do things that, until recently, only people could do.
- [GitHub](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/github/): A website where teams store their code with Git and work on it together.
- [Code review](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/code-review/): Having another person read a code change before it becomes part of the product.
- [Claude](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/claude/): Anthropic's family of AI models, and the assistant app built on them.
- [AWS account and billing](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/aws-account-and-billing/): What an AWS account is, how you get charged, and how to avoid a surprise bill.