GitHub is expanding its generative AI-powered coding chatbot to more users with the launch of Copilot Chat, which is still in beta, for individual customers.
Previously the beta was only available to GitHub Copilot for Business customers, but starting September 20, the chatbot will be available to all Visual Studio and VS Code customers.
The Microsoft platform hopes its GenAI tool will bridge the gap between complex programming languages and natural language input, making coding more accessible.
GitHub Copilot Chat now available to more users
Although Copilot Chat has become available to even more users, it still remains in beta and developers must be enrolled in the beta program to access the chatbot.
GitHub says developers can use it to “learn new languages or frameworks, fix bugs, or get answers to coding questions in simple, natural language output” within the IDE’s interface.
It also promises to give developers a security boost by suggesting security patches.
Company said: “By enabling the emergence of natural language as the new universal programming language, we will democratize software development as we know it, empowering every developer to build the innovation of tomorrow and accelerate human progress today.”
Copilot Chat is part of GitHub’s Copilot AI tool, which is built using OpenAI’s GPT-4 multimodal model. Copilot X also uses a GPT-3 descendant known as Codex.
In recent months, artificial intelligence has found its home in the world of coding, where it is capable of processing massive amounts of data extremely quickly. However, things weren’t without problems with GitHub’s parent company Microsoft last year facing legal action about the inability to attribute sources correctly.