GitHub Debuts GPT-4o Copilot in Public Preview for Visual Studio Code Users

GitHub has announced the public preview release of its new AI-powered code completion model, GPT-4o Copilot, now available to Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users. Built on the GPT-4o mini model, GPT-4o Copilot has been trained on over 275,000 high-quality public repositories in more than 30 programming languages, significantly enhancing the accuracy and performance of code suggestions.

According to GitHub’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Dohmke posted on X, "Our new code completion model is now available in public preview. We’re calling it GPT-4o Copilot. It’s based on GPT-4o mini, which was trained using over 1 trillion tokens from a code-focused dataset, along with reinforcement learning from execution feedback (RLEF). We’ve fine-tuned it across 32 major programming languages to ensure optimal performance for developers."

Enhanced Code Suggestions for Developers

This latest update promises more accurate code suggestions and improved overall performance for developers. Users can enable GPT-4o Copilot by selecting ‘Configure Code Completions… > Change Completions Model…’ in the Copilot menu on the VS Code title bar or by choosing ‘GitHub Copilot: Change Completions Model…’ through the Command Palette.

For Copilot Business and Enterprise users, administrators must activate the model by opting for "Editor Preview Features" in the Copilot policy settings on GitHub. Free-tier users will have access to the model within a monthly limit of 2,000 completions. Additionally, GitHub has announced that GPT-4o Copilot will soon be available to Copilot users on all JetBrains IDEs.

Streamlined Issue Creation Flow and Project Management Updates

In addition to the launch of GPT-4o Copilot, GitHub has rolled out a series of updates for its Issues and Projects tools. One of the key updates is a more streamlined issue-creation process. Based on user feedback, GitHub has improved the way issues are created in projects. Now, pressing ‘Enter’ directly creates a new issue, while ‘Cmd / Ctrl + Enter’ creates a draft. This change reflects how users typically engage with issue creation in GitHub projects.

GitHub also introduced new features like checklist-to-sub-issue conversion, required fields for private repositories, and improvements to tasklist blocks and single-issue templates. These updates aim to enhance workflow efficiency for developers managing tasks and projects on GitHub.

GitHub Copilot and the Growing Developer Community

GitHub’s GPT-4o Copilot release follows the platform’s previous announcement that its AI-powered coding tool, GitHub Copilot, is now available for free within Visual Studio Code. This came as GitHub reached a milestone of 150 million developers on its platform. With the introduction of GPT-4o Copilot, GitHub continues to innovate and support developers in streamlining their coding processes and improving productivity through AI-powered tools.