GitHub Broadens Copilot Chat Access to Individual Users

Three months ago, GitHub introduced Copilot Chat, its programming-focused chatbot inspired by ChatGPT, opening it to organizations subscribed to Copilot for Business. Today, GitHub takes another step forward by rolling out the Copilot Chat beta to all current subscribers of GitHub Copilot for Individuals using Visual Studio and VS Code. This individual subscription is priced at $10/month, and Copilot Chat is offered at no extra cost.

Similar to other chatbots, Copilot Chat is conveniently located in the IDE's sidebar, allowing developers to engage in multi-turn conversations about coding. More importantly, users can inquire about the specific code they’re working on within the IDE. GitHub emphasizes that this context enhances the functionality of Copilot compared to standard chat assistants.

“Together, GitHub Copilot Chat and the GitHub Copilot pair programmer create a robust AI assistant that empowers developers to code at their own pace, utilizing the natural language of their choice,” said Shuyin Zhao, VP of Product Management at GitHub, in today’s announcement. “We believe this integration will become the cornerstone of the software development experience, dramatically minimizing repetitive tasks and establishing natural language as a universal programming language for developers around the world.”

GitHub highlights several common applications of Copilot Chat, including real-time guidance that offers best practices, tailored tips, and solutions relevant to the developer's current code, as well as assistance in code analysis and security issue resolution— all without requiring users to leave the IDE.

In the announcement, Zhao reiterated GitHub's goal of promoting “natural language as a universal programming language” to democratize software development. This vision resonates with themes that have emerged in recent months, frequently discussed by CEO Thomas Dohmke. Since Dohmke is a guest at our Disrupt conference in San Francisco today, we will delve into this topic and more during our onstage interview.

GitHub's Copilot Chat is now available for public preview for businesses.