GitHub Copilot

What it is

Copilot is an AI pair-programmer built by GitHub and OpenAI. Unlike chatbots in a browser tab, it lives inside VS Code and other editors, where it sees your project and completes code inline as you type.

What it is genuinely good at

• Routine code. Boilerplate, tests, data transforms, config — the 60% of programming that follows patterns you have written a hundred times.
• Explaining unfamiliar code. Highlight a function and ask what it does; paste an error and get plain-English causes.
• Learning a new language or framework. It shortens the "how do I even write a file here" phase dramatically.

Honest limitations

It confidently writes plausible-but-wrong code — subtle bugs, outdated libraries, insecure patterns. Reviewing AI code is a skill; unreviewed AI code is tech debt with a fast-forward button. Beginners risk learning to accept code instead of reading it — use it to explain, not to skip understanding.

Pricing shape

Free tier with limited completions per month; Pro subscription for individuals; free for verified students and teachers; enterprise plans for orgs. For professional developers it usually pays for itself within the first week.