What you need to know
- Windows Terminal will soon feature GitHub Copilot.
- GitHub Copilot allows developers to chat with AI to receive recommendations and help identify errors.
- Microsoft is also experimenting with GitHub Copilot with AI in other developer tools, including WinDBG.
Windows 11 and Bing aren't the only Microsoft products to gain Copilots at Build 2023. The company also announced that GitHub Copilot will make its way to Windows Terminal, giving developers another way to work with AI.
Windows Terminal, which launched in 2019, became the default command line experience in Windows 11 last year. It supports tabs, panels, and a command line palette that makes it easier to find actions. You can also customize Windows Terminal with a profile icon and various color options. Now, it is the latest Microsoft product to integrate with artificial intelligence.
"Users of GitHub Copilot will be able to take advantage of natural language AI both inline and in an experimental chat experience to recommend commands, explain errors and take actions within the Terminal application. We are also experimenting with GitHub Copilot powered AI in other developer tools like WinDBG to help you complete your tasks with less toil," said Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay.
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ChatGPT, which uses the GPT-4 large language model (LLM), has earned quite a bit of praise for its versatility relating to development. The ability to communicate with natural language and ask questions makes the chatbot act like a smart assistant that can scan through seemingly endless lines of code to determine what's gone wrong. Those same advantages are now coming to Windows Terminal through GitHub Copilot.
GitHub's page about GitHub Copilot X explains how AI can aid developers:
"Context aware conversations with your copilot. If you're stuck solving a problem, ask GitHub Copilot to explain a piece of code. Bump into an error? Have GitHub Copilot fix it. It’ll even generate unit tests so you can get back to building what’s next."
Microsoft is also testing GitHub Copilot's AI features in other dev tools, such as WinDBG.
You can add your name to the GitHub Copilot Chat waitlist to try out the new features as they become available.
