Episode 533: Eddie Aftandilian on GitHub Copilot

Eddie Aftandilian, Principal Researcher at GitHub Copilot, speaks with SE Radio’s Priyanka Raghavan about how GitHub Copilot can improve developer productivity as it is integrated with IDEs. They trace the origins of developer tools for productivity right from integrated developer environments to AI-powered buddies such as GitHub Copilot. The episode then takes a deep dive into the workings of Copilot, including how the codex model works, how the model can be trained on feedback, the model’s performance, and metrics used to measure code that the pilot produces. The show also explores some examples of where the Copilot could be useful — for example, as a training tool. Priyanka asked Aftandilian to respond to negative feedback that has been directed toward GitHub Copilot, including a paper that has asserted that it might suggest insecure code, as well as allegations of code laundering and privacy issues. Finally, they end with some questions on the future directions of the Copilot.

Related Links

• Episode 517: Jordan Adler on Code Generators
• Episode 119: DSLs in practice
• Episode 16: Model Driven Software Projects
• “Asleep at the Keyboard? Assessing the Security of GitHub Copilot’s Code Contributions”
• Productivity Assessment of Neural Code Completion
• Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Code
• Albert Ziegler, GitHub, Turning AI for Code into AI for Coding
• Getafix: How Facebook tools learn to fix bugs automatically
• eaftan – Overview

SE Radio theme: “Broken Reality” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com — Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0)

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