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Company playbook

Github Copilot

Table of Content

What is

GitHub Copilot is a new AI-powered code assistant from GitHub that helps developers write code faster and with less effort. Imagine it like an Intellisense charged with superpowers.

It uses machine learning to understand the context of the code you are writing and provides suggestions and code snippets to help you complete your tasks.

The tool suggests as you type, it's context-aware, meaning they will change based on the type of file you are working on and the code you have written so far and you will always be in control of which suggestion is actually fit for purpose

Additionally, GitHub Copilot has a "Code Navigation" feature that lets you quickly jump to specific parts of your code by typing in keywords or phrases. You can also search for specific functions or classes within your codebase and navigate to them directly.

If used with care and applying the necessary critical thinking, it can help developers write code faster and more accurately

It can be used within the most used IDE and editor (including vim, yes); just follow the instructions in the official documentation to integrate it into your editor of choice.

For a quick introduction about Copilot and how it does its magic, we suggest this video, where Rizèl Scarlett shows the tool in action in different scenarios.

Usage Policy

Purpose: This policy aims to establish guidelines for using GitHub Copilot within the company.

  1. Eligibility: All employees with access to GitHub can use GitHub Copilot.

  2. Privacy: The service is regulated by the following Privacy statement: https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/privacy-policies/github-copilot-for-business-privacy-statement. GitHub Copilot will receive the code and comments you are working on as context during normal usage. According to the official Github Copilot for business privacy policy: "GitHub Copilot transmits snippets of your code from your IDE to GitHub to provide Suggestions to you. Code snippets data is only transmitted in real-time to return Suggestions, and is discarded once a Suggestion is returned. Copilot for Business does not retain any Code Snippets Data". It is employer responsability to make sure that the official privacy statement is acceptable for their specific use case, in case of doubts please ask to your direct responsible.

  3. Use of suggestions: Employees are encouraged to use the suggestions by GitHub Copilot but must use their own judgment when applying them to their code. They should always review the suggested code and understand it before implementing it. Remember: the name of the utility is Copilot and not Autopilot, so it is not intended to be used as a replacement for your own judgment and creativity.

  4. Compliance: Employees must comply with all company policies and guidelines when using GitHub Copilot. This is not an option, and the employee will be held responsible for any negative impacts in case of non-compliance.

  5. Review: This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to ensure its effectiveness and relevance.

  6. By following these guidelines, companies can ensure that GitHub Copilot is used appropriately and effectively while maintaining data security.

How to request a subscription

Github Copilot subscriptions must be requested through the internal slack account #copilot-program-2023, you will be requested to confirm to have read and understood the usage policy.

As the subscription will be made through our Github Organization, your already existing Copilot subscriptions (if any on the same account) will be automatically cancelled and reimbursed from Github, you’ll be informed in any case of the new activated subscription.

Refunding of a previously purchased subscription

If you have already purchased the personal Github Copilot subscription, when the new Organization subscription will be attached to your Github account, Github will refund you for the unused portion of the subscription. You can request a refund for the partial paid subscription using the dedicated platform for employees refunds, only if it was previously approved as a company expense.

GitHub Copilot in the CLI

As described in the official documentation:

GitHub Copilot in the CLI provides a chat-like interface in the terminal that allows you to ask questions about the command line. You can ask GitHub Copilot to provide either command suggestions or explanations of given commands.

To install GH Copilot in the CLI, please follow the official documentation.
Mind that GitHub CLI should be installed.

Last updated on 5 Sep 2024