GitHub Next is a team of researchers and engineers at GitHub, exploring the future of software development. They prototype tools and technologies that will change the craft of coding and building software engineering teams.
One of their projects is GitHub Copilot, a groundbreaking AI pair programmer for developers that uses a large language model called Codex to generate code suggestions based on natural language queries or existing code. GitHub Copilot is currently in technical preview and requires an invitation to use.
Another project is GitHub Copilot Labs, a companion VS Code extension that showcases experimental applications of machine learning that improve the developer experience. For example, it can explain code in plain language, translate code between languages, generate tests, and create custom prompts. GitHub Copilot Labs is available for anyone who has access to GitHub Copilot.
Some of the key features of GitHub Copilot Labs include:
- Explaining code in plain language
- Translating code between languages
- Generating tests
- Creating custom prompts
GitHub Next also hosts a speaker series where they invite experts from industry, academia, and open-source technologies to share their insights and wisdom with them. Some of the past speakers include:
- Simon Peyton-Jones
- Sumana Harihareswara
- Fred K. Schott
- Simon Willison
GitHub Next is always looking for new ideas and feedback from the developer community. You can join their Discord server to connect with them and other folks who are interested in building the future of coding.
Join the conversation on Discord: https://discord.gg/githubnext
