For this, I had to write multiple comments and it actually felt like I was pair-programming with the Copilot. However, most of the code was generated

Some Experiments with GitHub Copilot

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2021-07-05 18:30:03

For this, I had to write multiple comments and it actually felt like I was pair-programming with the Copilot. However, most of the code was generated by Copilot.

It is sure going to improve a software developer’s productivity. However, I don’t see it replacing a software developer. Copilot often generated non-sensical and repetitive code. It didn’t import the necessary libraries at times as well. It is basically like Kite or TabNine on steroids. 

A good analogy I can think of is Google Translate. It’s been there for years but it has not replaced the need for an actual translator. You could translate an article from English to Japanese in a few seconds. However, you would still need somebody fluent in both languages to ensure that the translation is grammatically correct and it delivers the same message as the original article.

Another issue I can think of — Who would be liable for the code? If I used GitHub to generate some code and later get sued by someone for some reason. Can I put the blame on GitHub? GitHub will most likely make users agree to some terms and conditions which prevent them from being sued. So we would actually need somebody experienced in software to ensure that the generated code is safe to use.

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