GitHub Releases Free Version of Copilot for All Developers | Generative ai use cases in manufacturing | Microsoft generative ai tools download | Generative ai google certification | Turtles AI

GitHub has announced a free version of Copilot, its AI-based code completion tool. This news marks a significant step in accessibility for developers, bringing AI within reach of more users, albeit with some limitations compared to paid plans. The new free model integrates with editors such as VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains, aiming to expand the user base worldwide.

Key points:

• GitHub launches free Copilot, available to all developers, with access limited to 2,000 completions per month.
• The free plan includes only some versions of AI models, such as Claude 3.5 and GPT-4.
• Copilot Free integrates with popular editors such as VS Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains, expanding the audience.
• GitHub’s intention is to break down barriers to entry for new developers and incentivize global use of the platform.

GitHub has officially introduced a free version of its AI-based programming assistant, Copilot, with the goal of expanding access to this powerful tool to a growing audience. The news comes after years of evolution of the platform, which had previously reserved free access for students, teachers, and maintainers of verified open source projects. The new free plan not only democratizes access to one of the most popular tools among developers, but also makes it available to anyone using editors such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio and JetBrains, without the need for a subscription. The introduction of Copilot Free is part of a broader reality of evolution of GitHub’s offerings, which over the years has made advanced features such as free private repositories and GitHub Actions increasingly accessible, in a path that has seen the platform grow to 150 million registered developers, up significantly from 100 million in early 2023. Thomas Dohmke, CEO of GitHub, emphasized that the new plan fits into the company’s broader goal of enabling one billion people worldwide to become developers, aiming to make programming more accessible even in countries with lower average incomes. Developers who choose the free version of Copilot will be able to use AI to complete code, but with some limitations: for example, they will only have access to 2,000 code completions per month and access to AI models such as Claude 3.5 and GPT-4, without the ability to use other, more advanced variants available in paid plans. In addition, for Copilot Chat, the free plan has a maximum of 50 chat messages. Although these restrictions may limit its use in professional settings and for complex projects, it is still an interesting option for casual developers and those who want to start exploring the potential of AI applied to programming. GitHub, which since 2018 has been on a rapid evolution toward an increasingly inclusive model geared toward free access, aims with the Copilot Free move to make the use of AI an easy-to-approach experience, without bureaucratic or certification complications, as was the case for students. With this decision, GitHub is entering an increasingly competitive market, where other AI coding tools, such as Tabnine and the new services offered by AWS, are trying to gain their space. Against this backdrop, the integration of Copilot into such a popular environment as VS Code, combined with the freemium offering, appears to be a winning strategy for GitHub, which will now be able to reach a wider audience and consolidate its leading position in the industry. Despite the competition, the spread of Copilot through a free plan is a further boost to the internationalization of the platform and the spread of programming as a skill accessible to anyone, regardless of economic resources.

GitHub, with this move, not only expands its offerings, but also reaffirms its commitment to inclusiveness and innovation in programming.