Andrew Heinzman
It seems that Microsoft’s love for accessibility is trickling down to GitHub. In a surprise announcement, GitHub says that it’s testing a hands-free coding feature for its Copilot software. In time, a simple “Hey, GitHub” voice command will let you write, edit, and navigate code without a keyboard.
This experimental feature is exclusive to Copilot, an AI-assisted coding software that costs $10 a month. Copilot is an ambitious project—it can suggest or write code for you, or even predict your next line of code. (Of course, CoPilot is known to steal open-source code, which is why it’s so effective. But that’s programming!)
Obviously, Copilot could make coding more accessible to people with reduced mobility (or longtime programmers with wrist injuries). But it also seems like a nice convenience. You can ask the AI to summarize a chunk of code, for example, or navigate to a specific line in your Copilot editor.
Copilot subscribers can join a waitlist for the “Hey, GitHub” experiment. Just be warned, GitHub says that this feature will only “reduce the need” for a keyboard. Future advancements may allow for 100% hands-free coding.
