GitHub launches a preview of a new AI-powered programming tool that aims to help software developers write better code.

The code synthesizer is called Copilot and was developed in collaboration with OpenAI.

Copilot can make recommendations in almost any programming language, but it works best with popular languages like Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Go. It leverages Codex, an AI system trained on publicly available source code and natural language, with the goal of translating comments and code written by a user into auto-generated code snippets, GitHub CEO Nat Friedman said in a blog post.

Friedman also shared that the AI assistant helps you quickly discover alternative ways to solve problems, write tests, and explore new APIs without having to tediously tailor a search for answers on the internet.

Microsoft plans to incorporate GitHub Copilot into Visual Studio Code, a free open-source product, and into the commercial Visual Studio.