Q&A
The Next Generation of Developer Productivity with GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio
GitHub Copilot has already changed the way many developers write code, but the next wave of AI-assisted development is about more than completing the next line. Inside Visual Studio, Copilot is increasingly being positioned as a development partner that can help plan complex changes, generate code, review work, assist with debugging and even run tasks in parallel through cloud-based agents.
That shift is the focus of The Next Generation of Developer Productivity with GitHub Copilot & Visual Studio, an upcoming intermediate-level session at Visual Studio Live! @ Microsoft HQ developer conference, taking place July 27-31 at Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond, Wash.
In the session, Simona Liao, Product Manager at Microsoft, and Leah Tran, Product Manager at Microsoft, will show how developers can use Copilot's agentic capabilities to choose the right workflow for a task, structure plans for complex work, delegate tasks to cloud agents and review AI-generated code without leaving Visual Studio.
"Beyond completing the line of code you are typing, Copilot in VS can now support developers in the entire development workflow, from code generation to review to debugging/diagnostics. Copilot is ready to assist you at every step!"
Simona Liao, Product Manager, Microsoft
For development teams, that evolution arrives with both opportunity and caution. AI can accelerate code generation and reduce repetitive work, but professional teams still need visibility, review practices, repository conventions and control over how automation fits into established engineering workflows. The session is designed to address that balance directly, showing how Copilot can be customized much like a new teammate: taught the coding rules, commit-message expectations and workflow patterns that matter to a given solution.
Simona, who works on the Visual Studio GitHub Copilot team, focuses on Copilot features inside the editor, including Copilot Completions and Next Edit Suggestions. Together with Leah, she will also cover practical considerations that are becoming more important as teams adopt AI more deeply, including safeguarded automation, token consumption and how Copilot subscriptions relate to chat sessions and agentic workflows.
Ahead of the July 29 session, we asked Simona and Leah what developers should know about Copilot's move beyond code completion, how teams can verify AI-generated code, and why cloud agents may become one of the most useful -- and overlooked -- ways to parallelize everyday development work.
VisualStudioMagazine: What Inspired You To Present on This Topic?
Simona/Leah: There's a constant stream of exciting innovations in AI-powered programming, with new Copilot features shipping all the time. We completely understand how this pace can feel overwhelming or even create a sense of FOMO for some developers. In this session, we'll walk developers through some of the most impactful updates, highlight what matters most, and help them get started with confidence.
How Has Copilot's Role Evolved Within Visual Studio Beyond Code Completion?
Beyond completing the line of code you are typing, Copilot in VS can now support developers in the entire development workflow, from code generation to review to debugging/diagnostics. Copilot is ready to assist you at every step!
What Is One Development Task Where Copilot Consistently Delivers the Most Value?
Code generation is getting easier for developers. With the current agentic workflow, developers can easily work on multiple projects in parallel and create more PRs faster than ever. You can also choose to iterate on the code more closely with Copilot in VS and take advantage of the integrated review and debugging/diagnostics tools.
How Should Developers Approach Verifying AI-Generated Code in Professional Environments?
AI-generated code should definitely be approached with scrutiny, but so does human-written code. In both cases, it's possible that the task was misinterpreted or implemented in a less-than-ideal way. AI also isn't limited to just generating code -- it can also help you review your code to build and run, catch bugs and errors, and consider alternate approaches. The key is guiding it to focus on the right aspects, so understanding when, where, and how to pull in AI as a reviewer into your workflow is important.
How Can Teams Integrate Copilot Into Existing Workflows Without Disruption?
The first step is to set up the agent customizations for your team. Just as you would onboard a new teammate into your solution, you also need to onboard Copilot, teaching it how to conduct certain tasks and what the coding rules are for that solution. For example, you can lay out the guidelines for a proper commit message so generated messages follow your preferred structure and style. With proper customizations set up, Copilot can be far more effective -- it has all the context it needs.
What Is One Feature of Copilot That Developers Tend To Overlook?
We want to highlight the Cloud Agent in Visual Studio for those who work on a GitHub repository. It's the perfect tool for parallelizing your work. Once you kick off a task, the agent runs entirely in the cloud, completes the work, and generates a pull request for you to review. In the meantime, you can stay focused on other tasks. You don't even need to keep Visual Studio or your computer running, since everything happens in the cloud.
How Can Attendees Learn More About This Topic, and Prepare for Your Session?
Feel free to check out our recent release notes (especially the GitHub Copilot section) if you are interested -- but it's definitely not a requirement! You are welcome to join our session and learn/ask any questions!
Note: Those wishing to attend the session can save money by registering early, according to the event's pricing page. "Save $400 by registering by the May 15 Super Early Bird Savings deadline!" said the organizer of the event, which is presented by the parent company of Visual Studio Magazine.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.