[8] GitHub Copilot is the evolution of the "Bing Code Search" plugin for Visual Studio 2013, which was a Microsoft Research project released in February 2014.

[9] This plugin integrated with various sources, including MSDN and Stack Overflow, to provide high-quality contextually relevant code snippets in response to natural language queries.

[2] GitHub states that Copilot’s features allow programmers to navigate unfamiliar coding frameworks and languages by reducing the amount of time users spend reading documentation.

[18] In June 2022, the Software Freedom Conservancy announced it would end all uses of GitHub in its own projects,[23] accusing Copilot of ignoring code licenses used in training data.

[21] On July 28, 2021, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) published a funded call for white papers on philosophical and legal questions around Copilot.

[25] Donald Robertson, the Licensing and Compliance Manager of the FSF, stated that "Copilot raises many [...] questions which require deeper examination.