Microsoft and OpenAI have been collaborating for quite a while now on large language models. It takes massive amounts of compute to train these models. And so, we started to see what it would be like to actually bring code to these large languages. In fact, they're kind of nice from an AI perspective because they're relatively constrained in terms of their semantics.
Ryan J. Salva is the VP of Product at GitHub, where he led the incubation and launch of Copilot. Copilot uses OpenAI’s ML engine to suggest code and entire functions in real time, right from your editor, and is changing the way we build software. Ryan is an experienced developer and product manager, with over a decade of experience working for Microsoft before moving to lead the GitHub product team. In today’s episode, he shares how Copilot got its start, how it moved from prototype to live product, and how he structures R&D teams within larger companies. He also discusses the ethical questions surrounding AI use and how to build a successful product team, and shares the inside story of the development of Copilot.