How GitHub Copilot Is Changing Software Development

When most people think of GitHub, they think of version control. Repositories. Branches. Pull requests. The place where code lives. But GitHub is more. It's like an ERP system for engineers. A central hub where planning, coding, testing, and development come together in a transparent, traceable workflow. And with AI in the mix, that workflow becomes even more powerful. GitHub Copilot adds intelligent assistance at every step, driving innovation without needing to scale up your workforce. In this article, we explore how GitHub Copilot is reshaping the way modern teams build software.

GitHub Copilot: Your AI Pair Programmer

GitHub Copilot is more than an autocomplete tool. It’s your AI pair programmer — capable of analyzing your codebase, thinking through what needs to change to implement a new idea, and even creating a pull request with proposed changes. Just like another developer would. You remain in control, reviewing the suggestions, offering feedback, and refining the implementation. It’s a back-and-forth, a conversation. As Marcel de Vries, Global Managing Director and CTO of Xebia Microsoft Services, points out: "The name ‘Copilot’ couldn’t be more fitting. “You are flying the plane, but your copilot is right there with you."

Productivity With Purpose

The biggest benefit? Productivity and speed without compromising quality. Developers don’t want to spend time combing through legacy code, updating libraries, or fixing boilerplate. They want to build new things, solve meaningful problems, and innovate.

Using GitHub Copilot, AI will handle the grunt work — the repetitive, time-consuming tasks — so your team can focus on what really matters. “It’s like having a team of ten developers on standby, doing the heavy lifting while your engineers steer the ship,” De Vries says, “You can even guide it proactively. ‘Use this framework. Stick to our coding standards. Follow this pattern.’ GitHub Copilot adapts, and your developers stay in charge — no productivity is lost, and no control is given up.”

"AI is a game-changer in our industry, and with Copilot, GitHub is the first to make these huge leaps in software development possible.” — Marcel de Vries, Global Managing Director and CTO of Xebia Microsoft Services

A Shift in Role, Not Relevance

Sure, GitHub Copilot will change the developer's role, but it will not replace it. Developers remain essential, to guide, supervise, review, and, most importantly, innovate. Shifting specifics tasks to AI simply frees them from monotonous tasks and gives them more time to focus on differentiating work — the kind that sets your product apart in the market. Still, there is some skepticism in the developer community. “Understandably”, De Vries says. “People are wondering if AI will take their jobs. But the reality is the opposite. AI helps developers do their best work faster and more effectively. It’s not about replacement, it’s about amplification.”

Reclaiming Time With GitHub Copilot

Picture a developer starting their day. The backlog is long, with tickets to review, legacy code to untangle, a performance issue flagged overnight, and an upcoming feature sprint that’s already behind schedule. This is the norm for many teams: a cycle of firefighting, patching, and trying to carve out time for meaningful progress. But with GitHub Copilot, that dynamic starts to shift.

GitHub Copilot analyzes the current codebase, identifies overlaps, and flags potential duplication, then determines what needs to be done. As development progresses, GitHub Copilot suggests improvements — from refactoring to more efficient queries, along with subtle tweaks that enhance performance. During code reviews, it proposes changes and catches edge cases that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Beyond daily tasks, GitHub Copilot tackles long-term challenges, like cleaning up legacy code, systematically reducing technical debt. It also takes on routine tasks like software upgrades and compliance checks, handling the first pass so developers can simply review, approve, and move on. In short, GitHub Copilot doesn’t just write code, it empowers teams to reclaim their time and shift focus from maintenance to innovation and value creation.

We Make GitHub Copilot Work — for Real

At Xebia, we don’t just install GitHub Copilot and leave you to figure it out. We specialize in implementing it effectively within real-world development teams. That includes:

Technical setup and platform migration
On-the-job training and prompt engineering
Organizational change and cultural adoption
Helping teams shift from skepticism to collaboration
Building confidence around AI-assisted workflows

Especially for organizations already using GitHub but not yet leveraging GitHub Copilot, the opportunity is massive. We help you unlock that potential by ensuring your developers understand how to use GitHub Copilot and embrace it as part of the team.

Ready to Upgrade Your Development Process?

If your organization is using GitHub but hasn’t tapped into the potential of GitHub Copilot yet, now is the time. With the correct implementation and guidance, it can become the most valuable addition to your development team — upping productivity while empowering your people to do what they do best.

Discover More and Join Us Live!

If you’re interested in diving deeper into this topic, be sure to check out our dedicated webpage to learn more. We’re also excited to announce that we’re hosting an event series across EMEA, where we’ll explore these ideas further and bring together experts and enthusiasts alike. You can find all the upcoming GitHub (and other) events on our events page

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Beyond The Repo — How GitHub Copilot Is Redefining Software Development