Jargon:Copilot
2 min read
Say this at the party
“An AI helper built into apps you already use, like Word or a coding tool. It suggests and drafts, and you stay the pilot who decides what to keep.”
In plain English
The word comes from flying. On a plane, the copilot is the second pilot who helps the captain. With AI, the idea is the same: a helper sitting beside you, not in your seat.
A copilot lives inside a program you already use, like Word, Outlook or a coding app. It drafts emails, summarises long documents and suggests the next line of code. Underneath, it's usually a large language model (the same kind of AI behind chatbots like ChatGPT), placed right where you work.
It's also a brand now. Microsoft calls lots of different products Copilot, and other firms have borrowed the word too. So when someone says "Copilot", it's fair to ask: which one?
Where it came from
GitHub made it an AI word on 29 June 2021, when its boss Nat Friedman launched a test version of GitHub Copilot. He called it an "AI pair programmer". It was built with OpenAI and suggested code as you typed. Microsoft then used the name for its own AI helpers, renaming Bing Chat to "Copilot in Bing" in November 2023. Salesforce followed with Einstein Copilot in February 2024.
See it in action
In a UK government trial, about 20,000 civil servants used Microsoft 365 Copilot and similar tools to draft documents and summarise long emails. They said it saved them about 26 minutes a day, though that was their own estimate, not timed with a stopwatch.
What people get wrong
- Copilot isn't one thing. GitHub Copilot (for code) and Microsoft Copilot (for office work) are different products, and Microsoft uses the name for many more.
- The copilot doesn't fly the plane. In a 2021 study, about 40% of the programs GitHub Copilot wrote in risky situations had security holes. You still check its work.
- It isn't a brand-new kind of AI. The first GitHub Copilot ran on a version of GPT-3, the model that came before ChatGPT.
- The "helper" name is getting stretched. Since February 2025, GitHub Copilot has an agent mode that can carry out tasks more on its own.
Go deeper
- PostNat Friedman, GitHub, 2021Introducing GitHub Copilot: your AI pair programmerThe launch post that turned an aviation word into an AI word.
- ArticleMegan Crouse, TechRepublic, 2024Is AI ‘Copilot’ a Generic Term or a Brand Name?How one product name became a general term for AI helpers.
- PaperPeng et al., 2023The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity: Evidence from GitHub CopilotCoders finished one small task 55.8% faster. A neat test, not a messy real job.
- PaperPearce et al., 2021Asleep at the Keyboard? Assessing the Security of GitHub Copilot's Code ContributionsWhy you should check the code: about 40% of risky test programs had security holes.
- ArticleComputer Weekly, 2025Microsoft Copilot AI saves civil service hours of admin workThe UK civil service trial, with time savings reported by staff themselves.
- ArticleSean Endicott, Windows Central, 2023Bing Chat gets a new name, becoming yet another Microsoft CopilotWhen Bing Chat became one more Microsoft Copilot.
Related jargon
Drafted with AI. The AI Council (Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini) gave counsel. Phin signed it off.