Executive TL;DR:

• VS Code’s Co-Pilot feature inserts ‘Co-Authored-by Copilot’ into commits.
• This change has sparked controversy among developers.
• Microsoft’s decision raises questions about the integrity of developer logs.

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Developer Reaction

Developers are upset about the insertion of ‘Co-Authored-by Copilot’ into commits.

One fascinating thing about the whole AI phenomenon is how incredibly hostile it is to _standards_. Whether something works properly, or is ethical, or is true, no longer matters at all; all that matters is ‘pls use our AI’.

This sentiment is echoed by another developer who says

This feels like the modern version of ‘Sent from my iPhone’ but much more invasive. Git commits are legal and technical records. Falsifying who authored a piece of code just to pump up AI usage stats is a huge breach of trust and it is disappointing to see Microsoft prioritize branding over the integrity of the developer’s log.

Microsoft’s Response

Microsoft changed the default of ‘git.addAICoAuthor’ to ‘chatAndAgent’ after the controversy.

Focus Keyword: VS Code