GitHub Unveils New AI Code Agent: Discover How It Works!

This Monday, May 19, 2025, Microsoft hosted its annual Build event, presenting an opportunity for the company to showcase its latest innovations to developers and businesses. Highlights included a new AI code agent on GitHub, updates to the Microsoft Store, and a new online text editor.

New Code Agent on GitHub

Since its launch in 2021, GitHub Copilot, the AI programming assistant, will now feature a code agent. This agent is designed to automate and simplify various coding tasks while seamlessly integrating into existing workflows. According to a press release from GitHub, the agent can handle “tasks of low to medium complexity in proven codebases,” such as adding features, fixing bugs, enhancing tests, or improving documentation. It also understands the context of discussions, tickets, and project standards and can analyze images included in tickets, such as screenshots or mock-ups.

The agent operates like a true team member. It begins work when assigned a GitHub ticket (see featured image), then starts a virtual machine, sets up the development environment, clones the repository, analyzes the codebase, and begins suggesting modifications. This allows teams to focus on more complex tasks by delegating simpler tasks to the AI.

“Whether it’s code completions, modification suggestions, chatting, agent mode, or coding, GitHub Copilot has always had one mission: to keep you in a magical state of flow. Doing what you don’t want to do, so you have more time for what you do,” boasts GitHub.

The code agent is available to all Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Pro+ clients. It can be activated in GitHub repositories and is also compatible with various development environments: Xcode, Eclipse, JetBrains, and Visual Studio. Starting June 4, 2025, each action performed by the agent will count as a premium request.

Microsoft Build 2025: Other Key Announcements

The code agent wasn’t the only innovation revealed at Microsoft Build. Developers can also look forward to the following new features:

• Free Publishing on Microsoft Store: Starting in June 2025, the developer integration fees for the Microsoft Store will be eliminated. Previously, developers were charged €19 to register a developer account. However, developers using Microsoft’s commercial platform will continue to pay a commission (12% on games, 15% on applications).
• A New Text Editor: A new command-line interface (CLI) for Windows 11, named Edit, has been introduced. This open-source interface offers keyboard shortcuts, multi-file management, a search/replace function, and word wrapping.
• New APIs in Edge: These APIs will allow developers to integrate AI functionalities into web applications using the Phi 4 mini model. They include writing assistance tools and, soon, a translation API. The APIs operate locally on the device to ensure data privacy.