GitHub adds new Copilot features as usage-based billing takes effect
GitHub is expanding Copilot beyond the IDE with a new desktop application and a new collaborative work surface called canvas as part of its broader efforts to pitch the AI-assisted coding tool as the control center for agent-native software development. The desktop application announced at Microsoft’s annual Build conference this week is designed to give developers a dedicated environment for working with AI agents throughout the software development lifecycle, rather than limiting those interactions to code-generation tasks inside an editor, the company wrote in a blog post. The application includes a collaborative workspace called canvas where developers can brainstorm ideas, refine requirements, generate plans, and iterate on projects alongside AI, it said. It also has new Agent Merge and code review features that enable developers to automate Copilot to combine tasks of different agents to complete a specific goal or conduct autonomous code reviews according to set standards, it sa