The Battle of the AI Writing Assistants: ChatGPT 🆚 Github Copilot
Tags: webdev, openai, github, ai
Published: 2023-02-02 18:57:27

In the world of AI and machine learning, [language models](https://dev.to/amananandrai/language-models-in-nlp-21jn) play a crucial role in transforming how we communicate, learn, and process information. For students in **IT/CS/CIS*** related fields, programmers, web-developers, and software-engineers, the two most popular in the market today are ChatGPT and Github Copilot.

Both of these models are innovative and have been trained on a massive amount of data although they have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
However, with the upcoming paying version of ChatGPT, choosing between the two could become a daunting task, given the numerous factors to consider such as performance, accuracy, ease of use ...and cost.

In this article, we will look at the differences between these two models from the standpoint of a programmer.

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## FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY


One of the key differences between ChatGPT and Github Copilot is the range of features and functionality they offer.

**ChatGPT**:
ChatGPT is intended to be a general-purpose language model that can be used in a variety of applications, including chatbots and voice assistants, as well as content creation and data analysis. It has many features, such as natural language processing, code translation, and data analysis.
One of the primary benefits of GPT Chat for web-developers is the ability to produce code quickly and without error.
The "Assistant" can also be used to generate content for Web sites and FAQs. This not only saves time but also ensures that the content is consistent and well-written. It can also be used to generate content for websites.

i.e.: When creating a FAQ page for a website, a developer can use ChatGPT to generate answers to frequently asked questions. This saves time while also ensuring that the content is consistent and well-written.


![img2: screenshot 2.2.23 -source: https://github.com/features/copilot](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dmeyixhsnt6xhdhky54j.png)

**Github Copilot**
[Github Copilot](https://github.com/features/copilot), on the other hand, focuses on a specific niche - developers.  
The features are designed for and around this group and include code completion, error checking, and documentation generation.
Furthermore, the model is GitHub native and integrates directly into your editor including Neovim, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio Code—and is fast enough to use as you type, making it easy for developers to access and use its features within their normal workflow.
Beside all of that, the recent acquisition by Microsoft of OpenAI will undoubtedly make the best AI code-helper to date even better by connecting the OpenAi codex API[1].



## Paid Plans and Prices :dollar:

* ChatGPT Plus(or ChatGPT Professional) is announced at $42 a month. 
Subscribers will benefit from:
  - Constant availability to server (prioritized access)
  - Faster response speed
  - Priority access to new features

Register [here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScee6ST3o-kZDjlw1ROfUNyjuRBwGdcoewxjCULNejbP5hdzQ/viewform) to keep up to date with the product status. 

* Github Copilot, offers a flat rate pricing model, with a monthly subscription of $10 or $100 yearly, per user, while free for students and open-source project managers. This fee provides access to all the features and benefits of Github Copilot, including integration with Github and a deep understanding of programming languages and development processes.

## Pros and Cons

**ChatGPT** is an highly advanced tool that uses deep learning algorithms and gifted with the capacity to interpret and synthetize a given prompt. With a knowledge cutoff of 2021 and an extensive training data set, ChatGPT offers a highly advanced writing experience that is fast and **more or less**\** accurate.

Users must take into account that Chat GPT is **still learning** and cannot produce perfect results right away. While this can be an advantage in many cases – as it allows users to customize the results they get – it also means that they will need to dedicate time to training their chatbot so that it produces more accurate responses over time. This added layer of complexity may not be suitable for everyone and should be taken into account before committing to using Chat GPT for any project.

**Copilot** can suggest complete methods, standard code formulas, entire test paragraphs and even complex algorithms. The AI takes over many of the most tedious and mundane tasks associated with coding, allowing developers to focus on higher-level design considerations.

GitHub Copilot also identifies common patterns and those specific to each developer's workflow. This helps automate tasks such as code review and refactoring. With this, the developer can quickly make changes without having to manually review every line of code. In addition, it allows two people to easily collaborate in parallel with real-time updates from both parties reflected on their screens.

## My choice 🤔
Being a full-stack developer, I use both. However, if a choice is imposed on me to select either one of those wonderful tools, it would be GitHub Copilot.
ChatGPT is more valuable when using a new library or language, for those who might not know how to do a for loop in a specific language and/or forget the syntax of another one.

Personally, I'm very excited to see where the future takes us and to see if we can improve and leverage these incredible tools to build even better things as software engineers.


## Conclusion

While ChatGPT is a more versatile model used for a wide range of tasks, GitHub Copilot is designed specifically for developers and offers a range of features not available with ChatGPT.
Both of these cutting-edge AI technologies offer novel services, but we need to be wary of using them as factual references and develop fact-checking skills to ensure that we are not being duped by the "machine."

For businesses and individuals who are looking for a language model that can produce high-quality, human-like text, ChatGPT is an excellent choice. With its large corpus of text data and highly accurate results, it's the ideal model for content creation and creative writing.

For developers, on the other hand, Github Copilot is the clear choice. With its focus on helping developers navigate Github and its features, it provides quick and accurate code suggestions, documentation, and other relevant information that can help developers save time and increase their productivity.


:smiley: Thank you for reading. Please, like, comment or share.
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* *respectively: Information Technology/Computer Science/Computer Information Technology
* ** It sometimes fails at providing truthful information, or logically sound information while being very good at being wrong  by _sounding_ right.

See also:
- [GitHub Copilot vs. OpenAI Codex Comparison Chart](https://sourceforge.net/software/compare/GitHub-Copilot-vs-OpenAI-Codex/)
- [1]: [OpenAi Codex Live Demo](https://youtu.be/SGUCcjHTmGY)