Does GitHub Copilot improve code quality? Here’s what the data says

Since its release, GitHub Copilot has significantly influenced software development, enabling developers to code up to 55% faster and boosting their confidence. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate whether GitHub Copilot improves code quality, focusing on functionality, readability, reliability, maintainability, and conciseness. The study involved 202 experienced developers, half of whom used GitHub Copilot while the others did not, tasked with writing API endpoints for a web server. Results showed that code written with GitHub Copilot was more functional, passing 53.2% more unit tests, and exhibited 13.6% fewer code readability errors. Additionally, the code was rated as more readable, reliable, maintainable, and concise, with statistically significant improvements. Codes authored with GitHub Copilot received higher approval rates, indicating faster readiness for merging, thus expediting bug fixes and feature deployments. The study concludes that GitHub Copilot aids in writing high-quality code, empowering developers to make more confident and efficient iterations.