Is Copilot more annoying than helpful in Visual Studio? Microsoft is scaling back Copilot a bit to avoid distracting developers too much.
Microsoft likes to push Copilot on us at every opportunity, but occasionally the software giant does seem to listen to users. An update to Visual Studio gives users “more control over code suggestions from Copilot”, Microsoft writes in a blog. This is based on user feedback.
While there’s no option to completely remove Copilot, you can at least silence the overzealous AI assistant when you don’t need artificial help. Visual Studio offers four options.
For example, you can now set Copilot to wait until you’ve finished typing before making suggestions to complete your code, rather than responding to every keystroke. Other options include receiving code suggestions only on request or accepting them only partially.
The August update for Visual Studio introduces other new features as well, including the addition of MCP servers. MCP is an open standard that allows AI agents to easily connect with internal company tools.
Artificial Intrusiveness
What’s notable is that Microsoft says it’s adding these options after receiving user feedback. Users apparently found Copilot’s automatic and overzealous suggestions primarily disruptive rather than productive. “We understand how important it is to find the right balance between helpful suggestions and maintaining control over your attention and workspace”, according to Microsoft.
This contradicts how Microsoft tries to sell Copilot. Copilot is always active and the off button is either difficult to find or completely non-existent. An AI assistant that works on request should actually be the default option.
Microsoft should, in our opinion, extend this approach to its other applications. Users don’t want AI constantly forced down their throats, as is currently the case. This aggressive tactic is also counterproductive, as Copilot usage remains low.