GitHub is implementing changes to its free Copilot plans. Users of Copilot Free and Copilot Student will no longer be able to select an AI model themselves. From now on, an automated system will determine which model is best suited for each task.
GitHub is making automatic model selection mandatory for users of the free Copilot plans, according to Neowin. The Copilot Auto feature is now the only way for Free and Student users to access the various AI models supported by the platform.
Until now, users could choose from models provided by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and others. That choice is being eliminated. Instead, Copilot Auto analyzes each prompt and then independently selects the model that is most suitable at that moment. Exactly which models are available depends on the selected subscription and may also change over time.
Smarter distribution of AI requests
According to GitHub, Copilot Auto considers not only the content of a prompt but also the current availability and performance of the various models. Simple questions are handled by models that can respond quickly and efficiently, while more complex programming tasks are routed to models with more advanced reasoning capabilities.
With this approach, GitHub aims to improve Copilot’s performance. By distributing requests more intelligently, the company expects shorter wait times, fewer error messages, and a lower chance that users will hit usage limits.
It’s worth noting that Copilot typically sticks with the same model throughout a session. GitHub concluded from its own research that switching models mid-session did incur additional costs but hardly led to better results.
Insight, but no choice
Although users can no longer choose which model is used, they can still see which model generated a response. In Copilot Chat, this information appears when you hover over a response with the mouse. In Copilot CLI and the cloud agent, the selected model is listed directly next to the output.
The change follows a series of adjustments to Copilot subscriptions. In April, GitHub temporarily halted sales of new Pro, Pro+, and Student subscriptions to ensure the service’s stability. Since June 17, new subscriptions have been phased back in. In the meantime, the platform also introduced a token-based usage model for individual users.
At the same time, the “Preview” label is being removed from Microsoft’s AI models. GitHub states that this designation is no longer necessary because Copilot Auto automatically determines which model to use, and the underlying models are continuously updated without requiring users to make manual selections.