“This could cost people their jobs”: VS Code added Copilot as co-author without permission or notice
VS Code briefly attributed AI-generated code contributions to GitHub Copilot in Git commits even when the AI assistant was not used and had been disabled by users. The problematic behavior stemmed from a pull request to the Git extension that inadvertently changed the default setting for adding “Co-authored by: Copilot” credit from off to on, beginning April 16.
The co-authorship feature is designed to acknowledge when Copilot actively assists in code generation. However, by defaulting to enabled, the system incorrectly credited AI for work it had no part in creating, potentially causing attribution issues and raising concerns about proper work documentation and professional liability. Users expressed alarm that false AI credit could affect employment situations, performance reviews, and other workplace contexts where accurate authorship attribution matters.
Microsoft and the VS Code team addressed the issue after public backlash, rolling back the change to ensure Copilot co-author credits only appear when the AI tool actually contributes code. The incident highlights broader concerns about AI integration into widely-used development tools and the importance of transparent, opt-in features rather than automatic enablement of AI-related functionality.