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> What is Github worried about? That Copilot might suggest some code that checks for a "gender" variable being only one of two values?

Perhaps Github is worried about a backlash if it suggests code that allows for more than 2 values.



The backlash they ought to be worried about is the one from their customers when it refuses to operate due to an ongoing battle between opposing groups of extremists.


That seems a pretty simple one to manage—a disclaimer stating "Copilot will not generate code referencing certain topics" seems both sufficient and uncontroversial.


like thus line from the FAQ?

>GitHub Copilot includes filters to block offensive language in the prompts and to avoid synthesizing suggestions in sensitive contexts.

I think calling gender a sensitive context is not unreasonable.


>I think calling gender a sensitive context is not unreasonable.

It is very unreasonable, but it's also the truth. sigh


Yes, but medical stuff is a sensitive context too. And financial, as well. Plus ethnicity. And age. As well as anything could be indicative of the aforementioned topics, such as vehicle makes & models, ecommerce products, tea vs coffee preference, accounting, and so on.

Oh, wouldn't you know it... Turns out that almost all code doing something important might be able to be interpreted as sensitive.


Oh god, the thought of Copilot contributed code ending up in medical applications is terrifying…


Yep, that’s perfect.


Or the backlash if it suggests code that only allows for two values.


That's what Thorentis was suggesting in the first place. Judging by the threads here, I'd wager the backlash would be much stronger if it suggested more than 2.




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