AI knows everything!!!

[mwufi]

This is a story of how Github Copilot can write some code.

Background: We're porting this to Javascript, and getting the initial piece function. You know, the one that goes

pieces = [Rook(0.5,0.5,white),
          Rook(7.5,0.5,white),
          Knight(1.5,0.5,white),
          Knight(6.5,0.5,white),
          Bishop(5.5,0.5,white),
          Bishop(2.5,0.5,white),
          King(4.5,0.5,white),
          Queen(3.5,0.5,white),
... etc

I write

const initialGameState = [
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x:

COPILOT:

const gameState = [
  { type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 0, y: 1 },
 ...

No, that's not quite right. So I edit it and say x: 0.5. And then it generates the next line

  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 0.5, y: 1.5},

Great, let's keep going.

COPILOT:

  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 0.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 1.5, y: 1.5},

Uh... this is looking uncanny. Let's see if it can do the rest.

COPILOT:

  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 2.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 3.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 4.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 5.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 6.5, y: 1.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "white", x: 7.5, y: 1.5},

The back pieces are the hard part, right? And here's where it just completely goes wild and does everything like you'd expect.

COPILOT:

  {type: "rook", color: "white", x: 0.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "knight", color: "white", x: 1.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "bishop", color: "white", x: 2.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "queen", color: "white", x: 3.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "king", color: "white", x: 4.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "bishop", color: "white", x: 5.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "knight", color: "white", x: 6.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "rook", color: "white", x: 7.5, y: 0.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 0.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 1.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 2.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 3.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 4.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 5.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 6.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "pawn", color: "black", x: 7.5, y: 6.5},
  {type: "rook", color: "black", x: 0.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "knight", color: "black", x: 1.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "bishop", color: "black", x: 2.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "queen", color: "black", x: 3.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "king", color: "black", x: 4.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "bishop", color: "black", x: 5.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "knight", color: "black", x: 6.5, y: 7.5},
  {type: "rook", color: "black", x: 7.5, y: 7.5}
];

Copilot knows about analog chess!! 😮 Literally all I did was type one line and then press tab to keep accepting the rest