GitHub announced today that it will begin using interaction data from Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ users to train and improve its AI models starting April 24, 2026. The policy change affects individual users but excludes Copilot Business and Enterprise customers, according to a blog post by Chief Product Officer Mario Rodriguez.
Users can opt out of the data collection through their privacy settings. GitHub stated that users who previously opted out of data collection for product improvements will have their preferences preserved and their data will not be used for training unless they explicitly opt in.
The company will collect various types of interaction data including outputs accepted or modified by users, inputs sent to GitHub Copilot with code snippets, code context around cursor positions, comments and documentation, file names and repository structure, navigation patterns, and user feedback on suggestions. Rodriguez wrote that “this past year, we’ve started incorporating interaction data from Microsoft employees and have seen meaningful improvements, including increased acceptance rates in multiple languages.”
The policy excludes interaction data from Copilot Business and Enterprise users, enterprise-owned repositories, and content from issues, discussions, or private repositories “at rest.” However, GitHub clarified that Copilot does process code from private repositories during active use, and this interaction data “could be used for model training unless you opt out.”
GitHub plans to share collected data with affiliates including Microsoft but stated it “will not be shared with third-party AI model providers or other independent service providers.” The company indicated it will also begin using interaction data from GitHub employees for model training alongside the existing Microsoft employee data.
