GitHub Copilot Boosts Productivity for Veteran Java Developers

GitHub’s AI coding assistant is proving a valuable partner for seasoned Java engineers, according to three Java Champions. Vlad Mihalcea used Copilot to build a web app for Hypersistence Optimizer’s event history in just two days, a task that previously would have taken weeks. He runs the tool inside IntelliJ, reviews every AI‑generated snippet, and even creates custom “skills” so the output matches his own coding style. Patrick Baumgartner applied Copilot to migrate 900 teaching slides from Reveal. js to Marp, cutting a week‑long effort to roughly ten hours while maintaining rigorous visual and algorithmic verification. The champions emphasize that Copilot speeds up routine work but developers still own the final product and its quality.