GitHub Copilot has been around for a bit, but the newer 'Agent' capabilities (or similar chat/interactive modes) have really started to change how I approach the initial stages of development, particularly when it comes to drafting out ideas and structures. It's like having a brainstorming partner that can instantly translate thoughts into boilerplate or foundational code.

For me, one of the most powerful uses is for designing first drafts of components or even small features. Instead of staring at a blank file, I can describe what I want to build to Copilot Chat – say, "Create a React component for a user profile card that displays an avatar, name, email, and a bio. Use Tailwind CSS for styling." And boom, it often spits out a surprisingly good starting point. It's rarely perfect, but it gets me 60-70% of the way there, handling a lot of the repetitive setup. This allows me to focus on the unique logic and refinement much faster.

It's also fantastic for exploring new libraries or APIs. I can ask it, "How do I fetch data using this specific library and display it in a list?" and it provides code snippets that I can then adapt. This significantly reduces the time spent sifting through documentation for basic usage patterns. Of course, it's crucial to understand the code Copilot generates and not just blindly accept it. But as a tool to accelerate the "getting started" phase and to quickly prototype ideas, it's becoming invaluable. It's not replacing me, but it's certainly augmenting my ability to get from concept to initial code much quicker.