The study on GitHub Copilot by GovTech Singapore's Engineering Productivity Programme (EPP) reveals significant potential for AI Code Assistant tools to boost developer productivity and improve application quality in the public sector. Highlighting the substantial benefits for the public sector, the study observed an increased productivity (coding / tasks speed increased by 21-28%), which translates into accelerated development, and quicker go-to-market, with a notable consensus (95%) that the tool increases developer satisfaction. Particularly, junior developers experienced considerable efficiency gains and reduced coding times, illustrating Copilot's capability to enhance job satisfaction by easing routine tasks. This advancement allows for a sharper focus on complex projects, faster learning, and improved code quality. Recognising the strategic importance of these tools, the study recommends the development of an AI Framework to maximise such benefits while cautioning against potential over-reliance without solid foundational programming skills. It also advises public sector developers to classify their code as "Open" to use Gen-AI Coding Assistant tools on the Cloud like GitHub Copilot and to consider self-hosted tools like Codeium or Code Llama for confidential code to leverage technology efficiently within the public sector framework. With up to 8,000 developers, comprising both public officers and vendors developing applications for the public sector and its customers, there is significant potential to enhance productivity.

翻译：新加坡政府科技局工程生产力计划（EPP）对GitHub Copilot的研究表明，AI代码助手工具在提升公共部门开发人员生产力和应用质量方面具有巨大潜力。研究强调了该工具为公共部门带来的显著效益：开发效率提升（编码/任务速度提高21-28%），从而加速开发进程并缩短上市时间；高达95%的开发者一致认可该工具提升了工作满意度。特别是初级开发人员实现了显著的效率提升和编码时间缩减，这体现了Copilot通过简化常规任务来提升工作满意度的能力。这一进步使开发团队能更专注于复杂项目，加快学习速度并提高代码质量。研究认识到此类工具的战略重要性，建议制定AI框架以最大化其效益，同时警示需避免在缺乏扎实编程基础的情况下过度依赖。研究还建议公共部门开发者将代码分类为"开放"类，以便在云端使用GitHub Copilot等生成式AI编码助手；对于机密代码，则可考虑采用Codeium或Code Llama等自托管工具，从而在公共部门框架内高效利用技术。目前约有8,000名开发人员（包括公共部门职员和为公共部门及其客户开发应用程序的供应商），提升生产力的潜力巨大。