Developer and Research Tools
Developer and Research Tools
Tools mentioned on this page may not be covered by security agreements or assessments at the University and should therefore be treated with caution when handling confidential data.
AI coding assistants
AI coding assistants use large language models (LLMs) to support software development. They can:
- Autocomplete lines or functions of code
- Suggest bug fixes
- Generate documentation and comments
- Create unit tests
- Help with problem-solving and learning new languages or frameworks
Popular tools include:
- GitHub Copilot (integrates with IDEs like Visual Studio Code)
- Cursor, Zed, Windsurf
- ChatGPT and Claude
- Local tools such as Continue, aider, and Ollama
What can and can't coding assistants do?
They can:
- Improve productivity by handling repetitive tasks
- Offer coding suggestions
- Help brainstorm and solve problems
- Support learning new tools or frameworks
They can't:
- Guarantee error-free code
- Replace expert oversight
- Safely automate critical systems without human validation
Always review outputs carefully, especially in sensitive or production environments.
GitHub Copilot
What it does: Real-time code suggestions and completions directly in your code editor.
Access: Standard Pro tier available to all Oxford community members.
Security considerations:
- Not covered by Oxford's central enterprise agreements
- Mixed data policies - Business/Enterprise tiers don't use code for training; Pro tier policies may differ
- User responsibility - Must manually opt out of code training in account settings
Recommendation: Excellent for development but exercise caution with highly sensitive intellectual property or code under restrictive licenses.
As a member of a university, you may be eligible for free access to GitHub Copilot Individual under the GitHub Education Programme.
To apply:
- Create a GitHub account using your university email (@dept.ox.ac.uk) (or add it to your existing GitHub account).
- Apply to GitHub Education as a teacher or student, describing how you’ll use Copilot for education.
- Once approved, follow the instructions for getting free access to Copilot.
Important Privacy Considerations:
Using GitHub Copilot involves sharing snippets of your code with the GitHub directly, whether or not your already host your code on GitHub, which may raise privacy concerns.
Here are key data privacy considerations for GitHub Copilot that you should take into account before deciding to use GitHub Copilot with your codebase:
- Data used for training GitHub models: The GitHub Copilot Individual Plan that is available for free through GitHub Education is covered by the GitHub Data Protection Agreement. It is important to note that GitHub do not explicitly state that user data (code, prompts, snippets) is excluded from training GitHub models. Only the GitHub Copilot Business and Enterprise plans explicitly state that user data is not used to train GitHub models. Please see the GitHub Copilot Trust Center details.
- Data retained by GitHub for further processing and sharing: Individual users can disable code snippet retention in their GitHub settings under Allow GitHub to use my code snippets for product improvements. The Managing Copilot policies as an individual subscriber page provides additional details that confirms this setting controls retention of both prompts and code suggestions. Please note that GitHub have not made any official statement to confirm if disabling this setting is equivalent to the GitHub Copilot Business and Enterprise statement that user data is not used for training GitHub models.
OpenAI API
What it does: Direct integration of OpenAI models into custom applications and research tools.
Access: Request access through AI Competency Centre.
Security features:
- No training by default - API data not used to improve OpenAI models
- 30-day retention - Data held briefly for abuse monitoring, then deleted
- Zero Data Retention (ZDR) - Available for highly sensitive research; enables HIPAA compliance
Recommendation: Secure platform for custom AI solutions, but developers must ensure their applications implement proper security measures.
Learn more about how to access OpenAI API via our API Access page.