Microsoft patents AI tool that predicts why code needs fixing
Microsoft describes a system that uses a large language model to write comments for code reviews. It first uses a separate neural network to guess the specific type of problem in the code changes, such as a bug or style issue. The system then combines this predicted problem type with the code context to generate a helpful comment for developers.
In the filing’s own words
A code review is automatically generated by a large language model given a prompt that includes code changes made to a source code program, an associated intent, and an extended context. The intent represents an issue with the code changes from a code reviewer's perspective and is predicted from a neural classifier given the code changes in a code diff format. The neural classifier is a neural encoder transformer model pre-trained on various code review datasets and fine-tuned on code diff hunks of code changes labeled with an intent.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer-implemented method for automated code review, said method comprising: receiving code changes associated with a source code program; generating a representation of the code changes configured for machine learning inference; determining, using a trained neural model, an inferred intent associated with the code changes, the inferred intent characterizing a type of issue relevant to code review; conditioning a code review comment generation process on the inferred intent and contextual information derived from the source code program; generating, using a large language model, a code review comment for the code changes based on the conditioning; and providing the code review comment for review by a developer.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- CODE REVIEW COMMENT GENERATION VIA INSTRUCTION PROMPTING WITH INTENT
- Publication number
- US20260319790A1
- Application number
- 19706981
- Filed
- Jun 12, 2026
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 8/73 Physics & computingG06F 8/433 Physics & computingG06F 40/30 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.