Revolutionizing the Workplace: Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft on Thursday unveiled Microsoft 365 Copilot, a groundbreaking AI-powered tool designed to enhance productivity and creativity in the workplace.[0] Utilizing OpenAI's ChatGPT technology in conjunction with Microsoft Office tools, the AI assistant is capable of natural language processing, which can streamline and expedite mundane tasks for workers.[1]
Copilot is embedded in Microsoft 365 apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.[2] It handles different tasks depending on the app you're using, and you decide what to keep, modify or discard.[3] PowerPoint's Copilot feature can be of assistance when building presentations, as it offers a simple command to add pertinent material from documents users have created recently or in the past.[4] Copilot in Excel has the capability to quickly identify trends and generate aesthetically pleasing data representations.[4]
Microsoft also announced Business Chat, a Copilot tool that appears in a tab alongside Teams.[5] Business Chat has the capability to provide users with a summary of their work-related activities, such as scanning documents, participating in chats, sending emails, and attending meetings.[6] The Copilot tool is useful in consolidating various data and providing responses to requests such as risk assessment and quarterly income. Moreover, it can generate a comparison of advantages and disadvantages with regards to your business.[7]
The Microsoft 365 Copilot is powered by GPT-4, an OpenAI-developed large language model (LLM), which is also the foundation for the widely renowned ChatGPT chatbot. This AI technology harnesses the generative capabilities of GPT-4.[8] Microsoft says Copilot takes advantage of your own data including your documents, emails, calendar, chats, meetings, contacts, and more to provide better, more personalized context for your work apps.[8]
The large technology company announced that, utilizing natural language commands, Copilot can help to transform concepts into presentations in PowerPoint. Additionally, in Excel, it can assist in determining patterns or producing data visualizations.[9] Copilot is also available in Outlook and Teams, helping to manage the inbox and messages to save time and improve communication, and it can also summarize email threads, draft responses, and create calendar invites.[10]
Copilot is currently being tested with a small group of customers and will be available to Microsoft 365 apps in the coming months.[11] No licensing or pricing details have been released by Microsoft at this time, though they have indicated that this information will be available in the near future.[12] It's also unclear when the features will be widely available.[13]
Microsoft is hoping that Copilot will revolutionize the way people work, by streamlining their interactions with others and helping them to optimize their workflow.[4]
0. “Microsoft 365 Copilot: AI-Powered Tools To Boost Productivity” Search Engine Journal, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.searchenginejournal.com/microsoft-365-copilot-ai-powered-tools-to-boost-productivity/482482/
1. “Microsoft Office apps will soon have AI aiming to help you with work” The Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/16/microsoft-office-ai-copilot/
2. “Microsoft announces Copilot, new AI technology for Microsoft 365” CBS News, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/video/microsoft-announces-copilot-a-new-ai-technology-service-for-microsoft-365/
3. “Microsoft 365 Copilot provides AI tools aimed at boosting efficiency” USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2023/03/16/microsoft-365-copilot-ai-tool-unveiled/11484182002/
4. “Your Microsoft apps are getting an AI revamp. Here's what we know” ZDNet, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-365-copilot-uses-ai-to-optimize-its-office-apps-heres-how-you-can-take-advantage
5. “Forget Bing. Microsoft 365 Copilot could be AI's killer app | PCWorld” PCWorld, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.pcworld.com/article/1661649/forget-bing-microsoft-365-copilot-looks-like-ais-killer-app.html
6. “Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot: your copilot for work” Yahoo Life, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/introducing-microsoft-365-copilot-copilot-031100401.html
7. “Microsoft adds Copilot AI productivity bot to 365 suite” TechRepublic, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-copilot-ai-productivity-365-suite/
8. “Microsoft is bringing AI to its productivity apps, in another strike at Google” Yahoo News, 16 Mar. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-is-bringing-ai-to-its-productivity-apps-in-another-strike-at-google-150058515.html
9. “Microsoft Just Debuted An AI-Powered Copilot That Feels Like ‘Clippy' On Steroids – Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSF” Benzinga, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/03/31392513/microsoft-just-debuted-an-ai-powered-copilot-that-feels-like-clippy-on-steroids
10. “Microsoft unveils AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot assistant” BleepingComputer, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-unveils-ai-powered-microsoft-365-copilot-assistant
11. “Microsoft 365’s AI-powered Copilot is like an omniscient version of Clippy” Ars Technica, 16 Mar. 2023, https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/03/microsoft-365s-ai-powered-copilot-is-like-an-omniscient-version-of-clippy
12. “Meet Copilot, Microsoft's AI tool for work and productivity” Mashable, 16 Mar. 2023, https://mashable.com/article/microsoft-copilot-ai-assistant-announcement
13. “Microsoft's real AI battle against Google begins with the promise of new superpowers for work” GeekWire, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.geekwire.com/2023/microsofts-real-ai-battle-against-google-begins-with-promise-of-new-superpowers-for-work/
