We are embarking on a fresh era of AI that fundamentally alters our interactions with and gains from technology. Today, we're advancing toward integrating these functionalities into a unified experience we refer to as Microsoft Copilot, your daily AI companion.
Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled some more news about Microsoft Copilot and revealed that will begin rollout as early as the 26th of September as part of a free update to Windows 11. They also announced some exciting new experiences to help boost productivity, encourage innovation, and support the needs of your people and business.
A summary of recent announcements:
Microsoft Copilot is set to launch on Windows starting September 26, offering enhanced productivity and simplified task completion while reducing cognitive load. Accessing Copilot's capabilities is effortless, with quick access through the taskbar or the Win+C keyboard shortcut, providing seamless assistance across all your applications. The Windows version of Copilot will introduce the new Copilot icon, an updated user experience, and Bing Chat, and it will be available to commercial customers at no cost.
Bing Chat Enterprise builds upon Microsoft Copilot, ensuring robust commercial data protection to safeguard your business data from external exposure. With Bing Chat Enterprise, chat data is not stored, Microsoft maintains no access to it, and your data is not utilised for training large language models (LLM). Bing Chat Enterprise can be obtained as a standalone service for $5 per user per month or is included in Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions.
Microsoft 365 Copilot, your indispensable AI assistant in the workplace, builds on the foundation of Bing Chat Enterprise, delivering enterprise-grade security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI practices. All data processing occurs within your Microsoft 365 environment, leveraging technology trusted by Microsoft 365 customers over the years.
Microsoft 365 Chat, the standout feature of Microsoft 365 Copilot, transcends traditional Q&A interactions. It intelligently sifts through your complete data universe, including emails, meetings, chats, documents, web content, and more, to tackle complex workplace challenges. It seamlessly integrates into everyday Microsoft 365 Apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and others.
Having already been adopted by tens of thousands of enterprise users in Microsoft's Early Access Program (EAP), Microsoft 365 Copilot is set to be generally available for enterprise customers on November 1, at a rate of $30 per user per month.
Microsoft 365 Copilot - AI at your fingertips
In March, we shared with you the news of Microsoft's new AI tool, Copilot, and how it was set to unlock productivity and foster creativity within widely-used applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, benefiting millions of users.
Today, a new pinnacle has been reached in the Microsoft 365 Copilot experience: Microsoft 365 Chat. Back in March, it was introduced as Business Chat, but substantial advancements in recent months have elevated it to new heights. Microsoft 365 Chat, a formidable addition to Microsoft 365 Copilot, transcends simple Q&A interactions, instead addressing the intricacies, eliminating redundancy, and reclaiming valuable work time.
Like a personal assistant, it possesses a profound understanding of individuals, their roles, priorities, and organisational contexts. This AI-powered feature not only locates relevant files, even those forgotten but also swiftly connects the dots across all content and context. Furthermore, it seamlessly integrates with the business applications you rely on. Preview customers can access this transformative tool today on Microsoft365.com or within Teams when logged in with their work accounts. In the near future, users will encounter the Copilot icon, signifying easy access, across various platforms while signing in with their work accounts.
Starting November 1, we encourage our enterprise customers to get in touch with us to purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot. It's worth noting that EAP (Early Adopter Program) customers will enjoy the initial opportunity to implement Copilot throughout their organisations as soon as it becomes generally available.
In recent years, the pace and volume of work have notably escalated. On any given workday, Microsoft noticed their most active users find what they need through 18 searches, receive over 250 emails via Outlook, and engage in nearly 150 Teams chats.1 Globally, Teams users are attending three times as many meetings per week as they were in 2020. Furthermore, on Windows, some individuals are using up to 11 different apps in a single day to accomplish their tasks. Microsoft 365 Chat is set to alleviate the burdens of work for everyone.
Boost productivity and motivate innovation with Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot is introducing several updates to its apps, set to be available for commercial customers in November unless specified otherwise. Here's what to expect in the apps we use every day:
- Outlook: Copilot streamlines email management by summarising email threads, offering personalised writing style options, and facilitating the easy follow-up of Teams meetings directly from Outlook.
- Word: Copilot enhances the writing process with document summaries, paragraph rewriting, formatting assistance, and table generation.
- Excel: Users can analyse and visualise data more effectively with Copilot, which simplifies data manipulation and offers advanced analytics capabilities.
- Loop: Fosters collaborative thinking, allowing teams to co-create, organise projects, and catch up on missed work efficiently.
- OneNote: Users can ask comprehensive questions, generate content summaries, and receive quick edits with Copilot.
- Microsoft Stream: Copilot provides video insights, including transcripts, key point identification, and suggested follow-ups.
- OneDrive: Users can retrieve file insights without opening them by asking Copilot open-ended questions or requesting content summaries.
Copilot in Windows
In May, it was revealed that Copilot would be integrated into Windows 11, and starting September 26, it's available in preview.
Copilot in Windows simplifies tasks, boosts productivity, and reduces cognitive load, making complex tasks straightforward. It's conveniently accessible through the taskbar and the Win+C keyboard shortcut, offering assistance across all apps and screen sizes, whether you're at work, school, or home.
Furthermore, Microsoft is granting IT administrators the authority to manage Copilot deployment in Windows, extending its reach across diverse organisations.
They also announced the availability of Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch in this update, facilitating easy access to a secure, personalised Windows 365 Cloud PC with Copilot on any device.
