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How are Microsoft's Copilots different? Here are the definitions and answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Several AI companions have been released by Microsoft to simplify your life.

1. What exactly is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft's Copilots are intelligent assistants that use artificial intelligence (AI). There are several Microsoft Copilots that can complete different types of tasks. 

Bing Chat has been rebranded as Copilot, offering an experience that closely resembles ChatGPT.

The term Microsoft Copilot refers to what was previously known as Bing Chat, an AI chatbot that can help with a series of tasks, such as coding, writing, generating images, answering general questions, and more.

 

2. What's the difference between Microsoft's Copilots?

In terms of the other Copilots, here's a topline review:

-          Copilot in Windows started rolling out on Windows 11 on September 26 through a Windows 11 update. It can help you with a variety of tasks, both relating to your PC's settings and to generative assistance.

-          Copilot for Microsoft 365 began rolling out for enterprise customers on November 1 and will roll out to non-enterprise users later. Microsoft 365's Copilot is an AI assistant that seamlessly integrates with various productivity software like Teams, Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

-          Copilot for Sales will be available in the first quarter of 2024. It is a cloud-based service that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Microsoft Teams and provides intelligent guidance, insights, and automation throughout the sales cycle.

-          Copilot for Service will be generally available in early 2024. It is designed by Microsoft to serve and support customer service teams. It accompanies Microsoft’s “Copilot for Sales”.

-          Copilot in Viva will begin rolling out to customers "later in 2023", according to Microsoft.

-          GitHub Copilot was the first tool to be released, all the way back in 2021. GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant that helps you write code faster and with less effort, allowing you to focus more energy on problem solving and collaboration.  

-          Microsoft’s Security Copilot: Available since April 1, 2024.It combines AI with cybersecurity to provide users with more advanced protection against attacks. Its benefits include analysing data sets to detect patterns of illicit behaviour, which helps recognise cyberattacks, and increasing the speed and accuracy of real-time reactions with automated response mechanisms.

 

3. Is Microsoft Copilot free, or are there hidden costs?

Yes, Microsoft Copilot is available for free. The cost of application-specific Microsoft Copilots depends on the service it is being integrated into. 

For example, Copilot for Microsoft 365 has been made available for enterprise customers at a whopping £24.70 per user per month.

For context, the price of the add-on is more than the lower-end plans of Microsoft 365 business subscriptions, which range from £10 to £20 per user per month, and almost the same as Microsoft's Office 365 E5 high-end enterprise subscription, which costs around £30 per month. 

However, Copilot in Windows was rolled out for free via a Windows 11 update.

Other applications like Copilot for Sales and Copilot for Service have a cost of £41.10 per user. 

GitHub Copilot for an individual costs around £8 per month or £80 per year, and £30 per enterprise plan. 

 

4. What makes Copilot for Microsoft 365 the most popular choice?

Copilot for Microsoft 365 refers to the integration of the Copilot AI assistant into Microsoft's 365 productivity software family, including Teams, Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

For example, with Copilot for Microsoft 365, the suite of Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, will be infused with Copilot to optimise your workflow, such as generating text and tables in Word, summarising and drafting emails in Outlook, and generating Python visualisations in Excel.

Microsoft 365 chat

Microsoft 365 Copilot includes Microsoft 365 Chat, which makes use of your Microsoft work app data and can support you with answering queries and task assistance through its chat interface.

With Microsoft 365 Chat, having to sift through too many messages is no longer a thing. Just prompt it with the command "summarise unread messages" and let it do its thing - providing a consolidated digest of everything important you may have missed. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Microsoft 365 Chat can help keep you up to date, locate the documents you're looking for, and engage with the content of your chats, meetings, files and so much more.

 

5. How do you start using it?

Before you can access Copilot, you must meet these requirements:

You must have one of the following subscription plans to purchase Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365. You can purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 licenses through the Microsoft 365 admin centre on the Purchase Services page, Microsoft partners such as Logixal, or the Microsoft account team. You can purchase as many Copilots for Microsoft 365 licenses as you have prerequisite licenses.

Your users must have one of the following base licenses to be eligible for a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. Prerequisite licenses include:

  • Microsoft 365 E5
  • Microsoft 365 E3
  • Microsoft 365 F1
  • Microsoft 365 F3
  • Office 365 E1
  • Office 365 E3
  • Office 365 E5
  • Office 365 F3
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  • Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty*
  • Microsoft 365 A3 for faculty*
  • Office 365 A5 for faculty*
  • Office 365 A3 for faculty*

*Available via Enrolment for Education Solutions (EES) or Providers only.

 

6. What is Google's version of Microsoft Copilot?

Google first announced its version of Microsoft Copilot, Duet AI, at Google I/O in May. Duet AI is an assistant that is integrated across Google Workspace, including applications such as Google Docs, Slides, Meet, Gmail, Chat, and more.

Duet AI in Google Workplace was made generally available for enterprises in August. Users can request a trial.

Google Duet AI seamlessly integrates into Google Workspace apps, including Sheets, Docs, Slides, Gmail, and Meet. Beyond standard tasks like document creation and email composition, it excels at adjusting writing tone, supporting multiple languages, and providing contextual suggestions.

 

Revolutionise the way you leverage your data and produce business outcomes with Microsoft Copilot.

Combine the power of language models with your business data—including all of your Microsoft 365 apps, documents, and conversations.

With Logixal, you'll discover how to seamlessly integrate this game-changing technology into your organisation. Let’s chat – jhoile@logixal.co.uk