A ChatGPT-style AI assistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot, developed by Microsoft and embedded into its office apps, will become available to all from 1 November, following trials.
Microsoft says it hopes the tool will eliminate “drudgery” but some worry tech like this will replace workers. There are also concerns it could leave businesses dangerously reliant on AI-powered assistance. In its current form, it could also fall foul of new rules governing AI, for failing to make clear when content has not been made by humans.
Zoe Kleinman - Technology editor
My demo was on the laptop of Derek Snyder, a Microsoft member of staff, because Copilot is embedded into an individual’s account, with access to their own - or a company’s own - data.
I watched it confidently summarise in a few seconds, a long chain of emails regarding a fictional product launch. It then suggested a brief response. We used a simple drop-down menu to make that response longer and more casual, and the Chatbot generated a warm reply, expressing admiration for the ideas proposed and declaring excitement at being involved in the project - although none of us had actually read any of it. We could then choose to edit the email before sending it, or select the AI-generated copy and send it in its entirety. There was no hint within the email that it contained content from Copilot.
I then saw the tool generate a multiple-slide Powerpoint presentation in around 43 seconds, based on the contents of a Word document. It can use images embedded within the document, if there are any, or it can search its own royalty-free collection. It created a simple but effective presentation - and it also wrote a suggested narrative to read out alongside it.
Finally, we looked at a Microsoft Teams meeting. Copilot identified themes and offered summaries of various threads which had run through the discussion. It could also summarise what one particular person had said if required, and in the event of a disagreement, it was able to offer, in a chart format, the pros and cons which had been debated. All of this took a few seconds.
Copilot will cost $30 per month (which works out at around £25 in the UK). It is internet-connected and does not work offline.
Blimey … minutes produced in seconds … 
