Microsoft 365 Copilot

Although the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) dates back to 1950 when Alan Turing shared his thoughts on the possibility of creating thinking machines, AI’s impact on our daily lives has only become truly significant in recent years.

In fact, AI has been integrated into our lives for a long time. However, for some, it still seems like an “unknown” and “intimidating” concept. Yet, AI tools are playing a crucial role in increasing productivity and efficiency across various fields, including education, healthcare, publishing, and tourism. Especially in the business world, AI is reshaping work processes.

In this article, we’ll explore an AI-powered productivity tool that offers significant convenience for employees: Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Developed by Microsoft in collaboration with OpenAI, Copilot is an AI-powered productivity tool created by integrating three key components:

1. Microsoft 365 Applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.

2. Microsoft Graph, which encompasses all your content, including emails, files, meetings, and calendars.

3. A large language model trained on billions of parameters.

What is the Purpose of Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Workplace?

By integrating these three technologies, Microsoft 365 Copilot helps employees understand the content of their tasks and create new content.

Its primary goal is to enhance productivity and efficiency in the workplace. It acts as an assistant that collects all innovations at your fingertips, fills in the gaps, provides solutions to problems, and suggests new alternatives when you hit a roadblock.

How to Use Microsoft 365 Copilot and What Are Its Features?

While using the Word application, Copilot allows you to:

• Format new or existing documents.

• Create new text without formatting.

• Edit and summarize the text you’ve created.

• Ask questions related to your document.

While using PowerPoint, Copilot allows you to:

• Integrate generative AI tools like DALL-E and ChatGPT.

• Use corporate templates to generate files.

• Create unique and custom images.

• Make visual and textual adjustments to slides.

While using Excel, Copilot allows you to:

• Perform data analysis.

• Ask questions about your data sets.

• Develop new models and formulas based on the data.

While using Outlook, Copilot allows you to:

• Create drafts when preparing or replying to emails.

• Get tips on language, style, and tone when writing emails.

• Summarize emails.

• Receive overall assessments and improvement suggestions for emails.

While using OneNote, Copilot allows you to:

• Generate new ideas and plan drafts accordingly.

• Create lists to organize your information.

While using Teams, Copilot allows you to:

• Summarize chat content from up to 30 days prior to the most recent message.

• Get answers to your own questions via the side panel.

• Access clickable citations leading to source content.

• Consult Copilot during meetings, and summarize those meetings.

• Generate new ideas during brainstorming sessions.

• Organize generated ideas by themes.

Things to Keep in Mind While Using Microsoft 365 Copilot:

• Copilot is not perfect: While it is a functional and versatile AI tool, it can make mistakes. Therefore, it’s important to verify the accuracy of the content it generates.

• Copilot’s content may not be 100% original: Copilot creates content based on patterns found on the internet. As a result, the content it generates may sometimes resemble content already available online. To achieve originality, you should make your requests more specific and detailed.

• Repeat your request with different phrasing: To improve your Copilot experience, try varying your requests with different questions and commands. You’ll see better results with this approach.

• Copilot is not automatic: Keep in mind that Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered “assistant.” It helps ease your workload but cannot take over your tasks completely. The responsibility still lies with you.

Data Privacy and Security in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft’s existing privacy and security commitments for commercial customers apply to Copilot as well. This means Copilot is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The data Copilot can access, including documents, emails, calendars, chats, meetings, and contacts, is not used to train language models. Additionally, any data stored to improve work productivity is also covered by these privacy and security standards.

However, there may be cases where Copilot goes beyond Microsoft’s privacy and security boundaries. For instance, if Copilot asks you to refer to general web content or use an extension for better results, you would be stepping outside the privacy and security commitments provided by Microsoft.

Where Can You Get Microsoft 365 Copilot?

For individual users and small-to-medium businesses with fewer than 300 employees, Copilot is still in the testing phase. It is expected to be available to all users soon.

For businesses with more than 300 employees, Copilot is available for purchase. If you have an E3 or E5 Microsoft 365 license, you can contact a Microsoft representative to acquire Copilot.