Microsoft has introduced the Copilot AI assistant for Microsoft 365 office suite applications. With the introduction of the AI-based chatbot in Bing, Microsoft is moving toward integrating large OpenAI language models into its office applications, including AI-assisted text generation in Gmail, Docs, and other services.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 Apps and Services, built on OpenAI's GPT-4, will function as a sidebar chatbot to generate text in Word, create PowerPoint presentations, and create Excel PivotTables. It is also integrated into Outlook so you can spend less time deleting and replying to emails.
Microsoft claims that Copilot isn't just a chatGPT plugin for Microsoft 365; it's also a combination of Microsoft Graph data and analytics and the GPT-4 neural network. Microsoft Graph allows you to manage the unique context of the user and make it more efficient.
Microsoft is also developing a Business Chat feature for Microsoft 365 data and apps. Business Chat will combine documents, presentations, emails, notes, and contacts into a single chat experience in Microsoft Teams that will generate summaries, scheduling overviews, and other functions.
Microsoft is certainly moving quickly with its intention for AI-based Office apps, which is a legitimate concern, especially since it recently dismissed its entire AI ethics team. The team identified the issues related with Microsoft's OpenAI language models in software and services.
Jared Spataro, the CEO of Microsoft 365, denies these reservations. "To meet the needs of our customers, we must act quickly and responsibly, learning as we go," says Spataro. "We are testing Copilot with a small group of clients to get feedback and improve our models as we scale."
Microsoft is currently co-testing Copilot with 20 customers, and intends to expand its testing coverage gradually. In the coming months, the company will provide further technical information, Copilot availability dates, and pricing.
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