What Is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is a chatbot, virtual assistant, and productivity tool that’s based on the Bing AI chatbot. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate normal human conversation, and can perform various tasks like answering questions, summarizing emails, drafting presentations, and more.

What Is It?

Copilot is Microsoft’s AI productivity tool, initially introduced as the Bing AI chatbot. It’s based on the GPT-4 generative machine learning model, just like the Bing AI chatbot, which means it was trained with a very large set of data that it can use to answer questions and perform various practical tasks.

Unlike the Bing AI chatbot, which is limited to Bing search, you can access Microsoft Copilot through Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Excel and directly through Windows.

In addition to the initial training data, Copilot is also capable of accessing the Bing search engine when needed to answer specific queries. Copilot also leverages Microsoft Graph, an API that allows it to access documents, emails, calendar events, chats, and meetings from your Microsoft account.

Since Copilot is a natural language AI, you interact with it conversationally, just like you would with another person.

Copilot is available in Bing search, Windows, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft 365 apps and its capabilities vary depending on where you access it. When you use Copilot through Bing, it’s capable of performing web searches, answering queries, and performing all the same tasks as ChatGPT.

When accessed through Microsoft Edge, it gains additional functionality, like providing a summary of the page you’re currently looking at. In Windows, Copilot can perform tasks like activating dark mode and starting a focus session. The implementation in Microsoft 365 apps is even more diverse and varies from one app to the next.

Who Built This?

Microsoft developed Copilot, based on GPT-4 technology from OpenAI. As a generative AI model, GPT-4 can be trained by providing it with data that it then synthesizes into answers using natural language in a familiar, conversational manner.

The model was initially developed by OpenAI, which is an AI research company that is funded by Microsoft and others. Microsoft trained the model with its own data, integrated it with the Microsoft Graph API, and performed other adjustments to create Copilot. 

How Does It Impact Me?

If you use any Microsoft products, then it’s very likely that Copilot has already impacted you to some degree. Copilot is integrated into Bing search and the Edge web browser, and it’s also available directly through Windows via a button on the taskbar. Copilot is also available in Microsoft 365 apps, but only if you or your employer pays for access.

Here are some ways that Copilot could impact you:

• Bing users: If you use the Bing search engine, the search results you see are directly impacted by Copilot integration. You can search directly through Copilot by clicking Chat or scrolling up on any Bing search results page, and you are likely to see responses from the AI alongside your search results even if you don’t use the Copilot interface directly.
• Edge users: If you use Microsoft Edge to browse the web, you may have noticed the Copilot ribbon logo in the upper right corner of the browser window. You can use Edge without interacting with Copilot, but this integration provides easy access to the Copilot chatbot with some extra features. For example, it can summarize the page you’re viewing, turn on dark mode, organize your tabs, or change your browser theme.
• Windows users: Copilot is also accessible directly through Windows via a button on the taskbar. Clicking that button provides access to the Copilot chatbot with extra capabilities, like summarizing a webpage you’re viewing in Edge, starting a focus session, turning on do not disturb mode, or switching between dark and light modes.
• Microsoft 365 users: If you use Microsoft 365 apps, you or your employer can add Copilot integration that can write rough drafts in Word, create presentations from scratch in PowerPoint, summarize emails from Outlook, analyze data, create visualizations in Excel, and more.

Copilot is unlikely to impact your daily life if you don't use any Microsoft products.

How Can I Try It?

You can try Copilot for free in the Bing search engine and the Edge web browser. It’s also available directly in Windows. To try it in Microsoft 365 apps, you must have a Microsoft 365 subscription and pay for the Copilot add-on.

Here are the ways you can try Copilot for free:

• Try Copilot in Bing: Navigate to Bing's site, and click Chat.
• Try Copilot in Edge: Click the Copilot icon in the upper right corner of the browser window.
• Try Copilot in Windows: Click the Copilot icon on the right side of the taskbar.

Regardless of where you access Copilot, you’ll be greeted with the same basic interface: a conversation-style toggle, a brief list of some tasks Copilot can perform, and a text box for entering a request. The conversation style toggle allows the AI some creativity and leeway when you select the More Creative option, and limits it to basic facts when you select More Precise, with the More Balanced option splitting the difference.

Accessing Copilot through Microsoft Edge provides you with three additional options: Chat, Compose, and Insights.

The chat option provides you with a GPT-4 powered chatbot where you can ask questions, and it works just like the implementation of Copilot that’s available in Bing search. You can ask questions, ask it to help with brainstorming, and even ask it to create images. The main difference is that accessing Copilot through Edge can perform useful tasks like switching the browser into dark mode or organizing your tabs.

If you ask it to change a setting or perform a function it doesn't have access to, Copilot will open the relevant options or settings page and provide instructions. For example, if you ask Copilot to clear your cache, it will open the clear browsing data screen and tell you to click the clear now button.

The compose feature provides options designed specifically for generating text, with tone, format, and length options. It helps generate a rough draft if you aren’t sure where to start.

The insights option provides different information depending on the website that you’re currently viewing. Depending on the page's content, it may offer to summarize the contents or provide additional insights. For example, you can use it when shopping to find more product information quickly.

When you access Copilot through Windows, the interface is simpler. It only provides the chat option, including the creativity toggle, with options to add an image or screenshot to your query.

You can ask it questions just like the implementation found in Bing search and the Edge browser, but it can also adjust some Windows settings. For example, if you type "switch to dark mode," it will switch Windows to dark mode. You can also use commands like "turn on do not disturb," "take a screenshot," and "open Wi-Fi settings."