An Introduction to Microsoft 365 Copilot
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Have you ever wished you had a wingman or wingwoman sitting alongside you while working? Well, Microsoft 365 Copilot may be the answer for you.
M365 Copilot was announced in March 2023 and has been hailed as a new way to reinvent productivity for everyone. Currently in testing with a small group of customers, Copilot will work alongside users inside their Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams etc). The aim being, to boost creativity and energy levels and allow users to work more efficiently and even improve their skills.
Described as having the power to ‘transform’ the way we work, Microsoft 365 Copilot harnesses the power of next-generation generative AI. It does so by combining the power of large language models (LLMs) with data stored inside Microsoft Graph (e.g., your calendar, emails, chats etc).
In the words of Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO at Microsoft:
M365 Copilot marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity growth.
How does Microsoft 365 Copilot work?
As mentioned above, M365 Copilot uses large language models (LLMs), which are natural language processing computer programs that use AI to generate text. LLMs are trained on billions of words and can speak seemingly ‘naturally’ to users when prompted with a question or instruction.
M365 Copilot also uses data stored in Microsoft Graph to personalise and contextualise results for each user. For example, if you ask it to prepare some meeting notes ahead of time, it will use the permitted information from inside your organisation and your previous activities to create a relevant and coherent draft.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is integrated into M365 in two ways: as an embedded feature in the Microsoft 365 applications and as a standalone experience called Business Chat. The latter is essentially a new app through which users can chat with Copilot and request it to do things (e.g., provide updates, schedule meetings). The app will respond with content to help each task to be completed.
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft 365 Copilot – like all M365 applications – is designed to be secure. It complies with Microsoft’s commitments to data privacy and protection and does not store or share your data outside of your organisation, adhering to existing business data access permissions.
Microsoft 365 Copilot transforms work in three main ways:
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Fostering creativity – Copilot helps generate content, ideas, insights, and more. It can be used to write documents, create presentations, design graphics, compose emails, and so on. The user, however, is always in control and Copilot can simply be used to drive ideas forward, e.g., by asking it to shorten, reword, or give feedback on documents.
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Boosting productivity – Copilot is designed to lighten the load by doing our ‘busywork’ for us. From summarising documents to formatting data and suggesting quick email replies, Copilot helps save time and effort; great news for unlocking productivity.
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Uplevelling skills – By prompting Copilot to give feedback, offer explanations, or rewrite text, e.g., it can be used to improve users’ writing, communication, collaboration, and learning skills. Essentially, it’s a tool that makes us better at what we’re good at and that also assists in learning new skills while we’re at it.
Some key features of Microsoft 365 Copilot
To round off, we’ll take a closer look at some of the key features of the tool itself. Remember, Copilot will fundamentally change how people work with AI and vice versa. It will also evolve over time (probably very quickly), but some of the features we can expect to see from the outset include:
Real-time assistance Copilot is always ‘on’, it provides contextual suggestions as you work, helping you draft emails, create documents, and generate code more efficiently. It also anticipates your needs (and gets better at doing so over time) so it offers relevant content, saving you valuable time. Task automation By recognising patterns in your work, Copilot can automate repetitive tasks, such as scheduling meetings, organising files, and creating reports. It can also help users complete time-consuming tasks more quickly by, for example, summarising articles or offering deep insights from customer data. Naturally, this frees up more time and enables users to concentrate on more strategic or creative activities. Collaboration and knowledge sharing Copilot facilitates seamless collaboration by providing intelligent suggestions during meetings, brainstorming sessions, and team discussions. It also helps users find relevant information and insights, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your teamwork. Personalised assistance Copilot is intelligent and will adapt to your work style and preferences over time. It learns from your actions, analyses data patterns, and customises suggestions accordingly. In other words, it’s truly like a personal assistant and its side bar stays consistent across your apps, programs and windows, always available. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a powerful new AI assistant that has the potential to revolutionise the way we work. At this stage, it is still within its development cycle, but it has the potential to save us time, improve our accuracy, and enhance our creativity. If you are looking for a way to be more productive, then Microsoft 365 Copilot is a great option, watch this video to discover more. To find out more about how Microsoft 365 Copilot, or any of the Microsoft technology stack, might benefit your organisation, please get in touch with our Microsoft experts using the green ‘get in touch’ button on this page.
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