What Business Owners Should Know About Copilot in Microsoft 365

Generative AI has become more popular for its utility and capabilities. Microsoft is moving forward with its AI integration processes. During the November 2023 Ignite event, the company highlighted Copilot for Microsoft 365, an AI tool to ease many workplace duties.

Based on their presentation and incorporation, here’s what business owners can expect from Copilot.

A Promise To Uphold Intellectual Integrity

One contention many business owners have with AI, especially in content creation and marketing, includes issues of intellectual integrity. AI can facilitate plagiarism and may introduce bias and misinformation in various settings, especially research.

To mitigate this issue, Copilot for Microsoft 365 functions under the company’s Copilot Copyright Commitment and Azure AI Content Safety Initiative. Their AI should function under high ethical standards to reduce unjust technical bias and eliminate plagiaristic habits common in unrestricted AI use. As such, business owners can feel more secure using Microsoft AI products and integrations.

Where Copilot Started and Has Grown

First, Microsoft rebranded Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise under the Copilot moniker. Its basic level integration allowed the AI to answer questions or create content for websites and documents. It could also provide logical reasoning for data input into its system.

As of the Ignite event, Copilot for Microsoft 365 has expanded into various integral products:

• Word
• Teams
• Outlook
• PowerPoint

What To Know About Using Copilot in Microsoft 365 Apps

Copilot also has its own Studio setup where you can create a Copilot with personalization features for the specific user. Copilot Studio allows users to connect with third-party applications that integrate AI, add data analytics and controls, and more.

Word

Microsoft Word users can use their Copilot to catch up on collaborative documents by requesting a summary of changes or revisions. The AI can also direct the user to the location of these changes and present information regarding the alterations.

Teams

The summarization abilities Copilot gained from its time as Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise come to light the most in Teams. As one of the largest improvements in Copilot for Microsoft 365, the AI can now summarize calls, record notes, and simplify chats. Copilot’s Teams collaboration works similarly to adding a minute taker to all your team meetings.

Outlook

In Outlook, Copilot helps with document and email summarization to help reduce the amount of time you use to review information. It can also analyze the trend for meeting invites and past notes to suggest future meeting times when necessary. The AI presents alerts for requested actions and scheduling options for meeting preparation via its calendar.

PowerPoint

If you have current corporate brand assets, Copilot can help you place them in previously desired spots in the slides. The system can also help you reimagine brand assets for new development and presentation.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 products will continue to come out into 2024 and onward. Stay on top of the ethics and efficiency debates regarding AI use to make better developmental changes to your business model.