Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has launched a new AI-powered productivity tool called Microsoft 365 Copilot which will integrate ChatGPT-style tech into the Microsoft Office 365 suite of products.
Copilot will be incorporated into Microsoft 365 apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and Business Chat, enhancing productivity and reducing time spent on mundane tasks.
The tool uses large language models (LLMs) to analyse data in the Microsoft Graph, which includes emails, calendars, chats, documents and more, to provide insights and generate reports.
Copilot, which was initially launched for GitHub, received positive reviews from developers with more than 70% reporting increased productivity.
However, Microsoft has admitted via a blog post that Copilot is prone to mistakes.
This integration will be a game-changer at the workspace, helping users to "unleash creativity, unlock productivity, and uplevel skills."
Unleash creativity, unlock productivity, and uplevel your skills. Read more about Microsoft 365 Copilot: https://t.co/Ujur9iOiT5 #Microsoft365 pic.twitter.com/MblivPPBN8— Microsoft 365 (@Microsoft365) March 17, 2023
Co-pilot integration
Microsoft 365 general manager Colette Stallbaumer said: “Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 in two ways.
"It works alongside you, embedded in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more — to unleash creativity, unlock productivity and uplevel skills.
“Today, we’re also announcing an entirely new experience: Business Chat.
"Business Chat works across the LLM, the Microsoft 365 apps, and your data — your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings and contacts — to do things you’ve never been able to do before.
“You can give it natural language prompts like ‘tell my team how we updated the product strategy’ and it will generate a status update based on the morning’s meetings, emails, and chat threads.”
Example: Word integration
Copilot in Word claims to offer several features such as writing, editing, summarising and creating a document alongside the user.
With a simple prompt, Copilot can create the first draft of the document by incorporating information from various sources.
The tool can also add content to existing documents, rewrite sections and summarise text to make it more concise.
Furthermore, Copilot can suggest tones and language styles, ranging from professional to casual, to ensure the appropriate tone.
The tool can also offer suggestions to strengthen the arguments or iron out inconsistencies, helping users improve their writing.
Here are some example commands and prompts you can try:
- Draft a two-page project proposal based on the data from [a document] and [a spreadsheet].
- Make the third paragraph more concise. Change the tone of the document to be more casual.
- Create a one-page draft based on this rough outline
Say goodbye to writer’s block. Unleash your creativity by bringing generative AI to your favorite applications: https://t.co/JKW0sAKnXM #MicrosoftWord pic.twitter.com/YnKkSost5Q— Microsoft 365 (@Microsoft365) March 17, 2023
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot from OpenAI that can simulate a cognitive dialogue with a user, similar to that you would have with a human.
The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests.
Besides ChatGPT, OpenAI is also the maker of Dall-E, which generates images in response to simple text instructions, and GitHub Copilot, a system that uses AI to help write computer code.