Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Microsoft. Based on a large language model, it was launched in February 2023 as Microsoft's primary replacement for the discontinued Cortana.
For the code completion tool, see GitHub Copilot.
The service was introduced under the name Bing Chat, as a built-in feature for Microsoft Bing and Microsoft Edge. Over the course of 2023, Microsoft began to unify the Copilot branding across its various chatbot products, cementing the copilot analogy. At its Build 2023 conference, Microsoft announced its plans to integrate Copilot into Windows 11, allowing users to access it directly through the taskbar. In January 2024, a dedicated Copilot key was announced for Windows keyboards.
Copilot utilizes the Microsoft Prometheus model, built upon OpenAI's GPT-4 foundational large language model, which in turn has been fine-tuned using both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques. Copilot's conversational interface style resembles that of ChatGPT. The chatbot is able to cite sources, create poems, generate songs, and use numerous languages and dialects.
Microsoft operates Copilot on a freemium model. Users on its free tier can access most features, while priority access to newer features, including custom chatbot creation, is provided to paid subscribers under the "Microsoft Copilot Pro" paid subscription service. Several default chatbots are available in the free version of Microsoft Copilot, including the standard Copilot chatbot as well as Microsoft Designer, which is oriented towards using its Image Creator to generate images based on text prompts.
Background[edit]
In 2019, Microsoft partnered with OpenAI and began investing billions of dollars into the organization.[1] Since then, OpenAI systems have run on an Azure-based supercomputing platform from Microsoft.[2][3][4] In September 2020, Microsoft announced that it had licensed OpenAI's GPT-3 exclusively. Others can still receive output from its public API, but only Microsoft has access to the underlying model.[5]
In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a chatbot that was based on GPT-3.5.[6][7] ChatGPT gained worldwide attention following its release, becoming a viral Internet sensation.[8] On January 23, 2023, Microsoft announced a multi-year US$10 billion investment in OpenAI.[9][10][11] On February 6, Google announced Bard (later rebranded as Gemini), a ChatGPT-like chatbot service, fearing that ChatGPT could threaten Google's place as a go-to source for information.[12][13] Multiple media outlets and financial analysts described Google as "rushing" Bard's announcement to preempt rival Microsoft's planned February 7 event unveiling Copilot,[14][15] as well as to avoid playing "catch-up" to Microsoft.[16][17][18]
Service[edit]
Copilot Pro[edit]
In January 2024, a premium service, Microsoft Copilot Pro, was launched, costing US$20 monthly. According to Microsoft, this version of Copilot would provide priority access to newer models, including GPT-4 Turbo, during peak usage periods. It would also give access to the Copilot GPT Builder, which lets users create custom Copilot chatbots, and allow for higher resolution in images generated by Microsoft Designer's Image Creator.[63][64]
Chatbots[edit]
Several default chatbots are available in Microsoft Copilot, including the standard Copilot chatbot as well as Microsoft Designer, which is oriented towards the use of its Image Creator to generate images based on text prompts. Others include "Travel Planner", "Cooking Assistant", and "Fitness Trainer".[64]
Languages[edit]
Copilot is able to communicate in numerous languages and dialects.[47][68] PCMag journalists conducted a test to determine translation capabilities of Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini, comparing them to Google Translate. They "asked bilingual speakers of seven languages to do a blind test". Languages tested were Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic. They concluded that Copilot performed better than Google Translate, but not as well as ChatGPT.[69] Japanese researchers compared Japanese-to-English translation abilities of Copilot, ChatGPT with GPT-4, and Gemini with those of DeepL, and found similar results, noting that "AI chatbots' translations were much better than those of DeepL—presumably because of their ability to capture the context".[70]
Technology[edit]
Copilot utilizes the Microsoft Prometheus model. According to Microsoft, this uses a component called the Orchestrator, which iteratively generates search queries, to combine the Bing search index and results[71] with OpenAI's GPT-4,[72][73] GPT-4 Turbo,[74] and GPT-4o[75] foundational large language models, which have been fine-tuned using both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques.
Windows[edit]
Microsoft Copilot in Windows supports the use of voice commands. By default, it is accessible via the Windows taskbar.[76] Copilot in Windows is also able to provide information on the website currently being browsed by a user in Microsoft Edge.[77]
In 2024, Microsoft began to establish marketing standards for "AI PCs" powered by Windows. These include a hardware AI accelerator, as well as a Copilot button on the keyboard, which replaces the menu key and launches Windows Search if Copilot is disabled or is not available in the user's region.[78][61] During a Microsoft Surface hardware event on May 20, 2024, Microsoft announced "Copilot Plus", a brand of AI-enhanced PCs powered by Windows 11.[79]
Microsoft 365[edit]
Copilot, according to Microsoft, can be used to rewrite and generate text based on user prompts in Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint.[47][80] According to Jared Spataro, the head of Microsoft 365, Copilot for Microsoft 365 uses Microsoft Graph, an API, to evaluate context and available Microsoft 365 user data before modifying and sending user prompts to the language model.[81] After receiving its output, Microsoft Graph performs additional context-specific processing before sending the response to Microsoft 365 apps to generate content.[81]
According to Microsoft, Copilot can assist users with data analysis in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets by formatting data, creating graphs, generating PivotTables, identifying trends, and summarizing information, as well as guiding users using Excel commands and suggesting formulas to investigate user questions.[47][80] The company also states that Copilot is able to create PowerPoint presentations that summarize information from user-selected Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, or from user prompts.[80][82] Additionally, this tool can adjust text formatting, animation timing, and presentation style and length based on user prompts; Microsoft claims this will eliminate the need for users to make manual changes.[47][80]
Microsoft states that, in Microsoft Outlook, Copilot can draft emails with varying length and tone based on user input.[47] To draft these emails, Copilot can pull relevant information from other emails.[80] Copilot is also able to summarize content from email threads, including the viewpoints of involved individuals as well as questions posed that have yet to be answered.[47][80] According to Microsoft, Copilot can be used in Microsoft Teams to present information for upcoming meetings, transcribe meetings, and provide debriefs if a user joins a meeting late.[81] After a meeting, the company claims that Copilot can also summarize discussion points, list key actions deliberated in the meeting, and answer questions that were covered in the meeting.[80] The company has publicly introduced Microsoft 365 Chat, a Copilot feature which pulls information from content across Microsoft 365 apps, enabling it to answer user questions and perform other tasks.[80][81][83]
Reception[edit]
Tom Warren, a senior editor at The Verge, has noted the conceptual similarity of Copilot and other Microsoft assistant features like Cortana and Clippy.[47] Warren also believes that large language models, as they develop further, could change how users work and collaborate.[47] Rowan Curran, an analyst at Forrester, states that the integration of AI into productivity software may lead to improvements in user experience.[84]
Concerns over the speed of Microsoft's recent release of AI-powered products and investments have led to questions surrounding ethical responsibilities in the testing of such products.[51] One ethical concern the public has vocalized is that GPT-4 and similar large language models may reinforce racial or gender bias.[47] Individuals, including Tom Warren, have also voiced concerns for Copilot after witnessing the chatbot showcasing several instances of artificial hallucinations.[47]
In response to these concerns, Jon Friedman, the Corporate Vice President of Design and Research at Microsoft, stated that Microsoft was "applying [the] learning" from experience with Bing to "mitigate [the] risks" of Copilot.[47] Microsoft claimed that it was gathering a team of researchers and engineers to identify and alleviate any potential negative impacts.[51] The stated aim was to achieve this through the refinement of training data, blocking queries about sensitive topics, and limiting harmful information.[51] Microsoft stated that it intended to employ InterpretML and Fairlearn to detect and rectify data bias, provide links to its sources, and state any applicable constraints.[51]
Media related to Microsoft Copilot at Wikimedia Commons