AI EVERYWHERE

Microsoft Launches Copilot Pro AI Tool for $20 a Month

Copilot Pro allows users to generate PowerPoint presentations, Outlook emails, Word documents, and images via prompts.

Microsoft’s powerful AI isn’t just for businesses anymore.

On Monday, the company launched Copilot Pro, which gives customers access to its suite of artificial intelligence software for just $20 a month. The service—which was previously limited to businesses—gives “power users like creators, researchers, programmers” the ability to leverage AI-infused apps like Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook; as well as the ability to create their own customized chatbot, according to Microsoft’s chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi in a blog post.

“Today we’re announcing the availability of Copilot Pro, a new subscription that delivers the most advanced features and capabilities of Microsoft Copilot to individuals looking to supercharge their Copilot experience,” Mehdi wrote. “Whether you need advanced help with writing, coding, designing, researching or learning, Copilot Pro brings greater performance, productivity and creativity.”

Users can now pay the extra $20 a month to gain access to Copilot Pro on their devices. Mehdi said that the company is also releasing Copilot for Microsoft 365 that will expand its AI product offerings to “business of all sizes, including small- and medium-sized businesses.”

Notable features include the ability to generate PowerPoint presentations, Outlook emails, Word documents, and images via prompts. Copilot for Microsoft 365 (aka the business product) will also be able to “attend” your meetings for you, transcribing and summarizing the calls to help you catch up if you have to miss it.

Derek Snyder, senior director of Microsoft Teams, told The Daily Beast when Copilot was initially announced for its enterprise customers that the feature was “for people to have the joy of missing out. To be able to miss a meeting and not actually have to worry about that.” (However, some critics were concerned that this would result in digital workplaces turning into a bot-filled hellscape.)

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Perhaps Copilot’s most intriguing feature for users is the ability to create their own customized chatbot. The Copilot GPT builder leverages OpenAI’s underlying GPT model in order to make a personalized chatbot with no coding required. For example, users could create one that helps them compose messages and reply directly to client emails. Or they could do something a little more fun with one that comes up with cooking recipes.

The feature pits Microsoft against the likes of OpenAI and Meta, which have also announced customized chatbot services for customers. All this, of course, is a part of a larger trend of AI hype that won’t be going away anytime soon—especially as Big Tech companies look to cash in. While these powerful models may help everyday customers with emails and meetings, the potential for harm caused by bias and misinformation could increase.

But hey, maybe Copilot will be able to come up with a better opening to emails than “I hope this message finds you well!”

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Tony Ho Tran

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