Microsoft expands access to AI Digital Assistant Copilot across Microsoft 365 Suite, including Whiteboard, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more!

Microsoft has announced that it will be expanding preview access to its new digital assistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot, based on OpenAI's GPT-4. This AI-powered assistant brings a range of capabilities to Microsoft 365 apps and services. The company is launching the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program, which will initially be rolled out to 600 global customers through invitation-only paid previews.

This program offers new Copilot features for apps such as Microsoft Whiteboard, Microsoft PowerPoint, Outlook.com, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Loop and Viva Learning. The indexing tool is one of the new features, which allows Copilot to report on internal company data more accurately. In addition, enterprise customers running the Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 suite can take advantage of the new Semantic Index feature, which creates an intuitive map of both user and company data.

One of the new capabilities being added is Copilot in Whiteboard, the collaborative digital canvas app for brainstorming, which will make Microsoft Teams meetings and brainstorms more creative and effective. Using natural language, users can ask Copilot to generate ideas, organize them into themes, create designs that bring ideas to life, and summarize whiteboard content. Meanwhile, DALL-E 3, OpenAI's image generator, is being integrated into PowerPoint, allowing users to ask Copilot to create custom images to support their content. Copilot in PowerPoint can also optimize text, such as turning bullet points into paragraphs or changing the tone.

In addition, Copilot in Outlook will offer coaching tips and suggestions on clarity, sentiment, and tone to help users write more effective emails and communicate more confidently. Copilot in OneNote will use prompts to draft plans, generate ideas, create lists, and organize information to help customers find what they need easily. Copilot in Loop will help teams stay in sync by quickly summarizing all the content on a Loop page, keeping everyone aligned and able to collaborate effectively. Lastly, Copilot in Viva Learning will use a natural language chat interface to help users create a personalized learning journey, including designing upskilling paths, discovering relevant learning resources, and scheduling time for assigned trainings.

Throughout the past few weeks, we have been reporting on how Microsoft is working to bring Copilot and its AI-powered capabilities to almost every product they offer, from productivity and communication to searching and entertainment. The introduction of new Copilot features will allow users to work more efficiently, communicate more effectively, and learn more easily. As Microsoft continues to innovate and improve their suite of apps, it is clear that the future of work will be shaped by AI and other emerging technologies, and we can't wait to see what other companies will come up with next as well.