Microsoft has expanded preview access to its Microsoft 365 – Copilot digital assistant, which is based on OpenAI GPT-4 and brings AI capabilities across Microsoft 365 applications and services. , the tech giant, has announced, a new indexing software that allows Copilot to report more accurately on internal company data.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program is a paid invitation-only preview being rolled out initially to 600 customers worldwide. Before this expansion, only 20 customers were able to try out the Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft has not specified when it will start rolling out the program. Microsoft has been contacted for clarification. We will update the story if we receive a response. Copilot’s new Semantic Index should allow the chatbot to find and retrieve the data requested by the user, rather than returning every result that matches a search term.
Microsoft has also introduced a number of new features to Microsoft 365 Copilot. The Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 suite is rolling out a new Semantic Index that creates a map of user data as well as company data. Microsoft claims that the Semantic Index is “critical to getting relevant and actionable responses” to prompts within Microsoft 365 Copilot. For example, Microsoft states that when asking Copilot for a “March Sales Report,” it will recognize that sales reports are created by Kelly in the finance department using Excel, rather than just looking at any documents containing these keywords.
Microsoft says that the update will improve enterprise-based results for E3 or E5 customers even if they don’t use Copilot. The ability to use internal data from the company could be used to streamline automation and workflows.
Copilot will also be added to Whiteboard, Microsoft 365’s collaborative digital canvas for brainstorming. Users can ask Copilot to generate ideas on specific topics or summarize Whiteboard content. Copilot, Microsoft’s new graphic-design app, can use Microsoft Designer to create images that reflect the ideas generated on Whiteboard.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Preview applications will also receive new capabilities. Microsoft PowerPoint will now include OpenAI’s text to image generator . Users can ask Copilot for images that are generated based on descriptions of text. These images can be added to presentations. In PowerPoint, Copilot can optimize text by changing bullets into paragraphs or vice versa.Copilot uses DALL-E to create images directly in PowerPoint using quick text descriptions.
Outlook will now have new Copilot coaching features that provide writing guidance for emails sent under time constraints or with sensitive topics. Copilot will guide users in how to deliver information effectively under these conditions with the appropriate clarity and tone. Microsoft hasn’t stated when these new features will become available to paying preview customers. Outlook Copilot can help users improve their tone when communicating sensitive topics.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is still not available in a public beta (or open release). Microsoft may release a few more preview updates to expand capabilities before releasing it for the public.
Microsoft’s Bing chatbot has been scrutinized as providing inaccurate information. Microsoft has placed a warning on Copilot about the accuracy of results. However, organizations that use generative AI technologies run the risk ingraining false information or misinformation into their corporate communications or workflows
