What is Copilot? - Copilot Chat vs Microsoft 365 Copilot

Introduction

Copilot is generative A.I. tool that can help with productivity and streamline your day to day workflows. There are 2 levels of Copilot access. Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot. This article will explain the key differences between the options. As a reminder, Copilot Chat is available through our current Microsoft agreement for all active Students, Faculty and Staff. 
 

Key Features

 

Copilot Chat 

  • What it is: A general-purpose AI assistant based on GPT-4, designed to help with a wide range of tasks—writing, coding, brainstorming, learning, and more.
  • Where it's used: Available in platforms like Bing, Windows, Edge, and other Microsoft Copilot experiences.
  • Capabilities:
    • Conversational and flexible.
    • Can answer questions, generate content, summarize, translate, and more.
    • Not tied to your Microsoft 365 documents unless explicitly connected.
    • Can use tools like Python, image generation, and web search.
  • How to access Copilot Chat

Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium paid add-on)

  • What it is: An AI assistant embedded directly into Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.
  • Where it's used: Inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
  • Capabilities:
    • Works with your organization's data (emails, documents, meetings, etc.) securely.
    • Can draft emails in Outlook, summarize meetings in Teams, generate presentations in PowerPoint, analyze data in Excel, and more.
    • Context-aware: understands your role, recent files, and organizational content.
    • Integrated with Microsoft Graph for personalized and secure access to your work data.

Summary of Key Differences

Feature Copilot Chat  Microsoft 365 Copilot
Purpose      General AI assistant Work-focused productivity tool
Integration Standalone or browser-based Embedded in Microsoft 365 apps
Data Access No access to your work files Accesses your Microsoft 365 data
Use Cases Broad and creative tasks Business productivity tasks
Security & Privacy General user-level Enterprise-grade, Microsoft Graph

For more information on the premium Microsoft 365 Copilot, please visit these resources

Training Resources

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