Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365: What is it?

Microsoft copilot

Introduction

Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant integrated into Microsoft 365 applications (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams). It leverages large language models (LLMs) and integrates with Microsoft's suite of productivity tools to enhance user productivity and streamline workflows.

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Key Features of Microsoft Copilot:

Document Summarization and Generation: Copilot can summarize documents, extract key points, and even generate new content based on prompts. For example, in Word, it can draft documents or suggest edits based on the context provided.
Data Analysis and Visualization: In Excel, Copilot can analyze data, generate charts, create pivot tables, and provide insights based on trends and patterns in the data.
Presentation Creation: In PowerPoint, Copilot can create presentations by suggesting slide layouts, generating text, and selecting images or icons to match the content, helping users quickly build professional-looking presentations.
Email Management: In Outlook, Copilot assists with drafting emails, summarizing long email threads, and even suggesting responses to emails, helping users manage their inbox more efficiently.
Meeting Summaries and Notes: In Teams, Copilot can transcribe meetings, summarize discussions, highlight key points, and suggest action items, making it easier to keep track of meeting outcomes and next steps.
Task Automation: Copilot can automate repetitive tasks and integrate with various Microsoft 365 tools, such as setting up meetings, creating tasks, or organizing documents.

How It Works:

Microsoft Copilot integrates with Microsoft 365 through Azure OpenAI Service, combining the power of large language models with Microsoft’s applications and cloud-based services. It uses data from user documents, emails, and meetings to provide contextually relevant suggestions and automate tasks.

Privacy and Security:

Microsoft has emphasized that Copilot respects user privacy and data security. The AI models are designed to work within the organization’s compliance boundaries, ensuring that sensitive information is handled according to the company’s policies. Please follow all security policies.

How does Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 use your proprietary organizational data?

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 provides value by connecting LLMs to your organizational data. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 accesses content and context through Microsoft Graph. It can generate responses anchored in your organizational data, such as user documents, emails, calendar, chats, meetings, and contacts. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 combines this content with the user’s working context, such as the meeting a user is in now, the email exchanges the user had on a topic, or the chat conversations the user had last week. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 uses this combination of content and context to help provide accurate, relevant, and contextual responses.

Important

Important note from the Security Guidelines for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 article: While Microsoft offers other versions of Copilot such as the free version of Copilot and Copilot Pro, these versions of Copilot are not covered under the University’s existing agreements with Microsoft and are not authorized for University data. This includes Copilot plugins which may only be used if appropriately vetted through Pitt IT Security.

Prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph aren't used to train foundation LLMs, including those used by Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 only surfaces organizational data to which individual users have at least view permissions. It's important that you're using the permission models available in Microsoft 365 services, such as SharePoint, to help ensure the right users or groups have the right access to the right content within your organization. This includes permissions you give to users outside your organization through inter-tenant collaboration solutions, such as shared channels in Microsoft Teams.

When you enter prompts using Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, the information contained within your prompts, the data they retrieve, and the generated responses remain within the Microsoft 365 service boundary, in keeping with our current privacy, security, and compliance commitments. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 uses Azure OpenAI services for processing, not OpenAI’s publicly available services. Azure OpenAI doesn't cache customer content and Copilot modified prompts for Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Availability:

Microsoft Copilot is now available to Microsoft 365 users and is available to organizations with appropriate licenses. The features may vary depending on the application and the specific needs of the user or organization. See the Getting Started article for more information!

Resources:

Troubleshooting and Support

Our Technology Help Desk Analysts and Customer Success Team Support Technicians are dedicated to providing the best possible support within our capabilities. Our team can help to ensure Microsoft 365 is properly installed and configured to use Copilot. Please note that we currently do not offer support for AI-related queries. We will, however, make every effort to assist you to the best of our ability.

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