Microsoft has announced the expansion of its AI services with the introduction of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This new offering aims to empower every employee and transform business processes with the help of AI agents, but at a cost.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is designed to provide a seamless and secure AI chat experience for commercial customers. Powered by GPT-4o, this chat service allows users to perform a variety of tasks, from market research to document analysis, all within a single platform. The integration of AI agents into the chat experience enables users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.
Users can look forward to:
- Web-Grounded Chat: Users can leverage the power of GPT-4o to conduct market research, write strategy documents, and prepare for meetings.
- File Uploads: The ability to upload documents and ask Copilot to summarize key points, analyze data, and suggest improvements.
- Copilot Pages: Real-time collaboration on content with AI and human input, including AI-generated images for campaigns and social media posts.
- Agents: Natural language agents that automate tasks and provide real-time information, accessible directly in the chat.
- Copilot Control System: Enterprise data protection, agent management, and usage governance to ensure data privacy and security.
With the introduction of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, organizations can now scale their AI transformation efforts and realize enterprise-wide ROI. The combination of Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot can offer a comprehensive AI solution that integrates with existing Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
The Copilot Control System provides IT teams with the tools they need to manage and deploy AI agents across the organization. This includes enterprise data protection, access governance, and impact measurement, ensuring that AI adoption is both secure and effective.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, while offering a tantalizing array of AI-powered features, isn’t exactly a charity. For the privilege of using this cutting-edge technology, organizations will need to shell out some cash.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat operates on a pay-as-you-go model. Each “message” you send costs a penny, but don’t be fooled by the seemingly low price. If you want to fetch information from your proprietary files, that’ll set you back 30 “messages” per response. And if you decide to unleash an agent to perform tasks on your behalf, that’s another 25 “messages” per action.
So, while the initial entry might seem like a bargain, those pennies can quickly add up. It’s a clever way for Microsoft to ensure that you’re paying for what you use, but don’t be surprised if your monthly bill starts to resemble a small fortune, if you’re an admin at an SMB. After all, innovation doesn’t come cheap.
Customers can get started with either the free or paid experience in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, available at m365copilot.com.
The way I see it, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is a clever strategy for Microsoft to recoup its considerable AI investments through a new revenue stream.
