Copilot Pro brings AI-powered Office features to everyone

Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot is now available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for $20 a year.

Microsoft initially introduced its AI-driven Office features for businesses in November, and within just two months, these capabilities are now accessible to consumers. Launching today, Copilot Pro is available through a $20 monthly subscription, providing users with AI-powered functionalities integrated into Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Subscribers also gain priority access to the latest OpenAI models and the option to create their own Copilot GPT.

For existing Microsoft 365 Personal or Home subscribers, an additional $20 per month per person unlocks Copilot in Office apps on Mac, Windows, and iPad. These enhanced features encompass the ability to effortlessly generate entire PowerPoint slide decks through a chatbot-like interface. Additionally, Copilot facilitates inline experiences in Word, allowing users to rephrase paragraphs, generate text, and summarize documents seamlessly. Outlook.com integration enables Copilot to assist in crafting responses to emails or generating new ones. Furthermore, a preview version of Copilot is available in Excel, empowering users to analyze data, generate graphs, and perform various other functions.

Consumers will now have access to the majority of features that were initially exclusive to businesses over the past few months, with one notable exception. The ability to summon Copilot to generate a PowerPoint deck based on a Word document won’t be available to consumers at this time. This limitation arises because the consumer version lacks integration with Microsoft’s Graph technology, preventing this specific functionality from being immediately accessible.

In addition to its seamless integration with Office applications, Copilot Pro offers a range of enhanced features. Subscribers gain access to the latest OpenAI models, enjoy improvements to the Image Creator from Designer (previously Bing Image Creator), and have the opportunity to build their own Copilot GPT.

For those who aren’t Microsoft 365 subscribers, opting for the standalone Copilot Pro subscription provides exclusive access to GPT-4 Turbo inside Copilot. This ensures faster performance, particularly during peak usage times, and the flexibility to switch between models. Subscribers can also anticipate improvements in image creation through OpenAI’s DALL-E models, introducing a new landscape image format and elevated image quality with Copilot Pro.

Excitingly, the subscription will soon include a new feature – the Copilot GPT Builder. This tool empowers users to craft their own custom Copilot GPT, mirroring the version launched for businesses the previous year.

Also Read | Android users can now use Microsoft Copilot as a ChatGPT-like app

Microsoft is targeting its Copilot Pro subscription towards dedicated Copilot power users, aligning with OpenAI’s approach of providing a subscription for ChatGPT with priority access and the latest models. Divya Kumar, global head of marketing for search and AI at Microsoft, notes the strong demand from power users for rapid access to cutting-edge models, enhanced performance, and creative tools.

While these Copilot Pro features hold significant appeal for power users, it’s important to note that to access any of the Office-related Copilot features across the web and Office apps, a subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family is also required. These Copilot Pro features will be available on the web, in Windows or Mac apps, and on mobile devices. Microsoft has plans to introduce additional Copilot Pro features, following the trend of continuous improvement observed in Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) over the past year.

Also Read | OpenAI Finally Allows ChatGPT Complete Internet Access

Divya Kumar emphasizes this ongoing commitment to innovation: “Given that pattern, we’ve been in, that rolling thunder, you can expect we’re going to do the same thing for Copilot Pro.” The aim is to provide additional premium value swiftly and consistently.

In addition, Microsoft is expanding access to Copilot for Microsoft 365 for more businesses. Initially launched with a 300-seat minimum for larger enterprise users, this restriction is now lifted, allowing most business customers to sign up for a $30 per user, per month subscription. For further details on this, you can find more information in the accompanying article.