Microsoft Copilot: Your AI Assistant in Microsoft 365

Reading time: approx. 10 min

After exploring general AI models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, it is time to focus on an AI assistant that is particularly relevant for everyone working in a Microsoft environment: Microsoft Copilot. Unlike the more general chatbots, Copilot is deeply integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite, making it a powerful productivity and collaboration enhancer directly in the tools you already use daily.

What you will learn

• What Microsoft Copilot is and what unique position it has as an integrated AI assistant.
• Which underlying AI models power Copilot.
• How Copilot works in Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
• Copilot's ability to handle Swedish and what role it plays in image generation.
• Important considerations regarding data protection and ethical use in school environments.

The Basics: What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is your AI-powered assistant for work. It is designed to work seamlessly across Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, to help you become more productive, creative and efficient. Instead of being a standalone chatbot, Copilot "lives" inside your documents, presentations and communication channels, and can perform tasks based on the specific context you are working with.

Underlying AI Models and Integration

Copilot is primarily powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 (and later iterations like GPT-4o), but also integrates Microsoft's own large language models and Bing Search to provide real-time information. This means that Copilot's capacity to understand language, generate text and reason largely mirrors the advanced capabilities of GPT-4.

Copilot interacts with your Microsoft 365 data through a complex process:

1. You give a prompt: You write a request in Copilot in an app (e.g. "Write a draft lesson plan for..." in Word).
2. Copilot processes: Copilot receives your prompt and the context you are working with (e.g. the text in your Word document, your recent emails).
3. Retrieves data (Graph): Copilot uses "Microsoft Graph" to securely retrieve relevant information from your Microsoft 365 data including your documents, calendar, email and chats, but only the data you have permission to see.
4. Sends to LLM: The prompt and the retrieved information are sent to GPT-4 (or another LLM).
5. Generates response: The LLM generates a response, which is then sent back to Copilot.
6. Presents in app: Copilot presents the response in your app, so you can review, edit or accept it.

Strengths: What is Microsoft Copilot Good At in Microsoft 365?

Copilot's main strength lies in its deep integration and ability to perform context-based tasks directly in the productivity apps:

1. Microsoft Word:

   • Create drafts of documents from a simple command or existing files (e.g. PowerPoints).
   • Summarize long documents.
   • Rewrite text, adjust tone or length.
   • Practical example: "Write a draft message to parents about upcoming parent-teacher conferences, based on my calendar."

2. Microsoft Excel: (Note: More limited functionality than in Word/PowerPoint, but under development)

   • Help understand data by identifying trends and creating visualizations.
   • Assist with formulas and data analysis.
   • Practical example: "Analyze this table of student test results and identify students who need extra support in mathematics." (NOTE: Data protection warning applies for sensitive student data!)

3. Microsoft PowerPoint:

   • Create presentations from a document or a simple prompt.
   • Summarize presentations.
   • Reorganize slides or adjust layouts.
   • Practical example: "Create a presentation with three slides about the Swedish freedom to roam, based on this text."

4. Microsoft Outlook:

   • Draft emails with the right tone and length.
   • Summarize long email threads.
   • Practical example: "Write a short email to colleagues about the upcoming staff meeting, based on the agenda in my calendar."

5. Microsoft Teams:

   • Summarize meetings (if transcription is enabled).
   • Summarize chat conversations.
   • Help with meeting preparation.
   • Practical example: "Give me a summary of the key decision points from the latest teacher conference in Teams." (NOTE: Data protection warning applies for sensitive student data!)

Swedish Language Handling and Image Generation

• Swedish: Since Copilot is primarily powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 (and later models), the ability to handle Swedish is very high. You can expect high-quality text generation and understanding in Swedish, equivalent to what you experience in the paid versions of ChatGPT.
• Image generation: Yes, Copilot has built-in image generation capability. When you use Copilot in a browser (e.g. Microsoft Edge) or in the Copilot app, you can ask it to generate images based on text descriptions, just like in ChatGPT. In some Microsoft 365 apps, image generation functions can also be integrated.

Important Considerations for School Environments (Data Protection and Ethics)

As with other AI tools, it is critical to think about data protection and ethics, especially in school environments:

• Student data and GDPR: Copilot follows Microsoft's comprehensive data protection commitments for enterprise customers, including those for the education sector (often called "Microsoft 365 Education"). This means that data used by Copilot in Microsoft 365 is not used to train the underlying public AI models and that data remains within your organization's Microsoft 365 environment, if you have the right license and configuration.
  • Important: Even with these protections, it is crucial that your school or authority has a clear policy for how and when Copilot may be used with student-related data. Make sure you understand your organization's specific agreements and guidelines with Microsoft. Never use Copilot to process sensitive personal data without a clear legal basis and correct technical configuration.
• Source criticism: Copilot, like all LLMs, can "hallucinate". Always review generated content carefully, especially when it comes to facts.
• Ownership and Authenticity: Make sure AI is used as a support tool for teachers and students, not as a way to replace originality or critical thinking. Teach students that Copilot is an assistant, not a replacement for their own work.

Implementation in Classroom and Administration

• Streamline administration: Use Copilot to quickly draft communications, meeting notes or reports. This can free up time for pedagogical tasks.
• Improve teaching materials: Let Copilot help you create more engaging presentations in PowerPoint, summarize research for lesson preparation in Word, or structure data in Excel.
• Support student productivity (under supervision): If your school has Copilot licenses for students, it can help them structure their texts in Word, prepare presentations in PowerPoint or summarize meeting notes from Teams. Here extra pedagogical guidance and clear rules are important.

Next Steps

Now that we have covered the major commercial AI models, we will in the next module look at Grok (xAI), Elon Musk's AI model that stands out with its real-time knowledge and unique "personality".