Microsoft is quietly introducing its new Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant, targeting enterprise customers willing to invest in enhanced productivity tools. The service, available for a monthly premium of $30 per user, has the potential to revolutionize the way Office documents are created and edited. However, there’s a catch: enterprise customers must commit to at least 300 users and connect with Microsoft to access this powerful new AI assistant.
With the premium subscription, businesses can leverage Microsoft 365 Copilot to streamline document summaries, automate email generation, convert notes into actionable plans, and enhance Excel data analysis. Over the past few months, more than 600 enterprise customers have participated in a paid early access program to test the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft has high expectations for the success of Microsoft 365 Copilot, despite its initial premium pricing. According to Forrester Research, it’s projected that 6.9 million knowledge workers in the United States will be utilizing Microsoft 365 Copilot by 2024.
While the doors are officially opening to Microsoft 365 Copilot today, it’s more akin to a pre-order event, with immediate access limited. TJ Devine, senior director of product marketing for Microsoft 365, explains, “Enterprise customers can call their Microsoft account representative to purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot. Customers who are already subscribed to Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, as well as Business Standard or Premium, can begin utilizing Bing Chat Enterprise immediately.”
This subdued launch may be due to the fact that only Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 commercial subscribers can currently access Microsoft 365 Copilot. This excludes users still on Office 365 plans, as well as Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium subscribers. Microsoft 365 Monthly Enterprise Channel users won’t have access to Copilot features until December.
Furthermore, certain aspects of the Microsoft 365 Copilot experience are still in preview. Mary Jo Foley at Directions on Microsoft reports that Copilot for Excel is still in preview, Copilot for OneNote is only available on Windows, the SharePoint Copilot preview begins in November, and a Copilot preview for OneDrive is slated to start in December.
Today marks a soft launch for Microsoft’s ambitious plans to overhaul Office documents with this new AI assistant, providing a first glimpse of how it will reshape the Office document landscape.
