Microsoft’s Copilot Event – Wave or Tsunami?

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This Week in IT, Microsoft announces updates to its AI solution Copilot, including a rebranding of the main product name and M365 Chat, general availability for Copilot in Excel, new Copilot pages, and much more…

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Episode Overview

Microsoft has announced several updates and rebranding efforts for its AI solution, Copilot, under the banner of Copilot Wave 2, aiming to make it more collaborative and user-friendly.

  • Rebranding of Copilot: Microsoft has rebranded its main product from Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to Microsoft 365 Copilot, and renamed the Microsoft 365 chat in Teams to Microsoft 365 Copilot BizChat.
  • General Availability of Copilot in Excel: Copilot in Excel, which has been in preview for a year, is now generally available. It also integrates with Python for advanced analysis.
  • Copilot in OneDrive: Copilot in OneDrive is now generally available, allowing users to summarize and compare files more easily.
  • Introduction of Copilot Pages: Microsoft introduced Copilot Pages to enhance collaboration by allowing users to share and iterate on results within a loop page.
  • Copilot Agents: Copilot agents, which automate business processes, have been re-announced and are now available in Copilot Studio.
  • Copilot in SharePoint: Copilot for SharePoint, announced in May 2023, is now generally available, enabling users to create sites and pages using natural language.
  • Updates to Teams and Outlook: Updates include Copilot’s ability to analyze both transcript and chat in Teams, and a new sort button in Outlook, with a preview of Copilot-powered sorting coming later this year.
  • Challenges and Adoption: Microsoft acknowledges challenges in user adoption and the need for training, as Copilot’s success depends on well-organized data and user familiarity.