Executive Summary
- In our series, Microsoft Copilot Release Roundup, we’ll share with you some of the recent updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- In this edition, covering August, September, and October 2024, we’ll take a closer look at new AI features including Copilot Agents, Copilot Pages, one-click PowerPoint presentations, and more.
Introduction
Since going live for all business customers in January 2024, Microsoft 365 Copilot (and its smaller brother, Microsoft Copilot) has evolved at lightning pace.
Microsoft has always been quick to release product updates and new features, but Copilot’s update trajectory must have set some sort of land-speed record.
If you’re a little out of the loop, (and we wouldn’t blame you), you can check out our last Copilot Release Roundup for June and July 2024 here. Or simply read on for the very latest in AI developments, starting with the most recent in October 2024.
Copilot updates for October 2024
- Build your virtual workforce with Copilot Agents. As mentioned in our coverage of Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, these pre-built or tailor-made AI helpers are like having your very own version of ChatGPT. Just define their parameters and you’re off to the races.
- Reference up to 75,000 words in Microsoft Word. Working on a big project? No big deal for Copilot for Microsoft Word. Copilot can now reference blocks of text of up to 75,000 words, so you can create without limits.
- Use Copilot in Microsoft Forms to create quizzes. Need an icebreaker or a trivia challenge? Let Copilot in Microsoft Forms whip up a quiz for you while you sit back with a cuppa.
- Analyse columns of text in Microsoft Excel. You can now select a range of cells containing text in Excel and Copilot will be able to summarise and answer questions about that text. Handy, right?
Copilot updates for September 2024
- Introducing Copilot Pages. Another feature we covered in our post about Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2, Copilot Pages is all about turning a response from BizChat into a living, breathing document you can collaborate on with colleagues-all in a click! You’ll find the Pages button on any response from BizChat when you’re in “Work” mode.
- Copilot now fully integrated into Microsoft Excel. Completing the full complement of the original Office apps, Copilot is now fully available in Excel, ready to assist you with data analysis and number crunching.
- Create your next deck in seconds with PowerPoint Narrative Builder. Say goodbye to blank page anxiety, because Copilot can now create a complete presentation-speaker notes, animations, and all-in just a few clicks.
- Don’t miss a thing with combined chat and meeting transcripts in Teams. Sometimes the best stuff in a meeting happens in the chat, and you can now capture that in an AI summary thanks to Copilot in Microsoft Teams.
- Compare files in a flash with Copilot in OneDrive. OneDrive has been upgraded with a simple yet powerful file comparison tool. Just select up to five of your files in OneDrive, click Copilot in the command bar, then select Compare files. In seconds you’ll get an AI summary of the differences between all of the files.
Copilot updates for August 2024
- Search the web without leaving the comfort of Word. We all know how disruptive it can be to jump from search mode to writing mode when working in Word, but research is still essential. Now, you can just pop open the Copilot sidebar and search the web anytime-no tab-jumping required.
- Ask your PowerPoint presentation anything. Ever wanted to ask your PowerPoint deck a question like “What is the goal of this deck?” That might sound like an odd request, but it’s also now 100% possible with Copilot in PowerPoint.
- Get granular with Copilot using specific time periods. It’s now easier to control the output of Copilot and BizChat by specifying certain periods of time. For example, you might want to only ask about chats or meetings you had last month or last quarter.
- Create a presentation from a document with one command. Copilot for PowerPoint has been upgraded so that you can now reference a single Word doc and have the AI generate a full presentation in a flash. Just ask, “Create a presentation from /[document name].”
Keep an eye out for another Microsoft Copilot Release Roundup in the coming months. In the meantime, to learn more about Microsoft’s AI tools, talk to your Get Support Customer Success Manager or call us on 01865 594000.
