Microsoft Office Apps Get Free Copilot AI Features
▼ Summary
– Microsoft is adding free Copilot Chat and agents to Office apps for all Microsoft 365 business users, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
– Copilot Chat is a secure AI tool that understands the user’s current work and tailors responses to the open file, included at no extra cost.
– The free version assists with rewriting documents, providing summaries, and creating slides, while the $30/month Copilot license offers deeper integration and broader data access.
– Users with a paid Copilot license get priority access to features like file upload, image generation, and newer technologies like GPT-5, with better performance.
– Microsoft is not adjusting business subscription prices for this addition and plans to bundle sales, service, and finance Copilots into the subscription in October.
Microsoft is now rolling out free Copilot AI features across its core Office applications for all Microsoft 365 business subscribers. This significant update introduces a helpful Copilot Chat sidebar into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, enabling users to draft content, analyze data, and streamline workflows without requiring any extra paid license.
According to Seth Patton, General Manager of Microsoft 365 Copilot product marketing, the new tool offers “secure AI chat grounded in the web” and is designed to be context-aware. That means it recognizes what you’re actively working on and tailors its assistance specifically to the open file. Best of all, it comes included with existing Microsoft 365 subscriptions at no extra charge.
Although this complimentary version supports tasks like rewriting text, generating summaries, and creating presentation slides, the premium Microsoft 365 Copilot license, priced at $30 per user each month, still offers deeper integration and broader capabilities. Paid subscribers enjoy priority access to advanced functions such as file uploads, image generation, and reasoning across entire datasets rather than just individual documents.
Patton also highlighted that licensed users benefit from early adoption of upcoming technologies like GPT-5, along with faster response times and more reliable service availability, even during high-traffic periods.
Earlier this year, Microsoft integrated similar AI-powered Copilot tools into consumer-oriented Microsoft 365 plans, though that move was accompanied by a subscription price increase. This time, business customers will see no such adjustment. Looking ahead, Microsoft plans to bundle specialized Copilots for sales, service, and finance into the Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription starting in October, which may lower costs for companies heavily invested in the tech giant’s AI ecosystem.
(Source: The Verge)
