Use Copilot in Microsoft Outlook

Q. ChatGPT is the AI ​​tool everyone is talking about, but my company doesn’t allow access to it. We are approved to use Microsoft Copilot. What are some quick ideas I can use with Copilot?

A. There are far too many uses for Copilot in the Microsoft ecosystem to cover in one technology Q&A, so this month I’ll focus on Copilot for Microsoft Outlook. First some background.

Copilot differs from ChatGPT in several ways. ChatGPT is a general-purpose tool designed for conversation. It is optimal for research, writing assistance, and basic programming. Copilot is designed around Microsoft productivity apps, including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Word.

ChatGPT allows software vendors to connect and create white label chatbots. Copilot can only be accessed when using Microsoft products and is not designed for remote connections (at the time of writing).

ChatGPT is like a blank canvas where it can be questioned and refined. Copilot is more like paint-by-numbers where there is some flexibility, but there is still a structure set up by Microsoft.

Finally, ChatGPT continuously sends data to its creator, OpenAI, to train the AI’s algorithms. Because OpenAI has not designed any privacy protections into Chat-GPT, users should not enter client, customer, or otherwise sensitive information into the tool. Copilot, on the other hand, tracks data for each user within the Microsoft 365 environment, according to Microsoft, which says your data isn’t shared outside your organization, even to train the AI ​​to be smarter.

I have licenses for both and use them for different purposes: Copilot for productivity and ChatGPT for creativity. I pay Microsoft $360 per year for Copilot, and I pay Open AI $30 per month for ChatGPT.

How can you use Copilot properly? Let’s see how to use it in Microsoft Outlook.

COPILOT FOR PROSPECTS

To open Copilot in Outlook, click the Copilot icon on the left side of Outlook in the apps bar, as shown in the screenshot below.