Microsoft expanded the ecosystem of Microsoft Copilots and introduced new features.
These new features will help developers "build their own copilots and next-generation AI applications," according to a May 23 article written by John Roach.
“Remember when software wasn’t connected to the internet? Didn’t think so. In a handful of years, this will also be true for software that doesn’t come with an intelligent copilot assistant, according to Kevin Scott, Microsoft’s chief technology officer,” Roach said in the article. “A copilot is an application that uses modern AI and large language models to assist you with a complex cognitive task – from writing a sales pitch or catching up on a missed meeting to generating images for a presentation or planning a themed dinner party.”
The expanded copilots include Copilot in Power BI and Copilot in Power Pages in preview, the article said. Copilot in Microsoft Fabric is available in preview soon, and Windows Copilot will start to become available for preview in June. The new features include “plugins that make copilots more useful by allowing them to interact with other software and services.”
The copilot concept was introduced about two years ago with the GitHub Copilot, according to the article. This first iteration is an AI pair programmer which helps developers write code. Addition copilot experiences include the AI-powered chat in Bing, Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot X, Dynamics 365 Copilot, Copilot in Microsoft Viva and Microsoft Security Copilot.
“You may look at Bing Chat and think this is some super magical complicated thing, but Microsoft is giving developers everything they need to get started to go build a copilot of their own,” Roach quoted Scott as saying, according to the article. “I think over the coming years, this will become an expectation for how all software works.”
In March, OpenAI released ChatGPT plugins, the article reported. Bing plugins were announced by Microsoft in early May. With the use of an OpenTable plugin, for instance, ChatGPT and Bing Chat can help people find and make restaurant reservations.
The open plugin standard that OpenAI established for ChatGPT is now being adopted by Microsoft, enabling compatibility between ChatGPT and Microsoft's copilot services, according to the article. Developers may now create plugins for business and consumer surfaces like ChatGPT, Bing, Dynamics 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Windows Copilot using a single platform.
“Microsoft also announced it is bringing Bing to ChatGPT as the default search experience,” Roach said in the article.
