Microsoft continues adding Copilot capabilities to many of its products, such as Edge, Windows, and Office apps. While some Copilot features are already available in Office apps, Microsoft is reportedly testing even more.
Michael Reinders spotted a new change in Word, where the app would display a quite big Copilot UI every time you open a new document. The idea is to make AI-powered features available right away with no need to open additional ribbon tabs or submenus (quite a lot of people will probably dislike such a decision).
Available options in the new user interface include the following:
- Write an article based on a provided file
- Draft an email about something
- Produce a summary of a certain file
- Describe what you would like to write
Microsoft testing an updated "New Document" UI in #Word - requires #Microsoft365 CoPilot license...@thurrott @maryjofoley @bdsams @PetriFeed pic.twitter.com/SOKONoYGlT
— Michael Reinders (@mdreinders) November 4, 2024
It is worth noting that many Copilot features are already available in Word for users with Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Pro licenses. They include drafting with Copilot, document summarization, asking questions about a document, chatting with the assistant, and more. The main idea is likely to make some of those features more prominent and accessible. Microsoft has not announced the new UI so far, which might indicate limited testing before a broader rollout.
Other Copilot upgrades for Microsoft"s existing productivity apps include data cleaning in Excel, quick actions for Copilot in OneNote on Windows, coaching with Copilot, and Copilot for OneDrive. However, one app that has so far been immune to the spread of Copilot is Notepad, which still has no AI magic inside it, for better or for worse.