Microsoft has just announced that it is now making Copilot, its generative AI-based digital assistant, available across a lot of its software lineup. That includes Windows 11, and will be available starting September 26 as part of the big feature update for the OS.
According to The Verge"s live blog of the event. Copilot will be available to access on other Microsoft products like its Edge web browser, the Bing search engine, and also its various Microsoft 365 products.
The event also showed how Copilot will be used in Windows 11 and other apps. For one thing, people who used Edge to browse the web will be able to access Copilot for shopping comparisons, and even get coupons.
Copilot can also let you write in math equations with a stylus and touchscreen device, and it can help you solve those problems. It can also help with writing a quick text to someone, based on data from your calendar and other info.
Update: 1:30 pm Eastern time - Microsoft has added more info about its plans for Copilot. They include the launch of Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise customers on November 1. It will cost $30 per user a month.
It will include access to Microsoft 365 Chat, which will be designed to scan a user"s files, including documents, emails, chats and more. It will help users to get "a head start on some of your most complex or tedious tasks". That will include jobs like having Chat write up a document in Word, checking on that long virtual pile of emails, planning a business trip, or setting up meetings in calendars.
Microsoft 365 Copilot will also have Designer, which will use generative AI to help turn text-heavy documents into full graphical experiences with just a few text prompts. It"s in a small preview and will expand to more users in the future.