Microsoft is gearing up to unveil the next wave of its AI-powered Copilot technology at an event scheduled for September 16th. Titled “Microsoft 365 Copilot: Wave 2,” the event will be hosted by none other than CEO Satya Nadella and Jared Spataro, Vice President of AI at Work.
While the event’s description is brief, it promises to delve into the “next phase of Copilot innovation.” Tech journalist Tom Warren of The Verge anticipates a strong focus on business-oriented offerings, rather than consumer-facing products.
The event’s name itself hints at a key development – the rebranding of Copilot to “Microsoft 365 Copilot.” This seemingly minor change signals a strategic move to align the two products more closely. Microsoft aims to encourage businesses to view Copilot as an essential part of any Microsoft 365 subscription.
In conjunction with the rebranding, Warren also predicts the unveiling of a slew of new features for the $30-per-user-per-month Copilot tier. This tier provides employees access to Copilot within Microsoft 365 applications and Teams, along with priority model access and enhanced data protection. However, the hefty fee has been a barrier for many businesses.
While there’s no indication of a price drop, Microsoft might be adopting a strategy of continuously adding features until the cost becomes more justifiable for businesses. While the business-focused subscription will take center stage, the event could also shed light on new features for the consumer-oriented Copilot Pro subscription.
Currently, Copilot Pro offers many of the same core features as the $30 tier, but it excludes Teams and lost its customization feature, Copilot GPT Builder, in June. The overarching purpose of Copilot tools is to streamline tasks such as email writing, transforming Word documents into PowerPoint presentations, and summarizing meetings.
Essentially, Copilot aims to simplify mundane tasks, making features that deliver swift and accurate results essential for its success. Therefore, while we welcome the introduction of new features, their effectiveness and user-friendliness will be crucial to justify the high subscription fees.
The event kicks off at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET on September 16th, and we’ll be sure to bring you all the key takeaways as they unfold.
