Introduction to AI and Copilot
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is one of the biggest topics in business today. Love it or loathe it, it’s here – and here to stay.
Innovations and development are happening at a rapid, some might argue too rapid, pace. AI is weaving its way into every aspect of our lives.
Microsoft has invested heavily in AI during the past decade. Its collaboration with the OpenAI company led to the creation of Copilot, a tool now fully integrated within Microsoft 365.
In this second article of my Empowering Productivity series, Let’s take a closer look at the role of Copilot for savvy assistants and teams, and why knowledge and understanding of Microsoft 365 applications remains essential.
The Creation of Copilot from AI Innovations
In case you’re curious about how Copilot came about, here’s a very brief history.
We can’t talk AI without mentioning OpenAI. It started as a non-profit with a mission to “advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole”.
You may have heard about the organisation because one of its co-founders in 2015 was Elon Musk – and one of its creations is Chat GPT.
In 2019, OpenAI dropped the non-profit model to a ‘capped profit’ model, to raise capital whilst maintaining its mission. That led to investment from Microsoft and the beginning of a fruitful collaboration.
AI development led to chatbot tools and, after several iterations, Copilot for Microsoft 365 was born.
What is Copilot?
As you probably know, Copilot is an AI-powered assistant integrated into Microsoft 365 applications.
Originally, it served only Word and Excel but today it assists you in every aspect of 365 and Microsoft Teams, including applications like PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and OneNote.
Whilst there are sustainability issues to consider (AI uses energy every time it is asked to do something) the powerful functions have strong appeal to the busy professional.
You can ask Copilot to automate repetitive tasks, offer real-time suggestions, and to produce outlines, summaries or draft documents. Copilot can also draft emails, generate reports, create presentations and analyse data.
In short, it’s a timesaver that does a lot of the thinking and legwork for you. An aid to greater productivity and efficiency. An aid to better communications and collaboration.
Why Should the Savvy Assistant Use Copilot?
The rising use of AI in the workplace is not just a trend to take in. It is impacting on recruitment, operations and training.
Two out of three business leaders say they would not hire someone who lacked AI skills. And a similar proportion say they would rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them.
That’s according to Microsoft and LinkedIn’s 2024 Work Trends Index.
Whilst some professionals may worry about AI taking their job or be reluctant to use it (because they don’t know how), the savvy Assistant ‘gets’ the value of AI assistance.
The volume and pace of work rarely seems to slow down. As most inboxes will testify, email overload is leading to information overwhelm. Meetings and inefficient communications can eat into the working day, week on week.
The 2024 Work Trends Index also revealed that 90% of AI users say it saves them time, 85% say it helps them to focus on work with better priority, and 83% say working with AI makes work more enjoyable.
There are many AI tools out there but the thing about Copilot is it has been designed and developed for Microsoft 365 users. It sits inside 365 and is integrated with all your favourite applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and OneNote.
You can work in Microsoft Teams and not have to leave it to get Copilot working for you.
As a Microsoft application trainer, I’m an early adopter of innovations, upgrades and developments. I have been playing with Copilot and can honestly say I love it. It really makes my life so much easier – and it can do the same for you.
What are the Advantages of Using Copilot?
Copilot is an AI tool designed to enhance your productivity, to make your life and weekly tasks easier.
Whether you are working directly in Microsoft Teams or a specific Microsoft 365 application, such as Word or Outlook, Copilot is ready to assist.
You can ‘talk’ to Copilot online as if it were a human being. When asking it to do a task or giving it an instruction, you can write conversationally.
It might seem strange but I’ve even found that being polite – using words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ – improve the results. No, seriously!
The clearer and more specific your ‘ask’, the better the output or outcomes.
Copilot saves you time, energy and effort in communications, meetings and collaboration.
Communications
You can use Copilot for better communications and meetings
Request Copilot to draft a document or email, come up with a structure and key points for an article, summarise a report or create content in a particular style.
Copilot is also a powerful research tool. It can give you information about a topic, together with a supporting list of resources or references.
Copilot can check your work, for accuracy, style, readability and any gaps in information. (Though you will still want to cast your human eye over any communications before sending or sharing).
For transparency and example, I’ve used AI to help me put together this post and other articles in the series.
Meetings
Meetings take up time. Before, during and after. Copilot gives you a helping hand.
You can ask Copilot to create agendas (for example, using email threads or past meetings to produce a draft), summarise meetings and action points, and help you manage your calendar schedule.
AI is not perfect. You still need to check meeting and action point details to ensure nothing is missed and the right tasks are assigned to the right people.
Collaboration
Teams can achieve more effective collaboration with Copilot
Copilot enhances Microsoft 365’s collaboration power by integrating AI-driven features into its core applications. The savvy Assistant can use Copilot in Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and OneNote to make collaboration easier.
Streamline communications, automate tasks and empower real-time teamwork. It’s like having an extra member of the team that sits by your side, only giving input when required.
Collaboration is about bringing humans together for ideas, discussion and solutions around strategy, challenges and innovations. Through Copilot, AI can assist with all of that but still requires a human ‘line manager’ to ensure jobs are done accurately and well.
Using Copilot in Microsoft 365 Applications
To achieve the highest productivity gains of AI assistance, you’ll want to know how Copilot can help you in specific Microsoft 365 applications.
I’ll cover that in future articles in this series.
Make sure you check out what Copilot can do:
The more you understand the potential of AI the more you can make use of its powerful assistance.
If Copilot AI is so Good, Why is Knowing How to Use Microsoft 365 still Essential?
As I’ve pointed out in the paragraphs above, AI generally (and Copilot, specifically) are not perfect.
There are limitations to what Copilot can do. There are mistakes it can make. It still requires human input and human management.
The savvy assistant understands that to get the most out of Copilot you also need to be confident in your ability to use Microsoft 365 applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook and OneNote.
To use Copilot effectively, you still need to know how to operate in Teams, format documents, write effective emails, build and work with a spreadsheet, and to create and edit a PowerPoint presentation.
There is still no substitute for practical ‘how to’ knowledge, skills and mastery of Microsoft 365. Knowing keyboard shortcuts, how to use formatting tools and the sharpest navigation option helps you to be more efficient, empowering your productivity.
The Savvy Assistant and Teams Ensure their Skills are Up to Date and (better still) Ahead of the Game
One thing I continually say to assistants and other professionals is to invest in your personal development and growth.
The world of business does not stand still. Innovation and technology move forward at pace. Applications get upgraded and given new features on a regular basis.
It’s a mistake to be over reliant on AI and leave knowledge gaps in the basics of Microsoft 365.
Poor data management, inconsistent formatting or branding, overloading slides for presentations, mismanaging emails or underusing the collaborative tools in Microsoft Teams are not what you want to be known for.
In life and work, you can choose to do nothing, keep up or stay ahead of the curve.
Knowing the essentials of Microsoft 365 allows you to use the full range of features and functions at your disposal. Sound knowledge of each application enables you to troubleshoot and solve problems more easily.
It’s why I offer courses, manuals and in-house training (typically online, via customised team workshops or 1-2-1 sessions). It allows individuals, teams and organisations to get the specific learning they want.
For the busy assistant or team, knowing the essentials of Microsoft 365 and Copilot helps to make life easier. It gives you the best of both worlds, smoothing your workflow and making light of routine or repetitive tasks.
Until next time.
Cohort 2 is here!
After the amazing success of our very first Microsoft 365 Fundamentals with AI and Copilot course, I’m so excited to open the doors again.
The feedback from Cohort 1 was incredible—people loved how practical and hands-on the sessions were, and many said they felt more confident and productive straight away.
If you missed out last time, now’s your chance to join us, learn how to make Copilot work for you, and be part of a friendly, supportive group that’s all about getting results.
This course will teach you how to leverage AI tools like Copilot to enhance productivity and efficiency in your daily tasks.
Don’t miss out—sign up today and stay ahead of the curve!
Visit the Course Page Now!