Nearly 30 years later, the Windows keyboard will be upgraded with a Copilot button, besides powering the laptops.
Recently, Microsoft made Copilot available for iOS and Android devices, making it the biggest rival for 2024 and embedding AI assistance seamlessly into popular applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
Microsoft Copilot has emerged as a clear winner, capturing the attention and enthusiasm of users and corporations alike. The year 2023 undoubtedly marked a period of growth and maturation for Microsoft Copilot, solidifying its role as a valuable and versatile AI companion in the workplace.
The debut of Microsoft 365 Copilot in March 2023 brought a wave of innovation aimed at enhancing workplace productivity. Fueling more with Microsoft’s strategic move in September 2023 to introduce Copilot as the comprehensive AI brand for its diverse capabilities marked a significant turning point.
There is no stopping, and 2024 is clearly the year of Microsoft Copilot as consumers and enterprise customers flock to use it in their daily lives, while it continues to combine various AI functionality under one umbrella.
2023 in Review
In 2023, Microsoft Copilot underwent a transformative journey, evolving from its initial release in sales-focused Dynamics 365 to becoming a pivotal tool across various domains. The year commenced with a dedicated focus on the user experience, introducing features like email reply suggestions and enhanced natural language search capabilities in Sales Copilot.
The enhanced functionality brings real-time intelligent assistance, contextual awareness, automation, and customisation options, empowering users to streamline tasks efficiently. Emphasising security and privacy, Copilot incorporates two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, and stringent privacy protections.
November 2023 marked a pivotal moment when Microsoft 365 Copilot became generally available for enterprise customers. This move opened the floodgates for broader adoption across organisations. The expansion into new areas, particularly the integration with Microsoft Teams, brought Copilot’s capabilities into the heart of collaborative work environments.
From Copilot in Loop for content summarisation to Copilot in Viva Learning for personalised learning journeys, each addition contributes to the versatility and adaptability of this AI companion. The introduction of Microsoft Copilot Studio further streamlined the management of Copilot features across different applications
The announcement of Copilot Studio during Microsoft Ignite signalled a move towards a unified Copilot experience. The tool expanded its reach to Microsoft 365 in September, gaining enterprise-level availability and attracting notable clients such as Visa and BP.
Further innovations in October introduced Copilot into Teams channels, empowering collaboration through features like post summarization and action item extraction. As Copilot celebrated its first year in December, Microsoft showcased its success through business value studies and customer testimonials.
What’s next?
In Microsoft’s fiscal year 2023, the performance of Microsoft Viva, which encompasses Copilot, showcased robust growth and positive reception within organisations. The fiscal year 2023 showed a $211.9 billion revenue (7% increase), showcasing the company’s strength.
Viva’s monthly active users exceeded 35 million, indicating significant adoption and utilisation. While specific revenue breakdowns for Copilot within Viva weren’t disclosed, the Productivity and Business Processes segment, which includes Viva, experienced a substantial 12% year-over-year growth in revenue.
Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, emphasised the creation of a new employee experience category with Viva, with Copilot standing out for its role in enhancing team collaboration and productivity. The fiscal year 2023 earnings calls underscored the success of Viva and Copilot in contributing to Microsoft’s thriving ecosystem.
Microsoft aims to continue expanding Copilot’s functionalities within Copilot Studio, refining AI models for increased personalisation, and extending integrations with an array of tools and platforms. Making it available to the users physically by adding it to the keyboard is a drastic drift that is making a controversial step into 2024.
