Microsoft Japan released its Microsoft 365 Copilot, a generative AI tool, on 1 November 2023.

The Microsoft 365 Copilot, which uses generative AI (artificial intelligence) in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, is now available for corporate customers.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is built on a large-scale language model (LLM) based on OpenAI’s GPT, and supports the work of knowledge workers like a ‘co-pilot’ with a suite of Microsoft 365 applications, securely utilising the data owned by the user company. The system supports the work of the user company.

The offer is priced at USD 30 per user per month. The offer is only available for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium. From the same date, the service will only be available to enterprise users and not yet available to educational and government institutions.

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT generative AI in November 2010, Microsoft has released a series of generative AI-related products: in February 2011, Bing Chat, a search engine-type generative AI; in June 2011, Windows Bing Chat Copilot, a search-engine type AI, was announced in February 2011, followed in June by Bing Chat Enterprise for corporate customers in July, which has data protection functionality.

In September, the previously announced AI functions such as Bing Chat and Windows Copilot were integrated into a single experience as ‘Microsoft Copilot’. Although the many similar services may seem confusing, the company currently defines the aforementioned Microsoft Copilot and Bing Chat Enterprise, as well as Microsoft 365 Copilot, which will be available from November, as the three representative Copilot services.