Copilot will become a one-stop solution for everything, said Bhaskar Basu, senior director, Microsoft India
Talking about Copilot+ PC, the new enhanced Team Copilot upgrade, and making Copilot a part of users’ everyday lives, Microsoft India’s Senior Director spoke about all things Copilot in an interview with India Today Tech.
With more and more players participating in the generative AI game, every company is trying to increase its pace so that they can become a place where the user can get everything that he needs from a generative AI product. There are many participants in this race, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta’s MetaAI, Google’s Gemini, etc. Microsoft Copilot is another prominent member of this race, and it is now taking a big leap to stay ahead of its competitors.
Microsoft, the company that makes Copilot, is already working beyond AI chatbots. It wants to integrate its AI into users’ everyday lives. It recently launched its own Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 10 with Copilot tools. These are in addition to other brand partnerships that Microsoft has with companies like Asus, HP and Dell for what they call Copilot+ PCs.
But the point is, when it comes to integrating AI into personal technology, Microsoft only has access to the personal computer. A company like Apple is working on Apple Intelligence and has partnered with OpenAI to bring AI to a much more personal device – the smartphone. So the point is, what is Microsoft doing with Copilot that is compelling enough to make it a “one-stop solution” for the user?
India Today Tech We spoke to Bhaskar Basu, Senior Director, Microsoft India, about CoPilot and its benefits. Basu says, a lot.
How is CoPilot different from others?
Bhaskar Basu of Microsoft India believes that Copilot is different from its competitors because of its personalization. Copilot allows users to work “not only at the experience level but also at the OpenAI platform level”. This means that Copilot users have the freedom and ability to “create their own copilot”, says Basu.
For example, Microsoft Copilot offers AI services, so if a user wants to create an AI chatbot specifically for a call center agent who is providing loan services, that can be done.
In general too, what makes Copilot stand out is the sheer number of users that Microsoft has. The recent CrowdStrike outage was a great example to understand that if even just 1 percent of PC users are facing trouble, a lot of services can come down across the world. By 2023, Microsoft’s share of the PC market is 70 percent. These numbers really work in Microsoft’s favor.
For example, most workplaces around the world have been using the Microsoft suite for years. Companies are built around Microsoft work tools like Outlook, Excel, and Powerpoint. And with Copilot, Microsoft wants to make life easier for its existing and new users.
“When a user is using Copilot, Microsoft is providing them with an experience that makes their everyday tasks easier,” Bhaskar explains.
The co-pilot, his safety and hallucinations
However, Basu believes the most attractive thing about Copilot is its security. He says Microsoft is putting “a lot of resources” into designing an “extremely secure” experience, from the AI level to the code cloud level.
“Security needs are primarily two-pronged; making sure your identity is not compromised, and encrypting copilot data so it is safe to use,” says Basu. “Obfuscation is also a part of security. These are the operating principles of the consumer world that need to be taken into account,” he explains.
The Microsoft executive claims that at its core, Microsoft has a very powerful set of AI principles. “We spend a lot of time making sure that the AI chatbot follows these principles. We have made our learning engine very fast. The first instinct of our chatbot is that it searches for the right data set according to the prompt. This helps eliminate confusion, however, we strive for perfection and take feedback from users,” he says.
Is CoPilot a one-stop solution for everyone?
Microsoft has branded Copilot as an “everyday companion”. Basu says Microsoft sees Copilot as a user’s AI companion in work and personal life. The Microsoft India executive claims that Copilot is designed to be a companion to a human, whether it is viewing content, shopping or working on an application.
However, Copilot may face one small hurdle – consistency. It may take some effort to convince users to continue using Copilot even after work.
He said, “At work you are working on Excel, Outlook, Teams, Copilot is the only partner you get across all canvases. But when you want to implement it before and after work then it can create a lot of complications. We are working on it right now.”
Upcoming Copilot Features
But there’s more. Microsoft shared with India Today Tech that they are working on an advanced version of Copilot — they’re calling it Team Copilot. As the name suggests, it will be a collaborative AI tool that teams can use. The upcoming feature will be launched in a few months. The idea is this: instead of asking Copilot to attend a Teams meeting, the Copilot collaborator will enter the meeting on its own, perform tasks on behalf of the user, take notes, jot down minutes, and all that sort of thing.
“Essentially, concepts ranging from search to conversational chatbots, intelligence, agency in the internet world will be seen in the upcoming Copilot features,” says Basu.
Microsoft Copilot+ PC
Coming back to the whole point, Microsoft is not taking its eyes off its hero product – the PC. With Copilot+ PC, the company is trying to reinvent Windows with AI powers. But with companies like HP and Dell adopting and integrating Copilot+, isn’t Microsoft hurting its own Surface series?
Basu says, “The idea behind the Surface category is to operate in a niche and primarily at a point where a premium experience is required. The range is engineered to have a seamless experience, especially since the apps will be pre-installed and tuned.” “Sooner or later, there will be an upcoming device that will have more AI infusion than what we are used to,” he concludes.
As competition in the generation AI market continues to heat up, Microsoft is making significant progress with its Copilot initiative, which is deeply integrating AI into both the professional and personal user experience. Despite the challenge of expanding Copilot’s use beyond the workplace, Microsoft is optimistic about its potential, with plans to introduce collaboration tools like Team Copilot and the launch of Copilot+ PC. These advancements establish Microsoft as a formidable competitor in the AI landscape, striving to become the ultimate AI companion for users.
