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Microsoft expands Copilots with addition of Finance and OneDrive
This week, we introduced Microsoft Copilot’s new generative artificial intelligence (AI) products and features.
There’s a preview of the new Copilot for Finance, Copilot for Forms is coming in March, and Microsoft plans to release Copilot for OneDrive in late April.
Microsoft is now releasing Copilot, the Microsoft 365 mobile app. We’re also adding AI-based “Help Me Create” functionality to Microsoft 365 Web App.
In addition to improvements to Copilot in Windows 11, we’re also adding Copilot in Microsoft 365.
Copilot for Finance Preview
Microsoft Copilot for Finance is a new addition that is in public preview. It is designed to aid financial analysis efforts by retrieving data from “existing financial data sources.” Possible data sources could be “traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, and Microsoft Graph,” the announcement explains.
It was stated that Copilot for Finance also includes Copilot for Microsoft 365. Maybe Microsoft just means it will work with Microsoft 365 applications. For example, Copilot for Finance works with “Excel, Outlook, and other widely used productivity apps with workflows and data-specific insights for finance professionals.”
One use case for Copilot for Finance is to perform variance analysis in Excel using text prompts. Copilot for Finance leverages Excel’s “automatic data structure comparison” to ensure accuracy. Outlook users can generate a “complete summary of relevant customer account details.” Financial data can also be converted into charts and graphs.
Copilot for Forms will be available in March
Copilot in Forms is expected to be available to Copilot for Microsoft 365 license holders in “early March.” Users verbalize the type of form they want to see, and Copilot in Forms generates an editable draft version.
Microsoft also plans to extend Copilot in Forms to generate quizzes at some point. Copilot in Forms is also available to consumers with a Copilot Pro license.
Copilot for OneDrive arrives in late April
Microsoft plans to release Copilot, which aims to help users search for information based on stored files, on OneDrive in “late April 2024.” Available to Copilot for Microsoft 365 license holders.
Users will be able to access Copilot in OneDrive through “OneDrive for the web, and file viewers in Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.” Microsoft promises that OneDrive’s Copilot users will be able to easily search for files through “natural language” prompts. Users can also create FAQs, tables, and summaries for her from the content of the file. It is possible to generate summaries of PDF files.
The file types supported by Copilot on OneDrive are:
- Office documents: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLSX
- New Microsoft 365 formats: FLUID, LOOP
- Universal formats: PDF, TXT, RTF
- Web files: ASPX, HTM, HTML
- OpenDocument format: ODT, ODP
Windows 11 CoPilot Benefits
Microsoft also announced improvements to Copilot in Windows 11 starting this month and new features in Windows 11 coming in the April Windows Update release.
“We expect most new products to become widely available. [Windows 11] Features up to April 2024 security update release [likely meaning April 9] Applies to all eligible devices,” Microsoft revealed.
Many of Copilot’s improvements in Windows 11 apply to the consumer side, such as AI editing enhancements in the Photos app (there’s a new Generate Erase feature) and Clipchamp’s Silence Removal when creating videos. There is a possibility. Copilot on Windows 11 can also integrate with consumer plugin apps such as the Shopify, Klarna, Kayak plugin.
In late March, Copilot in Windows 11 will support so-called “skills” related to Windows settings, device information, and accessibility. Users can perform these actions by typing commands such as “Enable battery saver” or “Show system information”, for example.
There’s also an upcoming feature called “Voice Shortcuts,” which will allow you to use spoken phrases to perform some actions that require “keyboard keys or mouse clicks.” . In particular, his Copilot for Windows 11 allows you to set up multiple monitors on your PC using voice commands.
Windows 11 improvements coming in April include the ability to use your Android smartphone as a webcam in “all video conferencing apps.” The Snap Window feature generates “personalized layout suggestions” based on your previous usage. You can now organize your widgets by category. Microsoft is also expanding inking and photo sharing features with this release.
