Microsoft has invested billions in its partnership with OpenAI and intends to recoup its costs thanks to its enterprise services but the Redmond firm announced this evening a bunch of upcoming AI products, including its Copilot for Microsoft 365. Be careful, because it is expensive.
Pricing was expected: More than 382 million people used retail versions of Office 365 in the last quarter. The AI will unlock new features and perform a whole bunch of practical actions in it, whether it’s creating a presentation in PowerPoint or summarizing documents in Word.
The assistant will cost $30 per user per month for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscribers. This price comes in addition to the monthly fee for access to the software. As a reminder, Microsoft 365 Business Standard is billed at €11.70 in France: the bill will quadruple for interested small businesses. However, one can compare this price to the ChatGPT Plus subscription charged at $20 per month.
” We see that the more customers use Copilot, the more their enthusiasm grows,” said the head of consumer marketing at Microsoft, before adding that soon, ” no one will want to work without Copilot .” We will wait a bit before deciding: no release date has been announced, and Google (which will offer similar features) has not yet presented its prices.
AI will soon infuse everywhere in the office suite, especially in Teams. Microsoft gave details on AI’s arrival on the platform, which is included with Microsoft 365 offers. For example, we can ask its newly appointed copilot to summarize what was said during a call in progress. This will come in handy for sales reps chatting with a customer. They can ask the AI to list their interlocutor’s questions and record comments. What saves time writing a follow-up email?
Finally, Microsoft has heard complaints from companies rejecting ChatGPT for fear of data leaks. It will soon offer Bing Chat Enterprise, a version designed to offer higher data protection. Microsoft will not save discussions or use them for training for future models.
This updated version will be available “everywhere” Bing is and should offer a very similar experience. It’s available in preview today and will be included in select Microsoft 365 plans at no additional cost. A version for everyone for $5 a month is being considered at the Redmond offices.
The company has every interest in monetizing its AI-related services. In addition to investing in a partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft has built a massive infrastructure containing thousands of graphics cards to train its language models. It is now working on its own dedicated AI chips, which increases the bill.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Microsoft has announced its first AI product, Copilot, as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. With billions invested in its partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft aims to recover its costs by offering AI services to enterprises. However, this convenience comes at a price, as Copilot will charge $30 per user per month for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscribers.