Microsoft Copilot Pro: Unleashing Advanced AI Features for Power Users—Discover What It Offers

Microsoft has launched Copilot Pro, an enhanced tier of its popular AI companion, designed to offer individual users advanced AI capabilities. Available for $20 per user per month, Copilot Pro ensures priority access to the latest OpenAI GPT models during peak usage, alongside features like faster image generation and an upcoming dedicated Copilot GPT Builder.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, emphasized the company's mission: “Our goal is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more by bringing Copilot, the everyday AI companion, to millions around the world. We've reached a significant milestone with over 5 billion chats and 5 billion images to date.” He also confirmed the general availability of the Copilot app for both Android and iOS.

What Does Microsoft Copilot Pro Offer?

Microsoft's previous offerings included a free version for consumers and a paid version for businesses, but individual power users such as developers, designers, and researchers required a more tailored solution that didn’t necessitate full business-scale tools. Copilot Pro addresses this need, delivering the functionality of Copilot with improved performance and capabilities.

Subscribers can expect a seamless Copilot experience across platforms—web, PC, and mobile—integrating with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family applications for context-aware assistance. This includes features for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, such as drafting documents from text prompts, receiving email summaries in Outlook, and generating presentations through conversational interactions with PowerPoint.

Copilot Pro grants consistent priority access to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo models, even during peak hours, enabling faster task completion. The ability to switch between models for optimized performance is also in the pipeline.

For creatives, the Pro version enhances image generation speed and quality, utilizing OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 image model, and increases daily usage from 15 to 100 boosts.

Customized AI Solutions with GPT Builder

Aligning with OpenAI’s recent GPT Builder announcement, Microsoft has introduced a tailored GPT Builder for Copilot Pro, allowing users to construct customized Copilots focused on specific topics using simple prompts. "A selection of Copilot GPTs for specific purposes like fitness, travel, and cooking will begin rolling out today. Soon, users will create their own with Copilot GPT Builder," Mehdi noted, although a precise launch date remains undisclosed.

Additionally, Microsoft has eliminated the 300-seat purchase minimum for organizations using Copilot with Microsoft 365. Small businesses using Business Premium and Business Standard plans can now select any number of seats under 300 at a rate of $30 per user per month.

Upgrade or Downgrade?

The introduction of Copilot Pro reflects Microsoft’s strategy to monetize its AI offerings while making them more accessible. Users on social media have voiced concerns over the transition from previously unrestricted access to GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo, as non-paying users will now have limited access.

This change may present challenges for those who rely on Copilot in their daily tasks. As Microsoft navigates this new model, users must decide whether to upgrade to the Pro version for continued, enhanced capabilities or remain with the limited free version.