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In the productivity space, the AI race is in full swing, with competitors Google and Microsoft quickly adapting their offerings. The latest move comes from Microsoft, which bundles its AI features tailored for Office applications into Microsoft 365 subscriptions. While it might mean a more expensive plan, existing customers have the ability to opt for the upgrade.
Microsoft 365 subscriptions will now leverage the powers of Copilot
Microsoft first introduced its AI-powered tool, Copilot, to its Office apps in January 2024 for $20/month. Copilot Pro subscription. This plan not only included AI support in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and OneNote, but also provided early access to the latest GPT templates and higher caps for image generation. Now, Microsoft has restructured its subscriptions, bundling Copilot in Microsoft 365 productivity applications for only $3/month additional.
This means that if you currently pay for a Microsoft Personal or Family subscription, you will soon gain Copilot capabilities and pay $3 more per month.
The update is probably Microsoft’s way of getting more users to use Copilot in Office applications, since $3 is a much easier pill to swallow than $20. This sentiment is reflected in the Microsoft blog announcement, positioning the bundle less as a pivot and more as a premeditated scheme, stating that the “plan has always been to make Copilot in Microsoft 365 applications more accessible to a wider audience at a good price”.
While it will be cheaper than ever to add Copilot to your Office apps, it’s not a foregone conclusion if you’d rather not shell out for AI. According to Microsoft, existing subscribers “in most markets will automatically get access to Copilot in their apps once they update to the latest version,” but you can also choose to stay on a “classic” plan, avoiding the price increase and accompanying the Copilot functions. . New customers, however, will only be able to purchase Microsoft 365 subscriptions with Copilot.
Copilot Pro is not even obsolete now. The $20/month subscription will remain available to users who still want the additional bells and whistles, such as premium access to the latest AI models and new Copilot features.
What kind of features can we expect in Microsoft 365 with Copilot?
The ways that Copilot can enhance your experience in Microsoft’s Office applications seem quite similar Google Gemini integration with their Workspace appsfrom email summaries to design support. An example that Microsoft provides is using Copilot to analyze and provide insights on a budget in Excel.
Other ideas from Microsoft include:
|
App |
Copilot usage example |
|---|---|
|
Word |
Generate a recipe or meal plan, considering dietary restrictions or preferences. |
|
PowerPoint |
Generate a presentation, considering the design notes and specified photos. |
|
Outlook |
Summarize long email threads. |
|
OneNote |
Generate a list of action items from a free-form note. |
Microsoft is also adding its Designer app to its Personal and Family plans, so subscribers have access to Microsoft’s image generation tool for projects ranging from wedding invitations to custom wallpaper.
The fact that new Microsoft 365 customers can now only buy Copilot-inclusive subscriptions is a sign that AI is more or less an inevitability when it comes to productivity tools. It’s a shift from AI being an optional add-on to a native feature, whether we like it or not. That said, AI regulations are always changing, which means that while we may not have a choice to pay for AI functionality, we still have a choice to disable those features.
