??Copilot, the new ChatGPT?: Quick guide

Copilot is now the new face of AI-powered web help, taking over from Bing.

Microsoft, after investing in OpenAI's ChatGPT, decided to boost its own search engine, Bing, with similar AI technology. This upgrade led to Bing becoming Copilot, a fresh and more focused AI tool with its own website.

Instead of just being an alternative to Google, Bing, as Copilot, offers a whole new experience. You can ask questions, upload images, and get AI-generated responses, much like ChatGPT.

Nicknamed "the new Bing" or "Bing Chat," Copilot stands out from ChatGPT in several ways. Copilot uses GPT-4, a newer and more powerful AI model than ChatGPT's GPT-3.5. It’s also currently the only free way to experience GPT-4.

Copilot is like a more connected ChatGPT. It can chat, write essays, code, and more, with the added bonus of internet access for current info. Plus, it can create and analyze images. Unlike the free version of ChatGPT, Copilot has internet access.

What You Need: A Microsoft account or an Entra ID, and either the Microsoft Edge or Chrome browser on Windows or MacOS.

Is Copilot free?

Yes, it’s free to use, but you can only ask up to 30 questions per conversation.

How to get started with Copilot?

Head over to Copilot.Microsoft.com and log in with your Microsoft account or Entra ID. This could be your Outlook, Hotmail, Office, OneDrive, or Xbox login. You can even use Gmail or Yahoo to create a Microsoft account.

When you look at Copilot, you'll notice it looks a whole lot like Bing Chat. The layout is basically the same - it's a chat interface where you type questions and the AI responds. The main difference is just the name at the top that says "Copilot" instead of "Bing." So they've rebranded it as your handy AI sidekick to help you throughout your day, versus the previous focus on web search with Bing. But the interface itself is still that conversational chat-style that we're now familiar with from Bing. It feels like talking to a friend who's there to provide helpful information whenever you need it! The rebranding puts more emphasis on Copilot being your personal AI companion.

How to chat with Copilot?

*** Below text has been created with Copilot

Microsoft Copilot offers three conversation styles: Creative, Balanced, and Precise These styles are similar to the chat counters in Bing Chat on the web.

• Creative: This style is ideal for users who want long answers with additional facts and details.
• Balanced: This is the default conversation style that provides neutral responses.
• Precise: This style is suitable for users who want to-the-point answers.

***

To change the conversation style of Copilot on Windows 11, click the Copilot button on the taskbar and choose the desired conversation style 4. You can also use the Win+C keyboard shortcut or launch Copilot via the Start menu 2.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Once logged in, just start typing your questions or prompts in the text box at the bottom of the screen.

What makes Copilot unique is its conversational style. It turns search results into direct answers, making it more than just a search engine.

How to navigate Copilot?

Copilot is a bit different from ChatGPT. It has various features:

• Text Box: Where you type in your questions or prompts.
• Image Upload: You can upload images for AI to analyze, similar to Google Lens.
• Microphone Option: If you prefer talking, there’s a microphone button.
• New Topic: To start a fresh conversation, click "New topic."
• Sources and Suggestions: Copilot shows sources for its answers and suggests follow-up questions.
• Response Styles: You can choose from creative, balanced, or precise responses.

Can I trust Copilot?

Like any AI, Copilot isn’t perfect and can sometimes give wrong or unrelated answers. Always use it wisely, especially for important matters.

Is Copilot accurate?

The accuracy of Microsoft Copilot, like other AI-driven tools, varies based on the complexity and nature of the queries it receives. As it's powered by GPT-4, one of the most advanced AI language models available, Copilot is generally quite proficient at understanding and responding to a wide range of questions. However, there are a few key points to consider regarding its accuracy:

• General Knowledge and Information Queries: Copilot is usually reliable for general information, basic factual data, and commonly known topics. It can provide accurate answers to questions about history, science, technology, and more.
• Up-to-Date Information: Unlike the free version of ChatGPT, Copilot has internet access, which allows it to provide more current information on recent events and developments.
• Subjective or Creative Responses: In areas requiring subjective judgment, creativity, or opinion, Copilot's responses should be seen as suggestions rather than definitive answers. Its creative outputs, like poetry or story generation, are based on patterns it has learned and do not reflect personal insight or human creativity.
• Potential for Misinformation: Like any AI tool, Copilot can inadvertently propagate misinformation. It's important to cross-verify any critical information obtained from Copilot, especially if it relates to health, legal, or safety matters.

Does Copilot learn?

While Copilot is a powerful tool based on a highly advanced AI model, it doesn't have the capability to learn or adapt from individual user interactions. Its knowledge remains static until it is updated by its developers.

Microsoft Copilot, like other AI models based on OpenAI's GPT-4, doesn't learn or adapt from individual user interactions in real-time. It's designed this way for privacy and consistency reasons. Here's a breakdown of how it works:

• Static Knowledge Base: Copilot's responses are based on a pre-existing dataset it was trained on. This dataset includes a vast array of internet text up to a certain cut-off date. It doesn't continuously update or change based on new interactions.
• No Personal Learning: The AI doesn't retain or learn from individual conversations. If you ask it a question today and the same question tomorrow, it will not remember your previous interaction and will not have "learned" or adapted based on that interaction.
• General Improvements Over Time: While it doesn't learn from individual users, the model itself can be updated by its developers. These updates are based on broader data and feedback, improving its overall performance and capabilities, but they are not frequent or based on individual user interactions.

What about privacy in Copilot?

The AI doesn't retain personal data from conversations. It's a crucial aspect, especially considering the wide range of users and uses of AI like Copilot.

Microsoft outlines specific privacy measures and policies to protect users. Here are the key points regarding how privacy is treated in Copilot:

• Data Handling and Storage: Microsoft has policies in place for how user data is handled and stored. This typically includes measures to ensure that personal data is kept secure and not misused. However, the exact details depend on Microsoft's privacy policy and terms of service.
• No Personal Memory: Copilot, like other AI models based on GPT-4, does not remember personal data from one interaction to the next. This means it doesn't build a profile of individual users based on their queries or responses, which helps in maintaining user privacy.
• User Anonymity in Queries: When users interact with Copilot, their queries are usually processed in a way that doesn't require personal identification. The AI responds based on the content of the query, not the individual who asked it.
• Compliance with Regulations: Microsoft, as a global company, complies with various data protection and privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. These regulations mandate strict handling and protection of user data.
• Option to Delete Data: Users typically have options to manage their data, including deleting their interaction history or account, in line with Microsoft's data management policies.
• Security Measures: Strong security measures are in place to prevent unauthorized access to or disclosure of user data.

Examples of prompts in Copilot

Information Research: "Can you provide a detailed summary of the latest developments in renewable energy technologies?"

Content Summarization: "Summarize the key points from this article about renewable energy trends in 2023."

Travel Recommendations: "I'm planning a trip to Tokyo. What are the top five must-visit attractions, and could you suggest a three-day itinerary?"

Business Analysis: "Analyze the sales data from the last quarter and identify any significant trends or patterns."

Creative Writing Aid: "Generate an opening paragraph for a short story set in a futuristic city where technology controls everything."

Code Assistance: "Can you help me debug this Python script? It's supposed to sort a list of numbers but throws an error."

Language Translation: "Translate the following paragraph from English to French: [Insert English paragraph here]."

Educational Explanation: "Explain the concept of photosynthesis in simple terms suitable for a middle school student."

The new Microsoft Copilot AI is pretty impressive! It uses OpenAI's latest GPT-4 model so it can understand and generate text more like a human. At first glance, it looks a lot like ChatGPT with its conversational interface. But there are some big differences that give each one unique superpowers.

Copilot can actually surf the internet to pull in up-to-date info - huge advantage over ChatGPT! So you can ask it about stuff that just happened and get a current response. ChatGPT is like a really smart hermit crab who knows a ton but doesn't get out much to stay current.

Also, Copilot is tuned to play extra nice with Microsoft apps and services. So if you're already using Office, Outlook, etc. it can really boost your productivity and workflow. Whereas ChatGPT is the independent type who works well with everyone.

On the flip side, Copilot only works on Microsoft Edge or Chrome right now, so that's limiting if you prefer different browsers. And some folks might feel wary about a chatbot browsing the web in case it shares private stuff accidentally.

So in the end, it depends what you value most - the up-to-the-minute info from Copilot or the broader browser access and data privacy of ChatGPT. But both show how quickly AI is getting smarter at understanding and communicating like a human! Exciting times ahead.