The Future of Microsoft Copilot: What Is Microsoft Really Trying to Achieve?

Over the past few years, OpenAI has rapidly advanced its Chatbot, "ChatGPT," achieving a significant learning curve in a short time. Their large language model (LLM) technology and the swift integration of new features and capabilities into ChatGPT are nothing short of remarkable. As a key investor in OpenAI, Microsoft has benefited from this collaboration and launched its own chatbot, "Copilot." However, Copilot has faced challenges in gaining user traction, partly due to Microsoft’s licensing model. Many users find Copilot to be less intuitive, lagging behind ChatGPT in both functionality and development. But this raises an important question: What is Microsoft's real endgame?

In any organization, numerous processes are required to develop products and services, attract customers, retain them, and deliver high-quality results. Surprisingly, many businesses have yet to fully map out these internal processes. In fact, most crucial knowledge that drives business success is not captured in any system, meaning it walks out the door at the end of the workday.

According to recent research, only around 30% of knowledge worker processes are fully documented or optimized through business process management (BPM) solutions. Administrative processes have seen higher levels of automation, with productivity gains up to 50%. However, a significant portion of business processes, especially in knowledge-intensive fields, remains either undocumented or only partially automated. This gap leaves businesses vulnerable, as critical knowledge is often unstructured and reliant on individual employees rather than being systematically captured (McKinsey & Company )(MetaSource ).

Now, imagine a software that could monitor every decision, map out each action into processes, and automate them autonomously. Such a system would require deep insight into a business's inner workings, with access to all relevant data and the ability to track interactions between employees and external stakeholders. If this software could identify patterns of success, it could effectively train itself to replicate and optimize those outcomes without human intervention.

Does this sound far-fetched? In fact, this technology exists today in the form of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). If implemented in a way that makes it beneficial to workers—promising less stress, better results, and greater efficiency—employees would likely embrace it, much as we’ve all integrated smartphones and apps into our daily lives. We are already accustomed to personalized targeting from these technologies, and the idea of handing over even more control to AI no longer seems so distant.

Looking ahead, we could envision a future where large companies require few human employees. AGI could take over most operational tasks, with only a handful of leaders and owners overseeing the system. As we continue to interact with AGI, we train it to understand increasingly complex processes, potentially making human involvement obsolete. Microsoft's ultimate goal might be for Copilot to transition from a mere assistant to the "Pilot" of the business—driving profits through a system so advanced it operates like a "black box," with minimal human input. While the profit margins for such a system would be enormous, so too would the costs of maintaining it, potentially making Microsoft even wealthier.

Does this make me a Luddite? Yes and no. If most businesses could operate without extensive human staffing, we would be free to focus on more meaningful pursuits like critical thinking, art, and innovation. The challenge will lie in finding ways to sustain ourselves in this new reality. To survive and thrive in this societal transformation, we must begin adapting today by making thoughtful choices about our role in the future.