Microsoft Copilot - Excel has forever changed

Luke Barousse
16 Jan 202410:05

TLDRThe video discusses Microsoft's new AI assistant, Copilot, powered by OpenAI's advanced model. It explores the integration of Copilot into popular Microsoft apps, allowing users to perform tasks with natural language and automate processes. The video includes hands-on testing of Copilot in Excel, highlighting its capabilities and limitations, such as data row restrictions and the necessity of cloud storage. While the performance in Excel was underwhelming, other apps like Word and PowerPoint showed promise. The video ends with a note that Copilot is in its preview version, indicating potential for improvement.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 Microsoft has released Co-Pilot, an AI assistant powered by OpenAI's advanced model, aiming to enhance productivity through natural language interaction with popular Microsoft apps.
  • 📊 Co-Pilot integrates with Excel, enabling users to perform in-depth data analysis, generate new columns, and create visualizations that may not be immediately obvious, potentially offering innovative insights.
  • 📈 The AI assistant can also assist in creating action plans within Word, suggesting a day-by-day breakdown of tasks, and even generating images to enhance the presentation of plans.
  • 🎯 Co-Pilot's capabilities extend to PowerPoint, where it can automate the creation of slides from a Word document, streamlining the process of turning a plan into a presentable format.
  • ✉️ For effective communication, Co-Pilot can draft and even rewrite emails, summarizing its user's work and improving the clarity and impact of the message.
  • 🤔 The AI assistant can provide summaries of meetings, capturing key topics and follow-up tasks, ensuring that team members are held accountable for their commitments.
  • 💰 Co-Pilot Pro, a subscription-based service at $20/month, offers access to OpenAI's GPT-4 model during non-peak times and integration across various Microsoft apps, including Mac and iPad versions.
  • 🌐 Co-Pilot for Microsoft 365 is now available for small businesses at $30/person/month, with features like Co-Pilot Teams, Microsoft Graph, and Enterprise-grade data protection.
  • 🔒 Data protection is emphasized for organizations using Co-Pilot with Microsoft ID, ensuring that chat data is not saved, accessed, or used to train the model, thus protecting confidential information.
  • 🛠️ Customization is possible with Co-Pilot, allowing users to build customized chatbots on top of the solution, with Co-Pilot Studio offering more powerful tools for organizations.
  • 🔍 Hands-on testing reveals that Co-Pilot's performance in Excel is currently limited, with issues handling large datasets and some slow response times, although it is in its preview version and expected to improve.

Q & A

  • What is Microsoft's Co-Pilot?

    -Microsoft's Co-Pilot is an AI assistant powered by OpenAI's most advanced model, designed to integrate with popular Microsoft applications and allow users to interact with them using natural language.

  • How does Co-Pilot assist with data analysis in Excel?

    -Co-Pilot can help users dive into data in Excel by generating new columns, creating graphs, and providing data insights that may not be immediately apparent, thus potentially revealing new angles for analysis.

  • What are the capabilities of Co-Pilot within Microsoft Word?

    -In Microsoft Word, Co-Pilot can generate a detailed plan for accomplishing tasks, create content such as images, and even draft emails summarizing the user's work, including rewriting content for tone adjustment if necessary.

  • How does Co-Pilot function within PowerPoint?

    -Co-Pilot assists in PowerPoint by generating slides based on a Word document, turning a plan of action into a visually appealing presentation format.

  • What features are included in the Co-Pilot Pro subscription?

    -Co-Pilot Pro includes access to the advanced GPT-4 model during non-peak times, integration with Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote, and compatibility across Windows, Mac, and iPad versions.

  • What are the benefits of Co-Pilot for Microsoft 365?

    -Co-Pilot for Microsoft 365 offers additional features such as Co-Pilot Teams, Microsoft Graph, and Enterprise-grade data protection, enhancing the power and security of the service for organizational use.

  • How does Co-Pilot's data protection work?

    -With Co-Pilot and Microsoft Ultra ID, users get commercial data protection for free, meaning chat data isn't saved and Microsoft has no access to it or its use in training the model, ensuring confidentiality and security for organizations.

  • What is the customization feature of Co-Pilot?

    -Co-Pilot allows users to build customized chatbots on top of any solution, providing a high level of adaptability and personalization for individual or organizational needs.

  • What were the main issues encountered during hands-on testing of Co-Pilot in Excel?

    -During testing, Co-Pilot showed some bugs and slow performance, struggled with processing large datasets, and had limitations on the amount of data it could handle, requiring users to limit their data to around 500 rows for it to function effectively.

  • How did Co-Pilot perform with a smaller dataset in Excel?

    -With a smaller dataset, Co-Pilot was able to generate insights and visualizations, such as identifying that part-time jobs paid more than full-time and contract positions, but the user experienced issues when trying to generate more complex visualizations.

  • What was the outcome of using Co-Pilot in Word and PowerPoint for essay and presentation creation?

    -In Word, Co-Pilot provided an in-depth analysis of Microsoft Excel, while in PowerPoint, it helped create a basic presentation structure, although the format needed some refinement.

  • What are the expectations for Co-Pilot's future development?

    -As Co-Pilot is currently in its preview version, it is expected to improve over time, with the creator planning to make more videos as updates and improvements are released.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to Microsoft's Co-Pilot AI Assistant

This paragraph introduces Microsoft's Co-Pilot, an AI assistant powered by OpenAI's advanced model. It highlights the ability to interact with popular Microsoft apps using natural language and the integration of this AI companion into leading apps like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. The speaker shares their experience testing Co-Pilot and its potential to automate tedious tasks and shift workload strategically.

05:00

📊 Hands-On Testing with Co-Pilot in Microsoft Excel

The speaker details their hands-on experience with Co-Pilot in Microsoft Excel. They discuss the initial issues encountered, such as the requirement to upload files to OneDrive or SharePoint and the limitations when working with large datasets. The speaker also shares their findings on Co-Pilot's functionality, which seems to rely heavily on pivot tables and charts, and the challenges faced when trying to generate visualizations with their own data.

10:02

📝 Co-Pilot's Performance in Word and PowerPoint

In this paragraph, the speaker explores Co-Pilot's capabilities in Word and PowerPoint. They find that Co-Pilot can generate in-depth analysis and design presentations, although some formatting issues were noted. The speaker acknowledges the potential of Co-Pilot as a starting point for creating content, while also noting the current limitations and the promise of improvements as the technology moves out of its preview phase.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Microsoft

Microsoft is a leading multinational technology company that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, and personal computers and services. In the context of the video, Microsoft has released an AI assistant named co-pilot, which integrates with various Microsoft applications to enhance user experience and productivity.

💡AI assistant

An AI assistant is an artificial intelligence system designed to perform tasks or services typically reserved for a human assistant, such as answering questions, setting reminders, or providing recommendations. In the video, co-pilot is an AI assistant powered by OpenAI's advanced model, offering natural language interaction with Microsoft applications.

💡Natural language

Natural language refers to the way people speak or write in their everyday lives, as opposed to a constructed language or formal programming syntax. In the context of the video, co-pilot allows users to interact with Microsoft apps using natural language, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.

💡Excel

Excel is a widely used spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft, which allows users to organize, format, and analyze data using a grid of rectangular cells. In the video, the user tests co-pilot's capabilities within Excel, exploring its ability to generate insights, create pivot tables, and produce visualizations from data sets.

💡Word

Word is a word processing software developed by Microsoft, used for creating documents, reports, and other text-based content. In the video, the user examines co-pilot's integration with Word, showcasing its ability to generate content, plan tasks, and draft emails.

💡PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a presentation software developed by Microsoft, used for creating visual presentations that include slides with text, images, and other multimedia elements. In the video, the user explores how co-pilot can assist in generating slides and presentations directly from a Word document.

💡OneNote

OneNote is a digital notebook application developed by Microsoft, offering a platform for users to type, write, draw, and collect information in a customizable and searchable format. Although not explicitly mentioned in the video, OneNote could potentially benefit from co-pilot's AI capabilities, similar to other Microsoft applications.

💡Co-pilot Pro

Co-pilot Pro is a subscription service for the AI assistant co-pilot, offering advanced features and access to OpenAI's most powerful model, GPT-4, during non-peak times. It provides users with additional capabilities across Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

💡Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that brings together Microsoft's productivity software, including Office applications and additional online storage and cloud computing services. In the video, it is mentioned that co-pilot is now available for small businesses through Microsoft 365, offering features like co-pilot teams, Microsoft Graph, and enterprise-grade data protection.

💡Data protection

Data protection refers to the measures taken to ensure the privacy, integrity, and availability of data stored or transmitted by individuals or enterprises. In the context of the video, Microsoft emphasizes that co-pilot offers commercial data protection for organizations, ensuring that chat data is not saved and Microsoft has no access to it.

💡Customization

Customization refers to the process of tailoring a product or service to meet specific needs or preferences of an individual or group. In the video, it is noted that co-pilot allows for the building of customized chatbots on top of its solutions, offering users the ability to personalize their AI experience.

Highlights

Microsoft has released co-pilot, an AI assistant integrated into popular Microsoft apps.

Co-pilot is powered by OpenAI's most powerful model and allows natural language interaction.

Co-pilot can generate new columns in Excel and create graphs for data analysis.

The AI assistant can help draft a day-by-day plan in Word for accomplishing tasks.

Co-pilot can generate slides for presentations directly in PowerPoint.

It can also draft and rewrite emails summarizing work and assigning tasks.

Co-pilot provides meeting summaries, including key topics and follow-up tasks.

Co-pilot Pro offers access to the advanced GPT-4 model during non-peak times.

Co-pilot Pro is available on Windows, Mac, and iPad versions of Microsoft apps.

Microsoft 365's co-pilot subscription is now accessible for small businesses with no minimum license requirement.

Co-pilot for Microsoft 365 includes additional features like Microsoft Graph and Enterprise-grade data protection.

Customization features allow users to build customized chatbots on top of any solution.

Co-pilot's performance in Excel was found to be buggy and slow during testing.

Co-pilot works best with Excel tables and requires data to be stored on OneDrive or SharePoint.

The AI assistant seems to primarily use pivot tables and pivot charts for data analysis.

Co-pilot was able to generate insights from a smaller dataset on job postings.

Co-pilot's essay generation in Word provided in-depth analysis of Microsoft Excel with up-to-date information.

Co-pilot's presentation design in PowerPoint could serve as a good starting point but may need formatting adjustments.

Co-pilot is in its preview version, with expectations for continuous improvement.