Since the introduction of Microsoft Copilot featuring commercial data protection (formerly known as Bing Chat Enterprise) to faculty and staff in August, we have witnessed impactful implementations worldwide. A notable instance is Wichita Public Schools, where educators have harnessed its capabilities to personalize learning, resulting in time and energy savings that can be redirected toward their students.
Copilot offers AI chat for the web, providing access to models such as GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 at no extra cost. Beginning in early 2024, commercial data protection will be activated when eligible users sign in with their school accounts. This ensures the safeguarding of user and organizational data, with chat prompts and responses in Copilot remaining unsaved. Microsoft maintains no access to view them, and they are not utilized for training the underlying large language models.
Over the past 10 months, Copilot has continually evolved, introducing advanced features and unlocking new possibilities. Upcoming features include GPT-4 Turbo for handling lengthier tasks, the improved DALL-E 3 model for higher-quality images, Multi-Modal with Search Grounding for enhanced image comprehension, and Code Interpreter for precise calculations and analysis. Students can leverage these innovations to:
Easily summarise information
· Initiate and brainstorm assignments
· Obtain step-by-step explanations for math solutions
· Quickly find answers with links to sources
· Enhance their writing skills
· Learn or study in their preferred manner
· Receive initial feedback on their work
· Write code using natural-language requests
· Enhance the visual appeal of their projects
· Allocate time to their most meaningful interests.
· Extending Copilot to Microsoft 365 for faculty and staff
Early users of Copilot have reported increased productivity and creativity across various industries. We are excited to extend this opportunity to the education sector by offering Copilot for Microsoft 365 at $30 per user per month for faculty and staff, starting January 1, 2024. Copilot for Microsoft 365 seamlessly integrates the power of large language models (LLMs) with your organization’s data, transforming your words into a highly potent productivity tool. It caters to everyone, from faculty and researchers to IT professionals and administrators.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 serves as your AI assistant, transcending basic Q&A to delve into your entire data landscape — emails, meetings, chats, documents, and more — to address complex work challenges. Integrated into the Microsoft 365 Apps used daily by millions, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, it upholds enterprise-grade security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI practices, ensuring all data processing occurs within your tenant. Eligible Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 faculty members can find more information in our documentation, adoption resources, and Tech Community blog.
Fostering AI literacy opportunities
In our commitment to integrating the latest AI technology into education, we will continue developing training materials and opportunities for learners to build AI literacy. Today, we are unveiling a new resource, the AI Classroom Toolkit, designed to assist educators in teaching students how to use generative AI safely. This innovative resource combines narrative stories with instructional content to create immersive and effective learning experiences. Additionally, we have launched the Minecraft Hour of Code: Generation AI, making responsible AI more accessible for a diverse range of K12 students. For higher education students and educators, a new Microsoft Learn module is available to facilitate learning and practice with the capabilities of Microsoft Copilot.
