How AI in Microsoft 365 and Copilot can change your workplace 

AI has changed our workplaces. Everyone is using Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or other AI tools to do much of the heavy lifting for them. And things have changed so quickly that it feels odd to imagine the office without them anymore. 

While OpenAI may have started this change with its ChatGPT, Microsoft didn’t wait long to enter the game with its Copilot. With Microsoft Copilot, users now have an intelligent assistant that streamlines workflows, boosts productivity, and supports smarter decision-making. Integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, 365 Copilot makes everyday tasks faster and easier.  

Moreover, Microsoft is now embedding AI across the entire M365 ecosystem, creating a more connected and intelligent workplace. In this blog, we’ll explain the different ways you can use Microsoft 365 Copilot in Office 365, and how Microsoft is rolling out AI in its overall product ecosystem, especially for organizations looking to strengthen their workflows with enterprise grade Microsoft 365 solutions.

What is Microsoft 365 Copilot? 

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that is designed to help users across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It is embedded within popular applications that you probably use yourself, such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Do you remember Clippy from the old days of Microsoft Office? Copilot is like Clippy but with many more functionalities.  

You can use Copilot to simplify, automate, and analyze many tasks, including: 

• Generate content quickly in Word 
• Summarize and analyze data in Excel   
• Automate repetitive tasks in PowerPoint 
• Enhance management in Outlook  
• Improve overall productivity across M365 

Microsoft Copilot vs Microsoft 365 Copilot 

There are different versions of Copilot. The two that get the most confused are Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot. The difference between them is subtle yet very profound, and deciding which one your organization needs more matters.  

Microsoft Copilot is the general-purpose AI assistant that Microsoft released in 2022. It is directly integrated in Windows 11. You can use it for everyday tasks without paying anything because it has a free version: Copilot Chat.   

On the other hand, Microsoft 365 Copilot is a business-grade AI assistant that requires a subscription to use. It assists users in the M365 tools mentioned above to get things faster and improve productivity. Microsoft released it in late 2023, and it is a paid add-on that costs you $30 per month for the basic version.  

Benefits of using 365 Copilot for Microsoft Office 

You can use 365 Copilot for each product in Microsoft Office. In this section, we’ll be discussing some of the ways you can use 365 Copilot for Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 

1. Microsoft Copilot 365 for Word 

Copilot acts as a scribe or co-writer in Microsoft Word. It can write full documents for you from just one prompt. For example, you can say, “Draft an email for a new client.” Copilot will use your instructions to create a complete first draft. 

Moreover, you can use Copilot to edit your writing to match any tone or style you want. It’s especially helpful for long documents where tone, clarity, or structure matter. And speaking of long documents, if you don’t have time to read long reports, you can ask Copilot to pull out the key points instantly. You can also ask it to highlight insights or themes to get a deeper understanding of the document without reading all of it. 

And if you ever run out of ideas, Copilot can generate a ton of new content, which you can expand yourself, especially as organizations move toward AI-powered content practices.

2. Microsoft Copilot 365 for Excel 

You’ll probably be surprised by how much of the world runs on Excel. It is still the backbone of the global financial ecosystem. Copilot in Excel turns complex data into clear insights to help users make informed decisions. 

For example, Copilot can look at your spreadsheet and highlight patterns, trends, or unusual values you might miss. Just ask it things like: “Show me key trends” or “Find outliers.” One of the biggest pet peeves among Excel users is manual calculations. Using Copilot, you can ask questions in plain English to read and analyze the relevant data. 

Sometimes, even expert Excel users can forget the right formula. But you can tell Copilot exactly what you’re looking for, and it will create the correct Excel formula automatically. Furthermore, you don’t have to scroll through hundreds of rows or columns to find certain details. Just describe what you’re looking for, and Copilot will find the needle in the haystack for you.  

These were just some of the most common benefits. Copilot probably has the most use cases in Excel among all Office products.  

3. Microsoft 365 Copilot for PowerPoint 

Do you know F1 driver George Russell got picked up by Mercedes’ team because of a PowerPoint presentation? People are really impressed by a good presentation, so don’t take your PowerPoint skills lightly.  

Copilot can help you sharpen those skills. Case in point, making a presentation from scratch normally takes a lot of time. With Copilot, you skip most of that and focus on what really makes your presentation eye-catching and informative.  

Additionally, companies keep consistent branding in all their corporate presentations and pitch decks. Copilot can help maintain your organization’s brand style. It will create a reusable branded template based on: 

• Fonts 
• Colors 
• Layouts 
• Logos 

And if your organization uses an asset library in SharePoint, Copilot can automatically use these in your presentations. 

4. Microsoft 365 Copilot for Outlook  

While Gmail may own the email market, Outlook is the standard choice in corporate settings. It provides a comprehensive and integrated platform for managing business communication and productivity. There is also the fact that many companies usually have partnerships with Microsoft, which makes it convenient for them to use Microsoft products.  

One way Copilot can make a difference in Outlook is by keeping your inbox clean. It can flag important messages or move low-priority mail to other folders. You can also give Copilots instructions on what qualifies as a low- or high-priority email.  

And let’s be honest, we all now use ChatGPT to generate quick replies to emails. But you can do that without leaving the Microsoft ecosystem using Copilot. This saves you time on everyday email tasks. 

Lastly, Copilot can make calendar management easier. Copilot looks at everyone’s calendar and suggests meeting times that work for all. 

How Microsoft 365 is implementing AI beyond Copilot 

Copilot is only one part of a much larger initiative by Microsoft to integrate AI in their ecosystem. Below is a detailed look at how AI enhances Microsoft products beyond Copilot. 

AI in Microsoft Teams 

Microsoft Teams is like the WhatsApp of the corporate world. It is the primary platform for all official and regular communication between employees in most companies. And Teams now includes AI-powered features such as: 

• Real-time meeting transcription 
• Automatic action-item extraction 
• Meeting summaries 
• Noise reduction and improved audio quality 
• Smart scheduling suggestions 

These tools improve collaboration, particularly for hybrid or global teams. 

AI in SharePoint and Microsoft Syntex 

Microsoft SharePoint is the digital equivalent of those huge bundles of papers in any traditional office. It is a secure, cloud-based platform used by organizations to store, organize, share, and manage information and documents.  

Syntex is built on top of SharePoint, which uses AI to understand, classify, tag, summarize, and extract information from documents. 

This AI-driven content management helps businesses organize and manage information more efficiently. With AI in Syntex and SharePoint, users can: 

• Automatically tag and classify documents 
• Extract structured data from files 
• Automate compliance and retention rules 
• Improve search results with AI-enhanced metadata 

AI in Power Automate 

Microsoft Power Automate is a cloud-based automation platform that helps you automate repetitive tasks, connect apps, and streamline business workflows without needing to write code. 

Think of it as a tool that lets anyone create automated workflows between the apps they use every day, such as Office 365, SharePoint, Outlook, and even external tools like Salesforce. Now, Microsoft has embedded AI in Power Automate that allows you to: 

• Detecting opportunities for automation 
• Embedding AI models to analyze or classify content 
• Connecting M365 with external apps for smoother workflows 

Conclusion 

AI is one of the most impressive general-purpose technologies ever made by humans. In the tech world, it is becoming more pervasive every year. Therefore, AI is becoming a core part of Microsoft 365, and Copilot is just the beginning.  

Microsoft did a very smart thing by integrating Copilot 365 with Office products. That’s what really retains users because once they’re in your ecosystem, they should not feel the need to go outside of it to do anything. ChatGPT is great, but it can’t integrate with your Word, Excel, or Outlook. Copilot does that seamlessly. 

As Microsoft continues to innovate, organizations that embrace these tools early will benefit from faster workflows, smarter insights, and more effective collaboration. 

However, if you’re struggling with AI implementation in your Microsoft setup, Xavor’s Microsoft 365 and SharePoint consulting services can help you solve your challenges. We help you plan, build, integrate, and deploy custom Microsoft solutions in your entire enterprise.  

Contact us at [email protected] to book a free consultation session.