At a recent event, Microsoft showcased a significant update for its Copilot feature, introducing a total of nine exciting enhancements. Among these are tools like Actions, Memory, Vision, Pages, Shopping, and Copilot Search.
As many of these features have already surfaced in competitor products like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, it’s worth noting that two popular tools gaining traction among users have finally been incorporated into the Copilot ecosystem.
Deep Research
Deep Research has become the talk of the town. Both Gemini and ChatGPT offer this feature, and it was quite surprising that the basic Copilot setup was missing such a powerful function, especially considering Microsoft’s close partnership with OpenAI.
Fortunately, this gap has now been filled. Deep Research is a valuable addition to the Copilot suite, providing users with detailed, well-structured reports instead of generic chatbot replies. This is what a Deep Research report resembles:
This feature taps into credible sources, gathers relevant information, and constructs a thorough research document complete with citations, saving users countless hours of manual research efforts. I've been impressed by its application on Gemini, so I'm thrilled to see this feature arrive on Copilot.
According to Microsoft, “Copilot can find, analyze, and consolidate information from online databases as well as extensive documents and images.” Additionally, there's no need for a Microsoft account to initiate a Deep Research query, and a subscription to Copilot Pro isn't required.
Microsoft is offering five free Deep Research inquiries each month, while those with a subscription will enjoy unlimited access and priority processing. In late March, the Microsoft 365 Copilot platform also introduced an AI Researcher tool capable of a similar function, analyzing both online resources and local files.
Podcasts
AI podcasts first gained attention with Google's NotebookLM, and just a few weeks ago, this feature was introduced in Gemini. I had the chance to experiment with it and found it to be an exceptional tool for transforming mundane information into an engaging auditory experience.
While Google refers to these as audio overviews, Microsoft designates them simply as podcasts. Though the core concept is aligned, Microsoft offers a couple of additional benefits.
Unlike Google Gemini's podcasts that do not allow user interaction, Copilot enables users to engage in ongoing discussions. “While listening, you can continue to communicate with Copilot to gain more insights and extend the conversation,” as noted by Microsoft.
Another standout feature is the ability of Copilot to convert your offline resources and suggested websites into podcasts. Additionally, a new feature named Copilot Search functions similarly to Google's AI search but utilizes Microsoft's Bing engine.
