Microsoft launches paid subscription for Copilot — includes AI in Office apps and priority access for a monthly fee
What you need to know
Microsoft has today announced a paid subscription service for its AI Copilot service.
Copilot Pro launches today for $20 a month, available to anyone who wishes to subscribe.
The paid service gets you priority access to the AI model, as well as access to Copilot inside Microsoft Office apps like Word and PowerPoint.
It was only a matter of time before Microsoft launched a paid subscription service for its new AI Copilot service. Today, the company is announcing Copilot Pro, a $20 a month subscription that anyone can subscribe to, which nets you priority access to Microsoft's AI model, as well as access to Copilot inside Office apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
The company says Copilot Pro delivers a more enhanced AI image creation tool as well, with faster performance and 100 boosts per day, along with bringing more detailed images and support for landscape. Copilot Pro subscribers can also build their own Copilot GPT that's trained on a specific topic as configured by the user.
Copilot in Microsoft Office has been available as an enterprise feature for some time, but is being made available today for consumers for the first time as part of Copilot Pro. This will enable Copilot in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook, with features such as creating PowerPoint themes, writing summaries, and more.
Priority access to the latest AI models is also a huge benefit. Copilot Pro subscribers will have access to GPT-4 Turbo even during peak times for faster performance, as well as the ability to toggle between models to optimize your experience.
Lastly, Microsoft touts Copilot Pro as being a single AI experience that runs across all your devices, being able to understand context on the web, your PC, and across apps as well as your phone.
Yusef Mehid, Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Office at Microsoft said the following:
"Copilot Pro, a new premium subscription for individuals that provides a higher tier of service for AI capabilities, brings Copilot AI capabilities to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, and new capabilities, such as the ability to create Copilot GPTs."
More to come?
The launch of Copilot Pro comes just as Microsoft is rumored to be launching an AI focused version of Windows later this year. Rumors say the next major Windows update will include next-gen AI features such as natural language in Windows Search and an advanced Copilot that understands context and can find apps, files, and images for you quickly.
Perhaps some of the upcoming Windows AI features will also be tied to Copilot Pro, providing even more of an incentive to subscribe for those who are content with the free version currently. Of course, a subscription won't be required to install and use the next version of Windows, but it might be required to access specific features of the OS built around AI.
