Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft CoPilot

Microsoft Copilot - AI-powered search and productivity tool

Microsoft Copilot Play video
With Microsoft 365 Copilot, we are bringing the power of next-generation AI to work. Microsoft 365 Copilot isn’t just a better way of doing the same things. It’s an entirely new way of working.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

"With Microsoft Copilot, we are bringing the power of next-generation AI to work. Microsoft Copilot isn’t just a better way of doing the same things. It’s an entirely new way of working." Microsoft.

Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered search and productivity tool that uses large language models (LLMs).

Generative AI Guidance for Imperial StudentsGenerative AI Guidance for Imperial Learning and Teaching Staff

Who has access to Copilot?

All Imperial staff and students have access to Microsoft Copilot.

What does Copilot have access to?

You should ensure you sign in to use Copilot so that you are using the secure version of Microsoft Copilot with Commercial Data Protection. 

  • MS Copilot is grounded in data from the public web and provides complete, verifiable answers with citations, along with visual answers that include graphs and charts.
  • MS Copilot is designed by Microsoft in line with Microsoft’s AI Principles.
  • MS Copilot has no access to organizational data in the Microsoft 365 Graph.
  • Your data is protected and the chat results are NOT saved or made available for Microsoft, so the data does not pass outside of the organisation.

How do I use Copilot?

To use Copilot you will first need to sign in, if using a college PC this will happen automatically in Microsoft Edge browser.  You can activate Copilot in Edge by pressing Ctrl + Shift + . on your keyboard or by clicking the Copilot button in the top right hand corner of an Edge browser window. 

In other browsers you will need to:

  1. Go to https://copilot.microsoft.com/
  2. Click 'Sign in' at the top right of the screen
  3. Select 'Sign in with a work or school account'
  4. Sign in with your Imperial credentials using the format  'username@ic.ac.uk'
Once signed in you will see a green “Protected” shield beside your name indicating that you are using the secure version of Microsoft Copilot with Commercial Data Protection. 

How many questions can I ask Copilot?

You can ask Copilot 10 questions per conversation and up to 5 conversations per day.

5 things to try with Copilot

  1. Summarise a long document or article.
    Navigate to a long article or document (PDF) on the internet, then use the Chat sidebar in Microsoft Edge to ask MS Copilot to summarise the document in 5 bullet points.

  2. Draft emails and content that’s ready to send.
    Navigate to your Outlook on the web then use the Copilot icon in Microsoft Edge to ask MS Copilot to draft an email, e.g. "Draft an email querying whether Company X is offering student internships at the moment."

  3. Create an image.
    In MS Copilot ask “Create an illustration of a shark jumping out of a coffee mug.”
    Try changing the shark to a dolphin.

  4. Learn new and useful information easily.
    In MS Copilot ask “Explain how large language models work in simple terms.”

  5. Get answers to complex and specific questions.
    Try "How does quantum entanglement challenge the classical understanding of locality and information transfer, particularly in the context of Einstein's theory of relativity?" 

Further support using Microsoft Copilot

For further information and help using Microsoft Copilot please see the Microsoft Copilot Labs which contains short videos and guidance on using Copilot. Imperial does not at the present time license Copilot in Microsoft apps. We are piloting this functionality to test the feasibility of offering more widely at a future date. The cost of Copilot in Microsoft apps would be circa £350 per user per year. 

Last updated: 19 April 2024