Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat Overview
On January 15th, 2025, Microsoft announced the launch of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This new service enhances the existing free chat experience for Microsoft 365 licensed users by introducing capabilities for discovering, creating, and utilizing Copilot agents. This includes web-grounded agents available at no cost and work-grounded agents that can access tenant data on a pay-as-you-go basis.
This approach enables organisations to offer Copilot for all using either Copilot Chat for free or Microsoft 365 Copilot paid option for users that require more functionality., thereby providing all users with access to cutting-edge technology to facilitate AI transformation on a large scale and enabling everyone to work more efficiently, faster, and collaboratively.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat?
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is an advanced AI-powered chat solution integrated into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It leverages the power of GPT-4o, providing users with a secure, web-grounded chat experience. This tool is designed to enhance productivity by enabling seamless communication and collaboration across various Microsoft 365 applications.
Key Features include:
- Secure Web grounded chat that is powered by GPT-4o
- Access to agents integrated into the chat experience – grounded on your work data and paid for on a consumption basis (Optional).
- IT controls, including enterprise data protection and agent management.
- Copilot Pages, file upload, and image generation are also included.
What are the differences between Microsoft Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
The table below provides a comparison of the features available in the free and paid versions:
What are the licensing requirements for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost for the licenses below:
- Microsoft 365 A1/A3/A5 (including MA3/MA5 for students, MA3/MA5 for faculty, and MA3/MA5 student-use benefit)
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic/Business Standard/Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 E3/E5
- Microsoft 365 F1/F3
- Microsoft Teams/Teams Enterprise/ Teams Essentials/Teams Rooms
- Office 365 A1/A1 Plus/A3/A5
- Office 365 E1/E1 Plus/E3/E5
- Office 365 F3
License versions above that are designated “(no Teams)” and “EEA (no Teams)” are also included.
How can users access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat?
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat can be pinned within the new Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly the Microsoft 365 app), Microsoft Teams, and Outlook and accessed online at m365copilot.com.
The rollout for Teams and Outlook on web, desktop, and mobile will start in mid-February 2025. Some features may not be immediately available.
To get more detailed information on how to pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat for you users review this link from Microsoft.
NOTE: Copilot Chat is pinned by default for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
How will the pay-as-you-go (PayG) billing work?
Starting in January 2025, Microsoft will introduce a feature in the Microsoft 365 admin centre. This feature, expected to be fully implemented by mid-February 2025, will allow administrators to set up PayG for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat users in their tenant. These users will be able to use agents that are grounded in work data within the tenant and will be charged on a consumption basis, as indicated in the metered comparison table above.
The pay-as-you-go service will be disabled by default and will only become available after you set up billing in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
The option to enable this configuration will be found in the Microsoft 365 admin centre under Settings > Org settings > Pay-as-you-go services. To see more details on this review MC973501 that can be found in the Message centre within the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
Setting up billing for Microsoft 365 Copilot chat requires a Microsoft Azure subscription and a resource group. Admins must have either the owner or contributor role assigned to the Azure subscription to be able to enable the feature.
Pricing is based on a per-message cost. For more details, review this Microsoft blog post.
Relevant Resources
- Copilot for all: Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
- Overview of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
- Manage Copilot Chat
- Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
- Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Teams
- How to pin Copilot Chat in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook
- Introducing Copilot agents
- Copilot Chat and Agent Starter Kit
- Copilot success kit
- Copilot 15% promotional discount
For more information
If you’d like to discuss any of the above, please speak to your Business Development Manager, call us on +345 249 3303 or email us, and we’ll be happy to chat through any of your questions.