Microsoft is expected to release its newest artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot, to everyone from November 1, with the chatbot expected to radically shift the productivity habits in the world's most used PC operating system.
Copilot's early version was released on September 26 as part of a free update for Windows 11, and will be expanded to the Bing and Edge web browsers, as well as the Microsoft 365 software suite.
It is powered by generative AI, which rose to prominence thanks to the emergence of ChatGPT from OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft.
“We are entering a new era of AI, one that is fundamentally changing how we relate to and benefit from technology,” Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, said in a recent blog post.
“With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action.”
We take a look at the key points, which you need to know, about Copilot.
Can Copilot really attend meetings for you?
Yes – and Microsoft is touting the ChatGPT-style Copilot to be a very useful assistant.
If you choose not to attend a meeting, Copilot can summarise everything for you. The drawback here is that, obviously, you will not be able to react to, ask questions or make your sentiments known.
Now, if you are in a meeting, Copilot can do several things on your behalf. The summary of the discussion it prepares for you can even point out who said what.
You can also ask Copilot to find out what questions remain unresolved, and even tell it to perform some sort of “heat check” to find out participants' apparent sentiments and where they stand on the topics being discussed.
Apart from meetings, you can rely on Copilot to perform tasks, including drafting emails, creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations, summarising long threads of emails and others. Before sending or disseminating anything it creates, you are free to check and edit the content to ensure it is accurate.
Where is Copilot available?
Practically in anything Microsoft. It is integrated into the Microsoft 365 platform in a couple of ways.
The most common apps you would encounter the bot are the ones you use daily – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more. If you remember Clippy, the animated paper clip, think of it as that, but without the goofy animations.
The other is through Business Chat, which works across Microsoft's large language model, its 365 apps and user data, which includes information in your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings and contacts.
As an example from Microsoft, if you say, “tell my team how we updated the product strategy”, Copilot will generate a status update based on the meetings, emails and chat threads.
Is Copilot free?
Yes and no. If you have a Microsoft account, you will have access to certain basic features. But if you want more, you need to pay up.
Copilot will cost $30 a month for enterprise users, or around Dh110 In the UAE.
However, the monthly rate is on top of any existing Microsoft 365 subscription – Business Standard, Business Premium, E3 and E5 – which gives you access to the Office apps. Also keep in mind that this still will not include fees from other services such as Teams Premium.
Is Copilot available on Apple Macs?
Yes. Copilot works with the new Outlook for Mac, which is currently at the preview stage. Users can switch to the new Outlook by selecting “Try the new Outlook” option in the existing Outlook app.
Copilot in Teams is available not only in Macs but also on the web, as well as Android and iOS devices.
What if you are sued for infringing on anything?
The growing use of AI assistants has also brought concerns about infringement and plagiarism to the fore, but Microsoft is guaranteeing legal protection from these.
Its Copilot Copyright Commitment, which was announced last month, will shield users from those risks if they use the generative AI output from its Copilot AI service.
The initiative extends the company's existing intellectual property indemnity support to its commercial Copilot services and builds on its previous AI customer commitments announced in June, it said.
Is relying on Copilot a good thing or a bad thing?
There are really legitimate arguments for both.
Taking the bit on meetings above into consideration, there could be a possibility of users relying too heavily or entirely on Copilot, which would affect skills such as critical or quick thinking. That could also spread out through an entire organisation, which is deemed dangerous.
On the other hand, Copilot's assistance could really save time for everyone and provide useful insights that could be used in future meetings and discussions outside those. This could be critical in preparing material – and yourself – for actual face-to-face meetings.
These are general instances but you get the gist: The influence of Copilot – or any AI assistant for that matter – will depend on how a user treats and uses it, and how it will be used on both personal and professional levels. That is a question up for debate and will hinge solely on us.
However, Microsoft has pledged – and is hoping – that Copilot “eliminates the drudgery” in the workplace. Whether or not this pans out – or won't cause job losses – remains to be seen.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now