Overview of Copilot Chat

Learn how to differentiate between and utilize Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot. This guide outlines specific features, data access levels, and security protections to help you choose the right tool for your tasks while ensuring sensitive information remains protected.

Understanding the Two Versions

There are two primary ways to access Copilot. While both use advanced AI models like GPT-4o and DALL-E 3, they differ in the data they can access and how they interact with your files.

Version Description & Data Access Licensing & Eligibility
Copilot Chat A web-based tool with access to public internet data via Bing Search. Users can upload specific files (up to 1MB) for analysis. Available at no cost to all active faculty, staff, and students.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Integrated directly into Office apps. Can access all your Microsoft 365 data, including emails, calendar, Teams chats, and OneDrive/SharePoint files. Requires a specific paid license. Check the Software Catalog for current pricing and availability.

Decision Matrix: Which Tool Should You Use?

Use the table below to determine which version of Copilot is best suited for your specific project needs.

If you need to... Use Copilot Chat (Web) Use M365 Copilot (Apps)
Research a public topic or website YES Limited
Summarize a Teams meeting or chat No YES
Analyze an Excel spreadsheet Limited YES
Generate images (DALL-E 3) YES YES
Draft an email based on a thread No YES
Write code or extract text from an image YES YES

How to Access and Use

Quick Access: To open the chat pane in any Microsoft App, select the Copilot icon in the Ribbon (Home Tab). For web access, visit the official Copilot Chat website and sign in with your institutional credentials.

Application Specific Features

  • Word: Summarize long documents, draft sections from scratch, or rewrite for clarity.
  • Excel: Analyze trends and create visualizations without complex manual formulas.
  • Outlook: Summarize long email threads and draft professional responses instantly.
  • PowerPoint: Generate slide summaries and get audience Q&A suggestions to prepare for presentations.
  • OneNote: Organize handwritten or typed notes into structured to-do lists and project plans.

Security & Data Protection

Internal Data Protection Notice

Microsoft Copilot ensures that all university data remains secure within our protected tenant. Prompts and responses are protected under our Enterprise Data Protection agreement and are never shared with OpenAI or used to train public models.

Review Required: Users are responsible for reviewing AI-generated output. Always handle responses containing confidential or highly sensitive data according to institutional classification policies.

GUIDELINES & CONSTRAINTS

Category Policy / Requirement
Eligibility Access is tied to active status. Retirees and alumni typically lose access upon leaving the organization.
Supported Browsers Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. (Note: Linux users may encounter Firefox issues).
Prohibited Tools Third-party bots (Otter.ai, Read.ai, etc.) are prohibited as they do not have data protection agreements.

 

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