Microsoft's AI Chatbot Copilot Exits Beta and Reaches General Availability

In early February, Microsoft introduced its generative AI-based chatbot, initially named Bing Chat, as part of a public preview. Since the initial launch, Microsoft has diligently incorporated new features and enhancements into the chatbot. In November, the decision was made to rebrand Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise to Copilot, aligning with the name used for Microsoft's other generative AI services.

Today, Microsoft officially announced on its Bing blog that Copilot has successfully transitioned from the public preview phase to general availability. According to Microsoft's statement:

With Copilot now generally available, organizations and users can feel even more confident adopting it as part of their daily workflows. Copilot with commercial data protection is now backed by the Universal Commercial License Terms for Online Services to align with other Microsoft commercial online services. These terms include Microsoft’s Customer Copyright Commitment (CCC), which enables customers to take advantage of Microsoft’s Copilot services without worrying about copyright claims.

Copilot is now accessible with commercial data protection at no extra cost for individuals and businesses subscribed to Microsoft's commercial and educational plans under Microsoft 365. Microsoft intends to extend support for Copilot with commercial data protection to a majority of its Entra ID users in the foreseeable future.

For businesses that have already integrated Copilot during the public preview period, no additional actions are required now that it is generally available. Entities unfamiliar with products in a preview state can refer to the official documentation for comprehensive information on the chatbot. Users seeking additional details before utilizing Copilot can explore Microsoft's adoption kit. Certainly, businesses and their personnel can visit the Copilot website to experiment with the tool independently before making it widely available.