Microsoft Copilot (formerly "Bing Chat for Enterprise"), is an AI-powered companion designed for work. Whether you're drafting a report, creating a presentation, or discussing ideas, Copilot aims to streamline your tasks and enhance productivity.
Copilot is a versatile tool that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data from the public web to answer queries, condense information, process data, produce text or visuals, craft social media content, and boost work efficiency. To understand Copilot's full capabilities for faculty and staff, refer to its frequently asked questions (microsoft.com).
Faculty, staff, and students can access Copilot with a Microsoft account from Ithaca College.
Getting Started with Copilot
Website
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Go to https://copilot.microsoft.com/.
- Sign in using your Ithaca College credentials if prompted.
- At the top of Copilot are two options: Copilot and Notebook.
- In Copilot, enter text to plan, write, or summarize information, and choose a conversation style. It will reply with an AI-generated answer.
- In Notebook, enter text to generate content. The Notebook is perfect for refining prompts and working with longer content.
- To start a new chat session, click Refresh or New topic.
Edge Sidebar
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Open Copilot in the Edge sidebar by clicking the Copilot logo.
- Sign in using your Ithaca College credentials if prompted.
- At the top of Copilot are two options: Chat and Compose.
- In Chat, enter text to plan, write, or summarize information, and choose a conversation style. It will reply with an AI-generated answer.
- In Compose, enter text, select a tone, format, and length to generate content.
- To start a new chat session, click Refresh or New topic.
Note: If you want to allow access to your browser's web content, under the Copilot (or Bing Chat Enterprise) settings under Edge settings, check Show Copilot (or Bing Chat Enterprise) and check Allow Microsoft to access page content.
If the Copilot icon is not visible in the Edge sidebar:
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Go to edge://settings/profiles or open Edge settings by clicking the ellipsis in the top right of the Edge browser and then by clicking Settings.
- Click Sidebar in the left-side menu.
- Under App and Notification settings, ensure the Always Show sidebar is checked.
- Click Copilot.
Getting Started with Copilot for Windows
Copilot for Microsoft Windows 11 is similar to Copilot through a web browser but allows you to perform common tasks and change settings in Windows, such as turning on dark mode, muting notifications, taking screenshots, and opening applications. Refer to Welcome to Copilot in Windows (microsoft.com) for further information.
To launch Copilot for Windows:
- To get started, press +C, or use the Copilot for Windows icon on the taskbar's right end.
By default, it appears as a sidebar overlay on the right side of your screen. For a more integrated experience, you can opt for the side-by-side mode by clicking the Show side-by-side button at the top right corner. Copilot runs alongside your active applications in this mode without overlapping your desktop content.
Data and Privacy
Your input into Copilot (as long as you are signed in to your IC account) is not used to train the underlying large language models, and Microsoft retains neither your input nor Copilot's responses after your browser is closed, the chat topic is reset, or the session ends. For detailed information about data protection, refer to Copilot's Privacy and Protections (microsoft.com).
To confirm you are using Copilot with data protection, go to https://copilot.microsoft.com/, and locate the green "protected" icon in the top right of the window as seen below.
Caution: Other AI models may retain any data entered into them. To safeguard the privacy of the IC community, please refrain from entering the following into any AI tool other than Copilot (i.e. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, etc).
- Personal Identifiable Information (PII): Full names, addresses, social security numbers
- Financial details: Bank accounts, credit card numbers, transaction data
- Health records: Personal medical information
- Login credentials: Usernames, passwords
- Confidential academic work: Unpublished research, patents
- Student academic information: Grades, evaluations, or any other records that could impact student privacy and academic integrity
Comparison
- Microsoft Copilot is a AI-powered text completion service and is included with your Microsoft 365 license
- OpenAI GPT-3.5 is a free AI-powered text completion service
- OpenAI GPT-4 is a subscription-based AI-powered service that has access to the latest AI models and plug-ins, including DALL-E, browsing, and advanced data analysis.
Further Reading