A little while ago, I made a statement saying that Copilot needs some more work. When Copilot began its spread across Microsoft's ecosystem, it wasn't much more than just a glorified chatbot. And now that AI PCs are entering the market, Copilot was worryingly lacking features that could use this AI-orientated hardware.

However, I am pleased to say that I am eating my own words. In a few months since I made that statement, Microsoft has upped its Copilot game and made it an assistant that's now worth using. So while I wholeheartedly admit I had my doubts about Copilot, here's why I think it's now worth using.

4 Microsoft Copilot Pro provides good value versus the competition

You get a lot of bang for your buck

Right now, we're in the middle of a war between premium AI plans. The big AI models available today have dedicated premium plans, and each has its pros and cons. While people usually compare the capabilities of Microsoft Copilot Pro vs. ChatGPT Plus, there are other challengers, like Google Gemini Advanced and Adobe's AI assistant, to name a few.

These monthly plans usually clock in at $20 a month, so people will likely pick one model and stick with it. And for what you get for your buck, Microsoft Copilot Pro is a pretty good deal. There's access to OpenAI's latest technologies like GPT4-Turbo, plus Copilot integration across all of Microsoft's productivity suite. And given that Copilot is always a click or keystroke away on Windows machines, these advanced features are always ready when needed.

3 Microsoft Copilot is getting custom GPT support

Make Copilot your own

I believe that custom GPTs will become a key feature for AI services. A decent general-use GPT works for most cases, but people will approach the chatbot for different reasons. Some will want to use Copilot to help with their research, some will use it for cooking advice, and others will turn to AI chatbots for business-related queries. As such, having custom GPTs that focus on different areas of life can help refine the AI's responses and allow for better answers.

Recently, Microsoft has begun rolling out specialist GPTs that focus on different topics, and the company has confirmed that a GPT builder is in the works. If these features work as intended, Microsoft will have an advantage over other GPTs that don't yet allow its users to customize their experience.

2 Microsoft Copilot is getting Sora support (and likely even more stuff)

AI-generated videos at your fingertips

Have you seen what OpenAI has been doing lately? If you missed it, the company behind ChatGPT has revealed a new tool called "Sora" that can generate minute-long videos that look pretty convincing. It took the internet by storm when it was announced, with people speculating over how this would change how we produce and distribute videos.

Given the stakes Microsoft has in OpenAI, it's only natural that Copilot will get Sora capabilities in the future. This was confirmed in an X post by Mikhail Parakhin, the lead of Engineering and Business at Microsoft:

The addition of Sora means there's a good chance Microsoft will add OpenAI's future discoveries to Copilot. If done well, Microsoft could bring the bleeding edge of AI development through Copilot, with no external apps required.

1 Microsoft Copilot will actually let you control your PC

The assistant can finally assist

Finally, I'm happy to see that Microsoft is finally allowing Copilot to do PC-based tasks. The company recently announced many new capabilities Copilot now has with the latest Windows 11 update. This list includes taking a screenshot, adding a new device, and emptying your Recycle Bin, to name a few.

If Microsoft wants Copilot to be a staple service on Windows, the assistant needs to handle basic PC-related commands. Otherwise, it's no more useful to people than the now-discontinued Cortana assistant. Fortunately, Microsoft seems to know this, and I hope to see more task-based Copilot features in the future.

Microsoft Copilot has come a long way in a short time

While I was skeptical about Copilot, Microsoft has proven that it's keeping up with the competition just fine. With a good monthly subscription plan, the inclusion of some much-needed features, and some exciting things on the horizon, 2024 will be an exciting time for Copilot fans.