Microsoft Announces General Availability of Copilot, Expands Data Protection to Education Users

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 12/14/23

Microsoft announced recently that its pilot AI program, Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise, launched in February 2023, is no longer in beta and has been renamed as Microsoft Copilot. It is now available for general use.

Copilot uses the GPT-4 AI large language model (LLM) that helps users with tasks such as "drafting an e-mail, summarizing PDFs and articles, generating images with DALL-E 3, learning new skills, and getting answers to complex questions," Microsoft said.

Beginning in early 2024, Microsoft Copilot will be available to all faculty and higher education students ages 18 and above, the company said. These users will receive commercial-level data protection at no extra cost, backed by Microsoft's Universal Commercial License Terms for Online Services and subject to its Customer Copyright Commitment. That protection means:

  • Prompts and responses are not saved;
  • Microsoft does not view access; and
  • User data is not used to train the LLM.

Account holders can currently sign in to Copilot here. An updated and renamed user interface is planned for rollout to customers over time, the company said.

In addition, Microsoft has expanded Copilot for Microsoft 365 eligibility to include education users. Starting Jan. 1, 2024, enterprise pricing will be available at $30 per user per month for all faculty and staff.

While those with Copilot already enabled need do nothing, those who are new to it or need help transitioning from the Bing Chat interface can download an adoption kit containing training materials and ready-to-use e-mail templates.

For more information, see this blog post on the changes as well as details on the expansion to education here.

A video explaining more about Copilot is available here.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • computer with a red warning icon on its screen, surrounded by digital grids, glowing neural network patterns, and a holographic brain

    Report Highlights Security Risks of Open Source AI

    In these days of rampant ransomware and other cybersecurity exploits, security is paramount to both proprietary and open source AI approaches — and here the open source movement might be susceptible to some inherent drawbacks, such as use of possibly insecure code from unknown sources.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study: Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.

  • university building with classical columns and a triangular roof displayed on a computer screen, surrounded by minimalist tech elements like circuit lines and abstract digital shapes

    Pima Community College Launches New Portal for a Unified Digital Campus Experience

    Arizona's Pima Community College is elevating the digital campus experience for students, faculty, and staff with a new portal built on the Pathify digital engagement platform.