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Microsoft unveils artificial intelligence-powered Copilot for Office suite in tech race with Google amid ChatGPT hype

  • Microsoft said Copilot will open to 20 enterprises for testing, helping them create content faster in products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
  • The tech giant is locked in an AI race with rival Google, which also unveiled a spate of related products this week for its own office software

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Microsoft introduced its artificial intelligence-powered assistant Copilot for Office products on March 16 as it races to compete with Google. Photo: Microsoft 365, captured via YouTube
Microsoft Corp on Thursday trumpeted its latest plans to put artificial intelligence (AI) into the hands of more users, answering a spate of unveilings this week by its rival Google with upgrades to its own widely used office software.

The technology company previewed a new AI “Copilot” for Microsoft 365, its product suite that includes Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and Outlook emails. First open to some 20 enterprises for testing, AI will offer a draft in these applications, speeding up content creation and freeing up workers’ time, Microsoft said.

The Redmond, Washington-based company, outpacing peers through investments in ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI, also showcased a new “business chat” experience that can pull data and perform tasks across applications on a user’s written command.

“We believe this next generation of AI will unlock a new wave of productivity growth,” Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, said in an online presentation.

Microsoft’s share price rose about 4 per cent on the news.

This week’s drumbeat of developments including new funding for AI start-up Adept reflects how companies large and small are locked in a fierce competition to deploy software that could reshape how people work.

At the centre are Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet, which on Tuesday touted AI features for Gmail and a “magic wand” to draft prose in its own word processor. The capabilities that Microsoft and Google showcased are similar.
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