Microsoft is launching a premium subscription for its Copilot AI service that gives you access to OpenAI’s latest chatbots.
Specifically, CoPilot Pro will offer priority access to GPT-4 Turbo, alongside the ability to create your own custom Copilot chatbots, and other features. The new option is out now for $20 per month (£16).
Released last November, OpenAI's GPT-4 Turbo can essentially handle more data thanks to a 128K context window. That means it can better understand queries and provide better responses.
All told, the new tier is Microsoft’s answer to ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI’s subscription service which offers many of the same perks for the same monthly fee.
Microsoft initially launched its AI chatbot last February as part of its Bing search engine, providing a ChatGPT-style option alongside regular search results. Before the end of last year, it had rebranded the service to Copilot as it sought to bring the digital assistant to more products and devices.
The standard version of Copilot remains free, and is now available on a brand new mobile app. There’s also a paid option called Copilot for Microsoft 365 which, as the name suggests, works with the company’s productivity software.
Copilot Pro, on the other hand, is aimed at power users, creators and business customers, according to Microsoft. As such, the new tier will work better across multiple devices, understanding context on the web, PC, your phone, and Microsoft apps.
Speaking of which, subscribers will gain access to Copilot on Microsoft Office software as long as they already pay for a Microsoft 365 individual or family subscription. On top of that, Copilot Pro will offer faster, more detailed results in Image Creator from Designer (another rebrand from its previous moniker Bing Image Creator, for those keeping track) as well as landscape mode.
Confusingly, Microsoft previously announced that GPT-4 Turbo would be available on Copilot soon, leading many to believe that it was referring to the free version. Now, it’s saying that Pro subscribers will be at the front of the queue for the faster AI model “during peak times.”
Seeing as GPT-4 Turbo can be a bit slower with its responses, you’ll be able to toggle between models in the near future.
In addition, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now generally available for individuals, small businesses and larger companies – with no seat minimum and more ways to buy through Microsoft's partners. Customers can purchase up to 299 seats for $30 (£24) per person per month.
Lastly, Copilot is now available on the Microsoft 365 mobile app. Between these appearances and Microsoft’s upcoming keyboards with dedicated Copilot keys, there will be no escaping the chatbot soon.
