Microsoft 365 Puts Copilot Inside the Apps ⭐

For the past few years, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Pro have assumed the role implied by their names. That is, they were assistants that worked alongside the user, helping them with classic Office apps. Tied to this interaction model, these offerings were monthly bills for customers that were separate from the underlying Microsoft 365 commercial or consumer subscriptions one had to also pay for.
?‍✈️ We’ve been using AI as a copilot when we use AI at all
Those who follow these things closely recognize these Copilot implementations as examples of the “beside applications” AI app structure that Stevie Bathiche discussed during his famous Build 2023 talk. These people also know that Stevie discussed two other AI app models, “inside applications” and “outside applications.” But with a few years of experience and improvements in the technologies and tools, a more nuanced view of how we will use AI is emerging.

Many probably assumed that those three AI app structures would progress in order and that they collectively represented an evolution of sorts. And that is true to some degree: Each app structure, in turn, is more sophisticated than its predecessor, and each requires more and more new code, not just on the AI side but on the app (or service) side. But it’s now obvious that these app structures won’t replace their predecessors, in turn, in waves of new code. Instead, they will exist side-by-side. The mix will shift in time, but this mix of app structures will always be with us.

We know this to be true for two reasons. Common sense, in that not all apps (and services) will be rewritten or modernized and will thus still benefit from “besides application” solutions. And experience, because this happens all the time. For example, your Windows 11 PC has classic desktop apps, modern apps, mobile apps, web apps, and other types of apps all running alongside each other today.
? Chaos and noise
Watching Microsoft evolve its Copilot-based solutions is a full-time job and understanding it all requires a team of people. This creates a day-to-day “fog of war” effect that’s exacerbated by having to deal with the opposing sides of this incredible shift in how we interact with personal computing products and services. On one side are the AI deniers and doomsayers, different camps, yes, but with a shared view of AI as a threat. And on the other are the naive Pollyannas who believe that everything happens for a reason and that AI will deliver us into a Star Trek-like future nirvana.

There’s a lot of noise out there with the chaos.

Without overtly judging those who land on the extremes, I’ll just say that I almost always lean toward the center. I see both sides, disagree with a lot of it, and agree with some of it. But I do view AI as both inevitable and beneficial overall. The only questions in my mind are how and when. To date, the “how” is up in the air, though there are some early winners like OpenAI that may or may not emerge...