Microsoft is preparing to extend the scope of its Copilot AI functionality to Office applications for anyone who subscribes to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family.
Currently, these features are only available with a Copilot Pro subscription at €22/month per user.
According to an announcement from Microsoft Asia, Copilot will be integrated into all Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. These subscriptions will also have access to the Microsoft Designer application to generate images. According to the announcement, current subscribers will automatically have access to Copilot in their apps once they update to the latest version.
For Microsoft 365 Home subscribers, added features are only available to the primary user and cannot be shared with other members.
This is not an all-you-can-eat AI offering
As the ad explains, “ Subscribers will receive a monthly allocation of AI credits to use Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Designer. Credits will also apply to apps like Paint, Photos, and Notepad on Windows. » Those who exceed this ceiling will be able to switch to a Copilot Pro subscription.
While these new features are free for current subscribers, subscription prices are set to increase. In Australia, for example, one user reported that the cost of their subscription had increased from $139 to $179 Australian dollars.
For those who don’t want or need these AI features, a Microsoft 365 Classic option will be available, at prices similar to those before the Copilot increase.
In the rest of the world, notably in Western Europe and the United States, the free features of Copilot are not yet available. But it’s probably only a matter of time before they expand to other markets.
Starting in the Asia Pacific region gives Microsoft time to gauge customer response and continue to increase the capacity of the servers that power Copilot features.
