Davos, January 16, 2024, The Europe Today: In a strategic move to broaden its market reach, Microsoft announced on Monday that consumers and small businesses can now access enhanced capabilities in its artificial intelligence (AI) “Copilot” through a subscription service. Priced at $20 a month, the Copilot Pro subscription will offer individuals a text-drafting, number-crunching AI assistant integrated into widely used applications such as Word and Excel.
After the successful launch of a free AI Copilot for Bing search engine last year, this subscription will provide users with advanced tools and AI models, including the powerful GPT-4 Turbo. Microsoft is expanding the offering beyond large enterprises, acknowledging the growing demand for AI-driven productivity tools among a broader user base.
Notably, the company has removed the previous 300-person minimum requirement for the enterprise version of Copilot, making the $30 per-month per-user subscription, which includes security controls and Microsoft Teams upgrades, accessible to smaller businesses. Corporate Vice President Jared Spataro expressed confidence in the widespread adoption of Copilot among business customers, stating, “I can’t imagine a commercial organization out there that will not buy at least a seat of Copilot to see what it’s all about.”
In the competitive landscape, Microsoft faces rivalry from Alphabet’s Google, particularly in the AI-for-productivity and cloud software market. Copilot Pro enters the consumer market, where Microsoft aims to distinguish itself by integrating the AI assistant into applications that people use on a daily basis. This move aligns with the company’s commitment to making AI technology more accessible and integrated into users’ everyday workflows.
