Microsoft Copilot Pro vs. ChatGPT: How Do They Compare?
The launch of Microsoft Copilot Pro cements Microsoft as a market leader in AI.
- Microsoft has launched a subscription-based AI-powered digital assistant.
- The latest version of Copilot includes Open AI’s GPT-4 Turbo and Dalle3.
- This subscription enhances Microsoft’s AI offerings and extends its partnership with OpenAI.
- Microsoft and OpenAI are facing regulatory probes by US, UK, and EU competition regulators.
Microsoft Copilot Pro is the latest AI offering from the tech giant and is a subscription-based model that promises to enhance Microsoft’s existing AI product, with advanced features across Microsoft applications and custom chatbots.
The integration with OpenAI includes consumer and enterprise products including Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service.
Overview of Microsoft Copilot Pro
The monthly subscription service to Microsoft Copilot Pro provides users with access to GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo during peak times, as well as AI image generator DALL-E. This builds on existing capabilities of the earlier Microsoft Copilot model which also allows users to access GPT-4, but not during peak hours.
Aimed at both organizations and individuals, the integration aims to offer seamless experiences for users who are already part of the Microsoft ecosystem, as well as provide attractive new features to onboard new users.
Some of the listed features include access to Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on PC, Mac and iPad for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers.
Some Key Differences Between ChatGPT and Microsoft Pilot Pro
ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot Pro are both advanced language models, however there are some key differences between the two. While ChatGPT is part of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) family of language models and is primarily designed to be a chatbot, Microsoft Copilot Pro is an AI-powered digital assistant with the key function of providing personalized assistance to users. In this way, Copilot combines the power of large language models such as ChatGPT with user data to provide custom applications that enhance organizational productivity.
Microsoft currently incorporates OpenAI technology into products such as GitHub Copilot, Designer, Teams Premium, and Bing Chat.
Limitations of ChatGPT?
ChatGPT was previously trained only using data up to September 2021., however the latest version GPT-4 allows it to search the internet, as well as provide real-time information. It appears that Microsoft’s AI support section has not been updated, given the website section states that ChatGPT “does not have the ability to search the internet and may not have the most up-to-date information to draw from”.
OpenAI has acknowledged the limitations of its generative AI model on its website:
“GPT-4 still has many known limitations that we are working to address, such as social biases, hallucinations, and adversarial prompts. We encourage and facilitate transparency, user education, and wider AI literacy as society adopts these models. We also aim to expand the avenues of input people have in shaping our models”.
While AI is constantly evolving, and ChatGPT has addressed the need to address existing limitations, the ethics of AI have been the subject of debate as its technology becomes widespread.
The relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI
Rather than direct competitors, Microsoft and OpenAI have worked together to create the underlying AI. Microsoft is developing and providing the supercomputing infrastructure that OpenAI services run on. The alliance with OpenAI has seen the development of multiple supercomputing systems powered by Azure which is the exclusive cloud provider for all OpenAI.
This relationship could see Microsoft become the world’s largest company by market cap, as user @JamesEagle17 noted in a Twitter post.
In January 2023 Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft shared the news that the relationship would be extended to continue the focus on AI research and development:
“We formed our partnership with OpenAI around a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratize AI as a new technology platform. In this next phase of our partnership, developers and organizations across industries will have access to the best AI infrastructure, models, and toolchain with Azure to build and run their applications.”
The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, who was recently fired and re-hired added:
“The past three years of our partnership have been great “Microsoft shares our values and we are excited to continue our independent research and work toward creating advanced AI that benefits everyone”.
The ongoing collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI, includes a multi-billion dollar investmen t from Microsoft and regular collaboration between the two.
Regulatory Troubles Ahead for Microsoft and OpenAI?
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently defended his company’s multi-billion-dollar investment in ChatGPT developer OpenAI amid regulatory probes into the deal between OpenAI and Microsoft, and whether it resembles a merger.
The unique relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft includes a reported 49% stake in OpenAI by Microsoft, which has led to regulatory scrutiny by watchdogs in the US, the UK, and now the EU .
“The European Commission is checking whether Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI might be reviewable under the EU Merger Regulation,” the EU competition regulator revealed.
