Microsoft Adds Another Copilot Basic Edition

Microsoft recently released another basic edition of Copilot but hasn’t released all the prerequisites that determine the edition. Microsoft 365 (M365) Copilot Premium isn’t affected by this addition. The two Basic editions are named:

• Copilot Chat (Basic)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot (Basic)

Functionally, the difference between the two Basic editions is integration with certain Office apps. Copilot Chat Basic only enables Copilot for Outlook and Teams, whereas M365 Copilot Basic also enables Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. M365 Copilot Basic’s access level is “standard,” whereas Copilot Chat Basic’s access is not specified but expected also to be standard. The only other level is “priority” access reserved for the Premium Copilot license. Standard access is normal AI capacity, which may experience some service interruptions during peak usage. Priority access provides preferential access to AI capacity, reducing the likelihood of slowdowns or interruptions during high demand. However, these access levels may be removed in favor of Fair Use limits.