[German]Microsoft announced last week that the AI assistant Copilot is now available in classic Outlook for Windows. The Copilot feature in classic Outlook for Windows is already available to most Microsoft 365 customers in the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel.
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Plans for Copilot in Outlook
Microsoft had already presented its plans to integrate Copilot into Outlook at the last Ignite developer conference. So far, the new Outlook client for Windows has been the target of the Copilot integration. The app will be the first to receive support for the AI assistant. There is this tweet with embedded video showing the integration and the possibilities for "coaching with Copilot".
But many users continue to rely on the classic version of Outlook because the new Outlook app simply does not yet include a number of functions or will never support them (see New Outlook: Microsoft will definitely not support COM add-ins and my German blog post Neue Outlook-App als Problem: Der Ansatz schneidet alle COM-/VBA-Lösungen ab). Microsoft has therefore now also started to integrate Copilot into classic Outlook for Windows.
Copilot for Outlook 365 classic
The announcement was made by Microsoft in the Technet article Copilot is now available in classic Outlook for Windows, as the following tweet explains.
Copilot in classic Outlook for Windows is already available for most customers in the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel of Microsoft 365, the article states. Microsoft will continue to publish future Copilot functions in the new Outlook for Windows and on the web first. Mac and mobile devices will follow quickly, while the classic version will receive updates between 3 and 12 months after the initial launch.
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In the Techcommunity article, Microsoft discusses the CoPilot features already available in classic Outlook. It mentions a feature called "Summary by CoPilot", which can summarize the results of emails with multiple responses. The "Summary" button can be found at the top right of an open message in the reading pane and is available from build 16.0.17028.10000 in the Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.
There is also a feature called "Coaching by Copilot", which should be able to make suggestions when composing messages. The "busy schedule and pressing deadlines" are cited as an example of things getting mixed up, where coaching is supposed to help. The function is available from build 16.0.17231.20182 in the Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.
With the "Draft with Copilot" feature, users should be able to easily create a draft email. The Copilot icon in the ribbon and "Draft with Copilot" can then be selected via "New email" or Reply. Copilot then provides support with a draft message. The "Draft with Copilot" option is available in build 16.0.17425.20174 in the Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.
Copilot in Outlook requires a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. It is not clear from the Techcommunity article how this can be implemented properly within the EU so that it complies with the GDPR and whether data is transferred from Copilot to Microsoft servers on which the LLMs for Copilot is running. (via)
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