The time period “copilot” for AI assistants appears to be in all places in enterprise software program at this time. Like many issues within the generative AI {industry}, the way in which the phrase is used is altering. Typically it’s capitalized, and typically it isn’t. GitHub’s alternative of Copilot as a model title was the primary main use, adopted by Microsoft naming its separate flagship AI assistant Copilot. Then, the time period copilot quickly grew to become generic. In widespread use, an AI copilot is a generative AI assistant, normally a big language mannequin educated for a particular job.
Confusion over a time period might result in some clients not realizing whether or not what they’re getting is a Microsoft product, for instance. However Microsoft doesn’t appear to be in search of possession over the phrase copilot, as numerous different firms use it. The time period copilot originated with flight and implies a reliable right-hand individual for a extremely expert skilled.
Right here’s what you might want to learn about a few of the many sorts of AI copilot.
What’s Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft Copilot is an umbrella time period for quite a lot of generative AI and chatbot merchandise now obtainable all through Microsoft productiveness software program. For enterprise customers, we’ve a information to differentiating Microsoft Copilot’s numerous iterations and new Copilot options and integrations.
Microsoft makes use of two constructions for Copilot product names: “in” or “for”
In TechRepublic’s cheat sheet about Microsoft Copilot, observe Copilot for Safety and Copilots for Finance, Gross sales and Service, that are more likely to be bought individually for particular makes use of or departments. That is an attention-grabbing case of Microsoft utilizing its personal model title in two methods directly (even after all of the renaming Copilot has gone by means of): the Copilots for provide very comparable, however extra industry-specific, capabilities in comparison with the Copilots in — for instance, Copilot in Phrase might help with any writing job, whereas Copilot for Safety integrates with particular safety merchandise.
SEE: Copilot in Bing was known as Bing Chat earlier than Microsoft unified its model names considerably. (TechRepublic)
What’s GitHub Copilot?
GitHub launched its Copilot product in 2021 (GitHub had already been acquired by Microsoft at the moment). GitHub Copilot generates code primarily based on a developer’s present code; it’s supposed as an AI model of pair programming. The unique GitHub Copilot was constructed on OpenAI Codex, a variant of the then-current GPT-3. GitHub got here full circle on generative AI with the addition of a chatbot to its latest iteration, GitHub Copilot X.
Microsoft Copilot vs GitHub Copilot
Microsoft Copilot and GitHub Copilot have totally different major use circumstances. GitHub Copilot is for coding particularly, whereas Microsoft Copilot integrates with numerous totally different enterprise software program. GitHub Copilot reads code, not pure language, and integrates right into a code editor; Microsoft Copilot makes use of pure language and sits alongside quite a lot of Microsoft merchandise. Alternatively, Microsoft Copilot can be utilized to jot down code in some cases, akin to on Energy Pages when built-in with Visible Studio Code.
Microsoft Copilot for enterprise begins at $30.00 per person per thirty days with a Microsoft 365 Enterprise Commonplace or Microsoft 365 Enterprise Premium license.
GitHub Copilot begins at $10 per person per thirty days.
What are different Copilot merchandise?
Salesforce is one non-Microsoft proponent of Copilot as a model title. Einstein Copilot, launched in February 2024, works throughout Salesforce’s knowledge cloud, AI and buyer relationship administration software-as-a-service choices.
Enterprise course of automation software program firm Appian calls its generative AI sidekick Copilot. One gross sales prospecting software program firm named itself Copilot AI, but it surely isn’t promoting a generative AI bot — as an alternative, it affords predictive responses to LinkedIn conversations and campaigns.
There are various extra firms utilizing Copilot to point a generative AI enhance for his or her providers.
SEE: There are a number of the explanation why companies or particular person customers would possibly need to disable the Microsoft Copilot options that include Home windows 11. (TechRepublic)
Can copilot be used as a generic time period?
For now, “copilot” is a versatile phrase for each generic and brand-specific AI chatbot merchandise for particular enterprise makes use of. For instance, Microsoft Copilot is a copilot. What “copilot” refers to or how an AI chatbot is known as could also be totally different relying on the group. The widespread makes use of of the time period point out the Wild West interval of AI we’re in, exhibiting each that professionals are nonetheless engaged on methods to make use of generative AI for enterprise and that generative AI is settling into an “assistant” function within the type of chatbots tailor-made to particular merchandise and functions.
You’ll possible see the phrase copilot written in lowercase to point the generic model of AI assistants. The folks making uppercase Copilot infrastructure have embraced the generic model of the time period, too: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang used copilot as a generic time period at NVIDIA GTC, as did many firms on the convention present flooring.
Different firms appear to be staying away from the time period: IBM calls its watsonx AI sidekick an Assistant, as does Databricks with its Databricks Assistant.