Copilot: A copilot is an AI assistant built into the software you already use, suggesting, drafting, and completing work alongside you rather than replacing you. Copilot is also Microsoft's brand for its AI assistants across Windows, Microsoft 365, and GitHub.
The metaphor is deliberate: a copilot assists while you stay in command. Instead of opening a separate chat window, the AI lives inside your email client, spreadsheet, code editor, or CRM, with access to the document you are working on. You ask for a draft, a formula, a summary, or a suggested reply without leaving the task.
Microsoft made the word a product name. Microsoft 365 Copilot works inside Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint and can draw on your organization's files and emails, subject to your existing permissions. GitHub Copilot autocompletes and now writes and edits code for developers. Copilot in Windows and the consumer Copilot app are general chat assistants. Other vendors use the generic term or their own branding, such as Gemini in Google Workspace.
The value of a copilot is context: it can see the meeting transcript, the thread, or the sheet, so you type less. The risk is over-trust. Suggested formulas can be wrong, summaries can miss the point, and a drafted reply can commit you to something you did not intend. Read before you accept.
Example at work
An executive assistant uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to draft a recap of a Teams meeting from the transcript, turn a long email thread into a three-bullet summary for her manager, and build a first draft of a slide deck from a Word memo. She edits each output and checks that the recap's action items match what was actually agreed.
Why it matters
Copilots are how most people will encounter AI at work, whether or not they ever open a standalone chat tool. Understanding what they can see, what they can do, and where they go wrong is the difference between a real time-saver and a source of subtle errors.
Related terms
- ChatbotA chatbot is software you converse with by typing or speaking. Older chatbots followed scripted decision trees; modern AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot use large language models to understand and respond to almost any request.
- AI agentAn AI agent is a system that uses an AI model to pursue a goal on its own by planning steps, using tools such as web browsers, files, and software APIs, and adjusting based on results, rather than answering a single prompt.
- Large language model (LLM)A large language model (LLM) is a neural network trained on enormous amounts of text to predict the next word, then tuned to follow instructions and hold a conversation. LLMs power ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
- Workflow automationWorkflow automation connects apps and steps so that a trigger, such as a new form response or an incoming email, automatically runs a sequence of actions, increasingly with an AI step that reads, decides, or writes along the way.
- Human-in-the-loopHuman-in-the-loop is a design approach in which a person reviews, approves, or corrects an AI system's output at defined points before it takes effect, combining the speed of automation with human judgment and accountability.