Microsoft has upgraded its 365 Personal and Family subscriptions, to include AI features such as Copilot and Microsoft Designer.
After successful testing in select markets, these tools are now being rolled out to the majority of Microsoft’s 84 million consumer subscribers, aiming to boost productivity and creativity globally while simplifying daily tasks and improving design capabilities.
Subscribers can now rely on Copilot to assist with various activities such as organising weekly meal plans, summarising email threads and creating great presentations.
Similarly, Microsoft Designer enables users to generate and edit visuals, enabling seamless image creation and editing directly within apps like Word and PowerPoint.
Copilot’s Features
The integration of Copilot definitely changes how users engage with Microsoft 365 apps:
- Meal Preparation: Generate recipes focused on dietary preferences in Word.
- Budget Management: Use Excel to analyse and optimise household budgets.
- Presentations: PowerPoint users can input details, and Copilot will draft slides and content.
- Email Summaries: Outlook provides condensed summaries of lengthy email threads.
- Task Organisation: OneNote helps organise freeform notes into structured task lists.
Microsoft Designer for Visuals
Designer, included in the subscription, enables users to:
- Edit images effortlessly, such as removing unwanted objects.
- Generate professional-grade visuals by describing a concept or choosing pre-set ideas.
Subscribers also receive a monthly AI credit allocation to utilise these features, with upgrades available for extensive usage.
Flexibility and Pricing
To support the expanded benefits, Microsoft is increasing subscription prices by $3 per month in the US, with changes effective at renewal for existing users. For those preferring simpler plans, Basic and Classic options remain available, maintaining core features without AI integrations.
Privacy
Microsoft has assured users that data such as prompts and documents used within Copilot will not be used to train AI models, reiterating transparency and privacy.
Access to New Features
These upgrades will be automatically available to existing subscribers upon updating to the latest version, ensuring a seamless transition to the enhanced suite of tools.
With Copilot and Designer now integral to Microsoft 365, users can look forward to a more intuitive and efficient experience across their favourite apps.
