The company said on Monday that the update will let Copilot’s Researcher agent draw responses from both OpenAI’s GPT and Anthropic’s Claude models within a single workflow. Until now, it relied on one model for each task.

With the new “Critique” feature, one model handles the initial draft while another reviews and refines it before the final output is produced. 

Microsoft said this setup is designed to improve accuracy and reduce errors that can appear in AI-generated responses.

Microsoft is also adding a feature called “Model Council”, which lets users compare answers from different AI systems side by side. This gives a clearer view of where responses match or differ, and helps users decide which output to rely on.

The company says the changes are aimed at improving speed, quality and overall productivity for users working on complex tasks.

At the same time, Microsoft is expanding access to its Copilot Cowork tool, which is still in early release under its Frontier programme. The tool is built for longer, multi-step tasks. Users can describe what they want done, and the system creates a plan, works through connected steps and shows progress along the way.

Copilot Cowork can also carry out routine work such as scheduling, preparing briefings and handling repeat tasks like monthly reviews. Microsoft said early users are already applying it to planning, document creation and preparation for executive meetings.

The company has been focused on strengthening its Copilot platform as competition grows from other AI tools, including Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude-based systems.

This change will bring to an end the ability for users to create custom Copilot GPTs. Following this date, all existing GPTs and their associated data will be deleted between July 10 and July 14, 2024.

Microsoft Copilot Pro, a $20 monthly subscription, will no longer support the GPT Builder feature, which allows users to create customized GPTs. 

In May, Microsoft announced it was slowing its Copilot AI advances to refine the tool’s existing experiences based on user feedback. The company indicated that the refinement phase wouldn’t affect Copilot’s user experience. As such, this might be part of Microsoft’s plans to refine Copilot’s user experience.

The decision reiterates Microsoft’s strategy to prioritize core product experiences for consumers while focusing on GPT development for Commercial and Enterprise applications.

Users who wish to save their custom GPT instructions are directed to open the GPT in edit mode, navigate to the configure tab, and copy and save the instructions elsewhere. 

All data collected by the Copilot GPT Builder will be deleted, with Microsoft’s Privacy Statement providing more details on data handling and processing.

For users wishing to cancel their Copilot Pro subscription, detailed instructions can be found on the Microsoft website. 

Those who purchased Copilot Pro through Google Play or the Apple app store are directed to contact their respective customer support for cancellation, while Information on subscription expiry can be found on the “Find out when your Microsoft 365 subscription expires” page. 

To manage subscriptions, users can visit the Services & Subscriptions page on their Microsoft account. Recurring billing can be turned back on by logging into their Microsoft account and selecting the “Turn on recurring billing” link under their Copilot Pro subscription.