Day 7 – Microsoft Copilot Lesson

Lesson Overview

Microsoft Copilot is an AI chatbot from Microsoft powered by a version of ChatGPT. If you already saw ChatGPT and Google Gemini earlier in the course, this lesson gives you a practical look at Copilot so you can decide which one you want to use as your daily driver. You can use Copilot for free at copilot.microsoft.com, and there is a paid upgrade that raises usage limits and unlocks more consistent access to smarter models. The lesson focuses on the free version.

You will see how to craft strong prompts, when Copilot searches the web and cites sources, and how to share an entire conversation with a link. The video demonstrates Edits in a page, which turns an answer into an editable document where you can format text, ask follow-up questions about specific sections, and apply revisions. You will learn how to switch among response modes, generate images, upload files for quick summaries, and work across multiple documents in one thread.

For heavier tasks, you will see Deep Research, which builds a long, source-linked report but requires more time and is better on a paid plan. The lesson also touches on AI-generated podcasts, and shows connectors that pull in your OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Calendar, and Google Drive. Memory helps Copilot remember short facts about you to improve future chats. The goal is to help you pick one chatbot to use consistently, with Copilot as a strong option if you already live in Microsoft tools.

Who This Is For

If you want an AI assistant that fits with Microsoft tools and gives you quick, source-backed answers, this lesson will help you get started and choose wisely. It is especially useful if you create content, plan projects, or work in shared documents.

• Professionals using Outlook or OneDrive who want AI help on email and files
• Marketers and small business owners creating posts, briefs, or quick research
• Educators and students planning lessons, study outlines, or summaries
• Operations and project leads drafting plans and timelines with teammates
• Creators who want to generate images and share linkable outputs
• Anyone deciding between ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot as a daily chatbot

Where This Fits in a Workflow

Use Copilot when you need a fast, clear answer that you can turn into a working draft or shareable link. It fits well at the start of planning, during content creation, and when you want to move from an AI answer to an editable document. The Smart and Think Deeper modes are helpful for strategy or structured writing, while Quick mode handles straightforward prompts.

• Example 1: Planning. Ask for a five-day itinerary for a city with constraints like total daily hours and focus areas. Let Copilot pull sources, then share the conversation link with a colleague for feedback.
• Example 2: Drafting. Start a weekly, no-equipment workout plan or Instagram captions with the prompt formula, then open Edits in a page to format, expand a section with a revision, and copy the final text to your tools. The same flow applies to briefs, emails, and summaries.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Manually, you would search across websites, copy and paste into a document, format it, ask follow-up questions elsewhere, and email drafts back and forth. With Copilot, the answer appears in one place, often with sources. You can switch to Edits in a page to format and request revisions right inside the draft. If you need richer thinking, choose the Smart or Think Deeper model and wait a few extra seconds for a more practical result.

When working with files, the old way is to upload attachments, ask teammates to read them, and try to align on highlights. Copilot can summarize a single document or many files at once, then let you continue the chat in context. Connectors bring in Outlook, OneDrive, Gmail, Calendar, and Google Drive so you can draft replies and pull from stored files without juggling uploads. Deep Research can assemble a lengthy report with cited sources, though it takes time and works best on a paid plan. Note that very long pages can hit editing limits, and downloading in multiple formats is not as smooth as with some other chatbots.

Practice Exercise

• Step 1: Use the prompt formula.
  • Role: You are a marketing strategist.
  • Task: Draft three Instagram post ideas.
  • Context: For a small coffee shop.
  • Constraints and tone: Focus on storytelling and community in a friendly, approachable tone.
  • Output: Present as captions with hashtags.
• Step 2: Switch to Smart mode, then open Edits in a page. Select one caption, ask Copilot to expand the story element for that post, and apply the revision. Format with bold or italics if helpful.
• Step 3: Create a shareable chat link and send it to a teammate. Ask them to click one of the inline follow-ups in the chat to iterate on a caption.

Reflection: Compare Quick, Smart, and Think Deeper on this task. Which mode gave the best balance of speed and quality, and how did your constraints change the result?

Course Context Recap

Earlier in the course you saw ChatGPT and Google Gemini. This lesson shows Microsoft Copilot so you can compare the three and choose one main chatbot for daily work. You also saw how Copilot handles images, documents, links, and modes, plus where it has limits. Next, you will see short lessons focused on specific use cases and a comparison to help you decide which tool to pay for. Continue through the course to practice prompt structure, try image generation in more depth, and learn when to switch to specialized tools for tasks like research or audio.