Microsoft Copilot | AI Competency Centre

Table of Contents:

• Overview
• Accessing Microsoft Copilot
• Microsoft Copilot (Chat)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot features

There are two versions of Microsoft Copilot which you can access at the University: Microsoft Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot. When logging in with a Nexus365 account, all staff and students have access to Copilot Chat. Microsoft 365 Copilot is available via a paid bolt-on licence for staff and researchers who require AI support within apps in the Microsoft 365 suite. The features available in the University of Oxford workspace will be subject to internal governance based on business need. 

Microsoft Copilot Chat: Microsoft Copilot Chat is a free limited AI tool offered by Microsoft. Unlike Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid), Microsoft Copilot Chat cannot integrate into your M365 applications and has a limited functionality.

Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft 365 Copilot integrates directly into your M365 applications, using your organizational data to boost productivity. This version requires a paid licence.

Important: Copilot can only access data you already have permission to see, but it can inadvertently facilitate oversharing. A request to "summarise all Project X documents" might pull from sensitive SharePoint sites you can access but shouldn't share widely. Maintain good "permissions hygiene."

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Copilot Chat (Free)

Copilot Chat is available to all students and staff when signed in with a Nexus365 account. It provides general-purpose AI assistance grounded in the public web, with enterprise-grade data protection through Microsoft Enterprise Data Protection.

Basic features within Copilot Chat are available to all Nexus365 users:

• Web search (via Bing)
• Image generation

What Copilot Chat is good for:

• Brainstorming ideas and outlines
• Drafting emails, summaries, and explanations
• Researching topics using public sources
• Generating images for presentations and communications
• Explaining concepts step by step
• Supporting study and learning workflows

Key characteristics:

• Web-grounded (does not see internal University files unless manually uploaded)
• Accessible via browser and Microsoft Edge
• Protected by Microsoft Enterprise Data Protection when signed in (look for the green shield and "Protected" label)
• No access to emails, Teams chats, OneDrive, or SharePoint content unless manually uploaded
• Limited use of certain features per day including image generation (approximately 15 boosts per day via a credit system)

🔗How Copilot Chat works with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.

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Microsoft 365 Copilot (Paid)

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid bolt-on licence that integrates Copilot directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote.

Licences for Microsoft 365 Copilot are managed by IT Services. For new applications, renewals, or queries about purchasing an M365 Copilot licence, please contact nexus365licensing@it.ox.ac.uk or fill out the Nexus365 bolt-on licence request form found on the Nexus365 bolt-on licencing webpage.

What the paid version adds

The paid licence provides:

• Direct access to files, emails, meetings, and chats the user already has permission to see
• In-app assistance across Microsoft 365 applications
• Advanced reasoning agents for research and data analysis
• Priority access to the latest models during peak demand
• Increased image generation capacity
• Expanded file upload capabilities within storage limits

Important: Copilot has access to all data in Sharepoint to which you have access with your Microsoft 365 (Nexus 365) account. This may occasionally include files to which you may have been given access by accident - if you discover any such files, please notify their owners or, if appropriate, the Information Security team. You can also ask about your emails and your chats in Teams. 

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