内容来源：https://aibusiness.com/generative-ai/microsoft-s-copilot-redesign-provides-experimental-opportunity

内容总结：

微软于9月25日对Copilot进行重大改版，将其从单一的AI助手升级为内容工作平台，推出Home、Code和Autopilot三大核心功能。Home将Teams聊天与Copilot Cowork整合，并嵌入完整的Word、Excel和PowerPoint应用；Code由GitHub Copilot驱动，允许用户通过自然语言构建自定义应用、仪表盘和工作负载；Autopilot则是此前的Scout，作为数字同事可负责建立和管理审核流程、制定日程、准备会议及跟进事项。

此次改版旨在解决Copilot此前定位模糊、企业用户不知如何使用等问题。据统计，在微软超过4.5亿Microsoft 365客户中，付费使用Copilot的用户不足2000万。微软希望通过将Copilot品牌与Office及企业常用生产力应用深度整合，重塑客户的使用方式，同时切入热门的AI编程领域，使Copilot成为企业员工日常工作的核心工具。

Gartner分析师Larry Cannell指出，微软将AI编程代理引入知识工作者的体验中，对CIO而言是一件不寻常的事，堪称“行业实验”。他认为，关键不在于生成代码，而在于代码的长期维护和支持，因此微软Copilot Managed Runtime将发挥重要作用。该平台是一种托管基础设施，可让代码在企业Microsoft 365环境中安全运行，由IT部门治理，同时用户可轻松与同事共享应用、连接实时数据并随时随地访问。

改版后，Copilot从辅助工具变为核心应用，Word等Office应用退居其次。Cannell表示，用户将实现“氛围写作”和“氛围协同编辑”，这类整合将帮助用户，而对大多数已购买Copilot许可证的企业而言，真正的价值可能在于Office集成。

定价方面，微软引入基于使用量的计费模式，Cowork、Code、Autowork以及OpenAI的Astra、Anthropic的Fable等前沿模型均按使用量计费。同时微软保留分层许可模式：免费版Copilot、每月每用户20美元的Copilot Pro、每月每用户21美元的Microsoft 365 Copilot Business，以及每月每用户30美元的Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise。Cannell认为，微软未完全转向消费型成本模式是好消息，预计短期内也不会这样做。

中文翻译：

由谷歌云赞助
选择你的首批生成式人工智能用例
要开始使用生成式人工智能，首先应关注那些能够改善人类信息体验的领域。
此次改版将Copilot从简单的AI助手转变为一个内容工作空间，为知识工作者提供先进的开发者工具。
微软对Copilot的重新设计表明，供应商们仍在不断尝试，探索如何将AI与知识工作者正在使用的应用程序进行整合。
微软重新推出了Copilot，带来三项重大新功能：Home、Code和Autopilot。据微软介绍，Home将Teams聊天和Copilot Cowork整合在一起，并将完整的Word、Excel和PowerPoint应用集成到该平台中。Code由GitHub Copilot提供支持，让用户能够使用自然语言构建自定义应用、仪表盘和工作负载。Autopilot是一个数字协作者，前身为Scout。它可以设置和管理审核流程、制定日程、准备会议和后续跟进。
Copilot的此次改版于9月25日揭晓，展示了微软如何将该平台从一个单纯的AI助手转变为一个内容工作空间。
通过这一变革，微软希望改变客户使用Copilot的方式。据报道，在超过4.5亿Microsoft 365客户中，付费使用Copilot的用户不到2000万。此外，微软对于希望Copilot成为什么样的产品缺乏清晰的品牌定位，许多企业也不确定应该用它来做什么。
通过对Copilot进行品牌重塑，微软正在解决其中一些问题，将Copilot品牌与Office及企业使用的其他生产力应用进行整合。微软似乎还试图借助AI编程这一热门领域发力，就像Anthropic、OpenAI和SpaceX（通过收购Cursor）在过去一年中所做的那样，同时努力使Copilot成为企业员工日常工作的核心工具。
“这是微软将编程代理、AI编程代理直接引入知识工作者的体验中，这对CIO来说有点不可思议，或者说将是一件不寻常的事，”Gartner分析师Larry Cannell表示。“编程选项卡以及提供对AI编程代理的访问权限，是一项行业实验。”
Cannell表示，虽然访问代码对知识工作者来说可能可行，但真正重要的是对所生成代码的处理方式。他说，这就是为什么Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime对用户来说至关重要，Cannell补充道。据这家科技巨头介绍，这个新平台是一个托管基础设施，使代码能够在企业的Microsoft 365环境中安全运行。虽然由IT部门进行管理，但微软表示，用户可以轻松地与团队成员共享应用、将其连接到实时数据，并从任何地方访问。
“关键不在于创建代码，而在于维护代码、支持代码并使其长期运行，”Cannell说。
不过，Cannell继续表示，借助这一运行时，微软拥有一个优势，因为有一个标识符可以帮助管理隐私和权限设置。
“这符合他们的整体战略，”他说，指的是微软推动将AI工具集成到常规应用中，同时仍允许每个用户在正确的权限设置内工作。“这仍然超出了大多数知识工作者所准备好的程度，所以这就是为什么它是一项行业实验。但这是微软能够很好参与竞争的一个领域。”
此次重新设计的另一个方面是，Copilot变得更加处于企业知识工作者工作的核心位置。此前，许多用户将Microsoft 365视为其主要应用，Copilot则处于辅助地位。然而现在，Copilot成为了主应用，Word和其他Office应用则退居其次。
“你几乎可以用这个来进行……氛围写作，”Cannell说，指的是主要基于自然语言的AI编程。“但你也可以用这个进行氛围协同编辑，”他说。“这类整合将帮助用户。”
“对于今天拥有Copilot许可证的大多数公司来说，真正的价值可能在于Office集成，”他继续说道。
微软在此次重新设计中还调整了定价方式：Copilot中的功能按使用量计费，而非统一费率。微软表示，通过基于使用量的计费（UBB），用户可以完全掌控模型选择，并使成本与价值相匹配。Cowork、Code、Autowork以及OpenAI的Astra和Anthropic的Fable等前沿模型均采用UBB计费。
然而，微软在定价方面的竞争力在于，该供应商维持了其分层许可模式，包括免费版Copilot；每月每用户20美元的Copilot Pro选项；每月每用户21美元的Microsoft 365 Copilot Business方案；以及每月每用户30美元的Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise方案。
“这里传来的好消息是，他们并没有完全转向消费型成本模式，”Cannell说。“我不认为他们会在短期内这样做。”

英文来源：

Sponsored by Google Cloud
Choosing Your First Generative AI Use Cases
To get started with generative AI, first focus on areas that can improve human experiences with information.
The revamp transforms Copilot from a simple AI assistant into a content workspace, providing knowledge workers with advanced developer tools.
Microsoft's redesign of Copilot shows how vendors are still experimenting to figure out how to integrate AI with applications that knowledge workers are using.
Microsoft reintroduced Copilot with three major new capabilities: Home, Code and Autopilot. Home provides both Teams chat and Copilot Cowork together, with the full Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps integrated into the platform, Microsoft said. Code is powered by GitHub Copilot and lets users build custom apps, dashboards and workloads using natural language. Autopilot is a digital co-worker formerly known as Scout. It can set up and manage review processes, build schedules, prep meetings and follow-ups.
The revamp of Copilot, unveiled on Sept. 25, shows how Microsoft is transforming the platform away from being just an AI assistant into a content workspace.
With the change, Microsoft hopes to change how customers use Copilot. According to reports, fewer than 20 million users pay for Copilot out of more than 450 million Microsoft 365 customers. Moreover, Microsoft lacked clear branding for what it wanted Copilot to be, and many enterprises were unsure what they were supposed to use it for.
With the rebrand of Copilot, Microsoft is addressing some of these issues by integrating the Copilot brand with Office and other productivity apps that enterprises use., Microsoft also appears to be trying to capitalize on the popular AI coding domain, much like Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX (with the acquisition of Cursor) have done over the past year, while also trying to make Copilot central to how enterprise employees perform their day-to-day jobs.
“This is Microsoft now bringing in coding agents, AI coding agents right into a knowledge worker’s experience, which is kind of bizarre or will be an unusual thing for CIOs to see,” said Larry Cannell, an analyst at Gartner. “The coding tab and giving access to an AI coding agent is an industry experiment.”
While access to code could work for knowledge workers, what really matters is what is done with the code created, Cannell said. He said that is why Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime will be key for users, Cannell added. This new platform is a hosting infrastructure that enables code to run safely within an enterprise’s Microsoft 365 environment, according to the tech giant. While IT governs it, Microsoft said it will be easy for users to share an app with teammates, connect it to live data and access it from anywhere.
“It’s not creating the code, it’s maintaining the code and supporting it and keeping it running long term,” Cannell said.
With the runtime, though, Microsoft has an advantage because there is an identifier that helps manage the privacy and permissions settings, Cannell continued.
“It fits into their overall strategy,” he said, referring to Microsoft’s push to integrate the AI tools within regular applications while still allowing each user to work within the right permission settings. “It is still out there ahead of what most knowledge workers are ready for, so that is why it is an industry experiment. But it is one that Microsoft can compete in well.”
Another part of the redesign is that Copilot becomes more central to enterprise knowledge workers. Previously, many users looked to Microsoft 365 as their main application, with Copilot on the side. However, Copilot is now the main application, with Word and other Office apps on the side.
“You’re almost going to be doing … vibe writing with this,” Cannell said, referring to mostly natural language-based AI coding. “But you are also going to be vibe co-editing with this as well,” he said. Those types of integrations are going to help the users.”
“The real value for most companies that have a Copilot license today is probably going to be the Office integration,” he continued.
Microsoft is also making a pricing change with the redesign: features in Copilot are billed based on usage rather than at a flat rate. Microsoft said that with usage-based billing (UBB), users have full control over choosing models and matching cost to value. Cowork, Code, Autowork and frontier models such as Astra from OpenAI and Fable from Anthropic all run on UBB.
However, what makes Microsoft competitive in pricing is that the vendor is maintaining its tiered licensing model consisting of free Copilot; a $20 per user per month option for Copilot Pro; $21 per user per month plan for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business; and a $30 per user per month deal for Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise.
“That's good news that has come out here is that they have not gone entirely to consumption. Cost,” Cannell said. “I don't expect them to do that anytime soon.”