If the hype is to be believed, everyone has an AI assistant, but is it useful to you today? And is it worth paying for? We take a closer look at Microsoft Copilot Pro.

Artificial intelligence experienced a boom with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 and to this day we are still excited by the hype. The question is, should we even call it a hype anymore? Parties like Microsoft, Meta or Google are placing GPUs worth several billion euros with chip giant Nvidia to train AI models. Unlike the metaverse, which peaked briefly, AI seems to be here to stay.

Now the question is: how should an organization deal with this? Standing still is a step backwards, will everyone have an AI assistant tomorrow? Olivier Cuyvers, Sales Manager at Easi, explains this further. “Today, for example, anyone can ask Microsoft Copilot, free from Bing, a question to familiarize themselves with artificial intelligence.”

“The taste is good, but the most important thing is the brand name: Copilot. AI can summarize something very broad and all-encompassing, but remains a co-pilot and not an autopilot. It would be a big mistake to blindly copy without double-checking.”

First the big companies, then the small ones

According to Cuyvers, many organizations are already working on AI. “It often starts with larger companies that use groundbreaking technologies. After that, everything will slowly flow into the SME market. We notice that the topic is being discussed in many management bodies. They are all wondering what they should do with AI.”

For large companies, the first step is to activate, for example, 20 test licenses. “We have not yet come across any companies that are going all out today,” emphasizes Cuyvers.

It often starts with larger companies using groundbreaking technologies. After that, everything will slowly flow into the SME market.

Olivier Cuyvers, Sales Manager at Easi

He says that the drive for AI is great because people don’t want to fall behind. They are looking for a wardrobe, a Killer App take the step.

Driek Desmet, systems engineer at Easi, stresses that the bar is set low. “It’s also a poisoned gift. For example, with Microsoft Copilot Pro within Microsoft 365 with Sharepoint or Office, for example, a lot of things are already technically prepared. How do you get good results? What questions should you ask? What tools do you need? You need an adoption plan for that.”

Challenges for small and medium-sized businesses

Before the hype train continues, Cuyvers wants to bring organizations back down to earth. AI is a help, but there must also be the will to accept it and recognize its benefits.”Change management is our biggest challenge there. Guiding people in the right direction to recognize the potential of an AI assistant.”

In addition, he is not blind to the economic reality and the skepticism of SMEs. Do you want to pay 20 euros extra per account for an AI assistant? The economic crisis is hitting them hard today, so they have other priorities.

“I find this difficult,” says Cuyvers. “I understand that it is an investment, but it is annoying that SMEs often say that they do not see immediate results. This is true of all new technologies when used correctly.”

It all starts with a group of enthusiastic profiles within an organization. Let them play around with a demo account or a handful of licenses

Olivier Cuyvers, Sales Manager at Easi

It all starts with a group of enthusiastic profiles within an organization. Let them play around with a demo account or a handful of licenses. “There is an ROI with Copilot, they need to know that. People cost money, especially in Belgium. Use them more efficiently and leave the assembly line work to an AI assistant.”

A concrete example of AI automation

To show us how Copilot can quickly pay for itself, Desmet uses an example from HR. In his job posting example, he incorporates all the tools available today within Microsoft 365:

• Let Copilot write a job offer in Word, a solid foundation that does 80 percent of the work
• Create a link to the HR package in Copilot Studio to automatically select the best candidates for the job
• Create interview questions via Copilot in Word or in Microsoft Loop
• Applying via video call in Teams: Let the copilot take notes
• Combine all the above information and let Copilot create a contract proposal with all the data now available
• Let Copilot create a PowerPoint presentation for onboarding

Desmet stresses that this is how it should be explained to organizations and tailored to their needs. “If you keep it too vague, they will drop out because they don’t see the added value.”

Security and privacy

One of the main reasons why companies stay away from AI is security and privacy. Data needs to be clearly protected per user profile, for example to prevent an employee from asking a question about a colleague’s salary via Copilot. According to Desmet, this is often the problem for SMEs.

“Smaller SMBs often have unstructured and unsecured file servers, so Copilot can work with all that data out of the box. For example, Copilot can pass on unwanted, sensitive information to users, so it’s important that the folder security is in order.”

“That’s also the challenge for SMEs. But the advantage of Copilot is that all the data stays in your environment. Nothing is published to further train the AI ​​for public use, which is what ChatGPT does.”

Apart from that, we must continue to emphasize that an AI assistant is a co-pilot, a helper. You still have to look closely to see if something is right, similar to Fake news today on social media. Be critical of the results and don’t just blindly accept something.

Are we still relevant?

Developments around AI are happening very quickly, which means everyone needs to stay up to date. Will you still be relevant in five years? We asked Cuyvers and Desmet if they still have a job at Easi as a service provider now that a tool like Copilot is getting smarter. Both gentlemen laugh at the question, but also understand the seriousness.

“Copilots are absolutely valuable for both laypeople and technical professionals. We don’t have to fear that AI will soon take over our jobs. Change management remains crucial in integration projects. Above all, AI will enable us to work more efficiently. This also applies to IT professionals such as programmers and security analysts.”

It’s ridiculously fast. Microsoft itself admits this with Copilot.

Olivier Cuyvers, Sales Manager at Easi

Cuyvers is particularly excited to see how Copilot and all other AI assistants will evolve. “It’s happening ridiculously fast. Microsoft itself admits this with Copilot. AI has to help us all with the initial filtering. You have to know your job better, the level of the employee has to rise. That sounds contradictory, because AI helps us, but to understand such an assistant, we have to understand it even better.”

“Easi is surfing the AI ​​wave,” concludes Cuyvers. “Just like many other companies. I suspect ITdaily is doing the same? It has to be done if you want to stay relevant in the future.” Whether you play with the free version or delve deeper into the paid versions of AI assistants, standing still will feel more like a step backwards than ever.

This is an editorial in collaboration with EASI. Are you curious about how Microsoft Copilot can empower your business? Register now for the Microsoft Copilot Discovery Experience on June 6, 2024. Find more information about the event here.