Names, versions and owners change fast. Checked October 2026.
In plain words
Copilot is a brand, not a single model. It is the name Microsoft gives to the AI assistant that sits inside its products. Open Word, Outlook, Excel, Windows or the Edge browser and Copilot is often there as a side panel you can ask for help.
It began in February 2023 as Bing Chat, a chatbot inside Microsoft's search engine. Later that year Microsoft renamed it Copilot and spread it across its apps. Many new Windows keyboards now even have a Copilot key.
The thinking is done by large language models. Microsoft has mainly used OpenAI's GPT models, and has since added models from other companies and its own; the box above shows the current mix. Because Copilot can see the document or email you have open, it can summarise, draft and answer questions about your own work.
Everyday example
A helper who sits beside you at every desk
Imagine an office assistant who follows you from desk to desk. At the accounts desk they help with the spreadsheet. At the letters desk they help draft the reply. They read whatever is in front of you before answering. Copilot is that assistant, moving with you across Microsoft's apps and looking at your open file when you ask it something.
Where the example breaks: A human assistant remembers your whole workday and knows the office. Copilot only sees what the app shares with it and what you allow, and it can still misread a document or invent details.
Latestas of October 2026
- Models
- OpenAI's GPT models, Anthropic's Claude models in Microsoft 365 Copilot since September 2025, and Microsoft's own MAI-Code-1-Flash in GitHub Copilot for individual users in VS Code since June 2026
- App
- Microsoft merged its personal and work Copilot apps into one app, rolling out from 13 August 2026
- Maker
- Microsoft, which owns GitHub
These details change often. The rest of this page explains what it is, which stays true.
How it actually works
Under the hood, Copilot connects three things: the app you are in, your data, and a language model.
It gathers context
When you ask a question, Copilot collects what is relevant: the open document, the email thread, or, in a work account, files and messages you have permission to see. This is a form of retrieval-augmented generation.
A model writes the answer
Your request plus that context goes to a large language model, which writes a reply. Which model is used can depend on the task and on the version of Copilot, and Microsoft has changed the line-up over time.
It acts inside the app
Copilot can do more than chat. It can put a first draft into Word, chart trends in Excel or build slides in PowerPoint from a short prompt, using the app's own features. This is tool use.
Different Copilots, one name
GitHub Copilot is a separate coding assistant from GitHub, which Microsoft owns. It suggests code inside programmers' editors and lets them pick models from several companies.
- Made by
- Microsoft
- First version
- Bing Chat, from 7 February 2023; renamed Copilot in late 2023
- Models inside
- Large language models from OpenAI and other companies, plus some of Microsoft's own
- Sister product
- GitHub Copilot, a coding assistant launched in June 2021
GitHub Copilot launched earlier, in June 2021, as one of the first widely used AI coding assistants.
Questions people ask
Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?
No. ChatGPT is OpenAI's own app. Copilot is Microsoft's assistant, built into Microsoft products. They are related because Copilot has relied heavily on OpenAI's GPT models, but each company designs and runs its own product.
What happened to Bing Chat?
It became Copilot. Microsoft launched Bing Chat in February 2023 and renamed it, along with its other AI assistants, to Copilot during late 2023, finishing on 15 November 2023.
Is GitHub Copilot the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No. GitHub Copilot is a coding assistant for software developers, announced in June 2021. Microsoft Copilot is the general assistant in Windows and Office. They share a name and a parent company but are separate products.
Can Copilot read my files?
Only what it is given access to. In an app it can read the document you have open. In a work account it can search files and emails you already have permission to see. Your organisation's settings decide what is allowed.