Microsoft Copilot Overview
KB06004218 •259 Views • Updated 4-Dec-2024
Contents
About Microsoft Copilot
Copilot (formerly known as Microsoft Bing Chat) is a generative AI-powered chat tool integrated with internet search and image generation capabilities. Copilot uses OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E 2 models. It is available to UChicago students, faculty, and staff through the University’s Microsoft 365 license.
Using Copilot with your UChicago Account
Copilot is available to the public as a free tool, but the University’s Microsoft 365 licensing agreement provides data and privacy protections that the public version does not offer. It is strongly recommended that you log in with your UChicago email while using Copilot for University-related activities.
Only content provided by users in the chat is accessible to Copilot, and all data shared remains private and it’s not used to train AI models. Please note that Copilot is not the same as Copilot for Microsoft 365: It cannot invoke organizational content like files, emails or chats. For more details, refer to Microsoft’s Privacy and Protections section.
When using generative AI tools, including Copilot, always verify the accuracy of their output, as these tools can produce incorrect information, known as “hallucinations.” Treat Copilot’s content as a reference and not as an authoritative source.
Get Started with Copilot
Follow the instructions below to access Microsoft Copilot.
- Go to https://copilot.microsoft.com/ or https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat/
Important note: Copilot browser integration is only officially supported in Microsoft Edge (desktop and mobile). You can use the browser-based version on any supported web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. However, if you encounter login issues on another browser, use Edge. Wait 20-30 minutes, then clear the cookies and cache of your original browser and try logging in again. For any login issues, the first troubleshooting step is to clear the browser's cookies and cache, then attempt to log in again. Select the browser you are using for instructions on how to clear your browser cache and cookies: - Sign in with your UChicago email (for example, CNetID@uchicago.edu).
Note: your interactions with the AI-powered chat tool will not be in the protected environment if you do not sign in with your UChicago email account.
Please review the UChicago guidelines on the use of AI in addition to the following guidance for Microsoft Copilot.
Microsoft Copilot Generative AI Guidance
Microsoft Copilot can be used to work with non-sensitive data types. These include:
- Publicly available information, general academic concepts, and non-sensitive data.
- De-identified datasets that do not contain personal or sensitive information.
- Institutional data that is not regulated.
University Data Policy
To keep our data safe, the University community must adhere to data protection policies, including the Treatment of Confidential Information and Acceptable Use. As part of these policies, please note that the following types of data may not be used with Microsoft Copilot:
- Medical and Health Data: Information related to medical conditions, diagnoses, treatments, payments, or other personal medical or health information.
- Student Education Records: This includes student records, work products, communications, grades, and enrollment or disciplinary records.
- Other Confidential or Regulated Data: Financial and student aid information, admissions records, and sensitive internal communications. Data that are subject to a data use, confidentiality, or other agreement that prohibits sharing with third parties.
Help
For additional assistance, please submit a request to IT Services.