Microsoft is set to charge $30 per user per month for business accounts to access its AI assistant, Copilot, within its cloud-based productivity software. Copilot, powered by GPT-4, allows users to generate content by typing in text prompts in applications like Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The pricing represents a 53% to 83% increase in the average monthly cost for business-grade versions of Microsoft 365, which is used by hundreds of millions of workers. - Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended the pricing, highlighting the value of AI in automating routine work and boosting productivity.
- Around 600 enterprise customers, including General Motors and Goodyear, have been testing Copilot, suggesting an imminent release.
Microsoft also introduced Bing Chat Enterprise, a secure version of the AI chatbot for handling sensitive business data. - That version is now available in preview, included at no extra charge in specific Microsoft 365 plans.
- Microsoft also plans to sell it as a standalone subscription priced at $5 per user per month.
- In addition, Microsoft is rolling out the ability to search with images in its Bing AI Chat.
- Following all of Microsoft's AI announcements, the company's stock closed at an all-time high of $359.49.
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