Copilot Chat (formerly known as Copilot with data protection) is a secure AI-powered chatbot that uses advanced AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT-5 for and DALL·E 3 for generating images. It does not use your conversations to train any AI model or share any data with OpenAI, ensuring your information remains private. Functionality is split into a Work and a Web tab. High risk data should only be used in the Work search, Web is appropriate for moderate and low risk data.
Copilot Chat’s Features
- Chat Limit: You can have unlimited chats per day
- File Upload: Copilot Chat can analyze the content of files you upload into the chat box. Copilot supports the file formats listed in Microsoft’s documentation.
- Only one image upload is allowed per prompt with no other uploads.
- You can upload any number of non-image files to a prompt to add context, limited to 1 MB each.
- Current Information: When using the Web tab, Copilot Chat uses the Bing search index to provide the most up-to-date responses. This feature is disabled in the Work tab for added security prompts including sensitive University data.
- Transparency: All responses from Copilot Chat include verifiable citations for transparency.
- Microphone: With Copilot Chat’s speech capabilities, you can communicate by speaking to it instead of typing.
- Persistent Chat History: Copilot Chat automatically saves your conversations, allowing you to revisit and continue them later. Chats are automatically titled based on their content, but you can rename them or delete individual conversations. There’s also an option to clear your entire Copilot activity history.
- Context-Aware Assistance: Copilot Chat can understand and respond based on the content of the webpage you’re viewing (in Edge). Offers tailored help in apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Conversational Memory: Remembers useful facts you share (like preferences or recurring tasks) to personalize future interactions.
- Natural Language Programming: Converts plain language into code, formulas, or automation scripts (especially useful in Excel, Power Automate or programming languages).
- Updates: Please refer to Microsoft’s website to stay up to date with Copilot’s new capabilities.
Copilot Chat’s Limitations
- Data Classification: You can include up to high risk data in the Work tab of the chatbot. Do not use high-risk data in the Web tab of Microsoft Copilot Chat, the Web tab is suitable for moderate and low risk data only.
- Further Information: For more details about privacy and commercial data protection, please refer to Microsoft’s documentation.
Privacy and Protections
- Data Classification: You can include up to high risk data in the Work tab of the chatbot. Do not use high-risk data in the Web tab of Microsoft Copilot Chat, the Web tab is suitable for moderate and low risk data only.
- Data Security: All your chat data is securely encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone after the chat session has ended.
- Data Usage: Microsoft does not share any information with OpenAI. Your chat data is not used to train the underlying AI models.
- Data Access: Copilot Chat has access to data if you explicitly copy data into the chat or if using the Microsoft Edge Browser, Copilot Chat can access the active browser tab context when enabled.
- Sign-In Protection: When you sign in with your Yale account, ensure that you are signed into the protected Copilot Chat experience. You can identify this by the protection shield icon next to your profile that confirms that your data is protected in this chat. Please be aware that you may need to click around or log out and then back in for the green shield icon to appear.
- Further Information: For more details about privacy and commercial data protection, please refer to Microsoft’s documentation.
Accessing Copilot Chat
- Go to Copilot Chat on any browser and sign in with your Yale account. This applies to all users who are above 18 years old, irrespective of whether they are using a Yale managed or their own device.
- If you are using the Microsoft Edge browser, you can use Copilot directly in the browser by selecting the Copilot Chat icon in the right-hand corner of the browser window, enabling you to interact with the content displayed in the active browser tab.
- Microsoft Outlook and Teams both have a Copilot Chat button in their navigation bars that will bring you to Copilot Chat.
- If you are using a Yale Managed Workstation, you can also use the Copilot Desktop Widget that appears on your laptop. If it’s missing, please contact Yale ITS.
- After logging in, you can start chatting with Copilot. For usage ideas, refer to Microsoft’s documentation.