Microsoft says OpenAI’s ChatGPT isn’t “better” than Copilot; you just aren’t using it right, but Copilot Academy is here to help
“Copilot Academy” will equip users with skills to leverage Microsoft’s AI capabilities optimally.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
With the rapid advances ingenerative AI, chatbots have emerged from several companies, includingMicrosoft’s Copilot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini,Anthropic’s Claude AI, and more. The former two are arguably the most popular among users. However, users are seemingly more inclined toward OpenAI’s offering on mobile, especially afterthe ChatGPT maker shipped GPT-4o— consequently leading to the"biggest spike ever" in revenue and downloads on mobile.
Avid AI users oftenboast about ChatGPT’s advanced user experience and capabilities compared to Microsoft’s Copilot AIoffering, although both chatbots are based on OpenAI’s technology. Earlier this year, a report disclosed thatthe top complaint about Copilot AI at Microsoftis that “it doesn’t seem to work as well as ChatGPT.”
This can be attributed to the fact thatChatGPThas been around for much longer and recentlysurpassed 200 million weekly active users. On the other hand, a report by Appfigures revealed thatMicrosoft’s poor promotion practicesand subtle launch of the Copilot app on mobile hurt its discoverability in the App Store and Google Play Store.
At some point, Microsoft even decided to pump the brakes on shipping new Copilot experiences to focus on improving and enhancing the existing ones. The company announced new Copilot experiences at itsspecial event, includingCopilot PagesandCopilot agents.
We aren’t “using Copilot as intended,” but Copilot Academy is here to help
The report further disclosed that a lack of proper prompt engineering practices prevents users from realizing Copilot’s full potential. A Microsoft employee indicated that the quality of Copilot’s response depends on how you present your prompt or query. At the time, the tech giant leveraged curated videos to help users improve their prompt engineering skills.
And now, Microsoft is scaling things a notch higher with Copilot Academy. As you might have guessed, Copilot Academy is a program designed to help businesses learn the best practices when interacting and leveraging the tool’s capabilities.
Microsoft launched Copilot Academy in April but was limited to a paid license with Viva Learning or Viva Suite. However,the program is now available to a broader audience, including businesses with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
The Copilot Academy ships with a ton of features, including:
🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃
Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You’ll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.
