Microsoft has begun including Copilot in Microsoft 365, likely in a bid to drive user engagement and overcome a reluctance to pay for AI features.

Microsoft has been charging $20 per month for its Copilot Pro. Unfortunately for the company, consumers are still not sold on the value of AI, despite companies’ best attempts to push the new tech. Microsoft’s solution appears to be integrating Copilot into Microsoft 365, at least in some regions.

The company announced the change in a blog post:

We’re building on that decade of innovation by bringing Copilot and Designer to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. These changes bring the transformative power of AI to the personal productivity and creativity apps that millions of people use every day.

Microsoft says the decision was made in response to feedback from customers, and touts the advantages Copilot brings to Microsoft 365.

• Copilot in Word transforms your writing and reading experience by generating outlines or full drafts, suggesting rewrites to better capture your ideas, summarizing long texts into digestible pieces, and even creating unique images to complement your documents.
• Copilot in Excel helps you analyze your data to provide actionable insights and graphs, and generates formulas based on your requirements.
• Copilot in PowerPoint enhances your storytelling by generating full outlines with visuals, text, and speaker notes, and allows you to create custom images to make your presentations more engaging.
• Copilot in Outlook makes managing emails a breeze by drafting emails based on your intent, providing tips to improve tone and clarity, and summarizing email threads to help you catch up quickly.
• Copilot in OneNote takes your notetaking to the next level by helping you organize information, create lists, draft plans, generate ideas, and offers insights into past notes.

The company is also bring Microsoft Designer to its Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Furthermore, we’re making our newest app, Microsoft Designer, part of our Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions. In addition to accessing Designer within apps like Word and PowerPoint, you can also use the standalone Designer app on the web and mobile. Use Designer to create eye-catching images by simply describing what you’re looking for or choosing from pre-populated ideas. Plus, expertly edit your photos with AI by erasing unwanted objects with ease.

Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers will receive a monthly allotment of AI credits to use Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Designer. The credits will also apply to apps like Paint, Photos, and Notepad on Windows. Those who frequently use Copilot can upgrade to Copilot Pro, without worrying about usage limits. Learn more about AI credits.

The subscription price increases vary from one country to another, but the overall increase is relatively minor, especially when compared to the standalone price Microsoft was charging.