What could be revealed in Copilot Wave 2?

On Monday 16th September Microsoft are hosting a LinkedIn live event called Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2. We know very little about this event so for a bit of fun, let’s explore some of the potential announcements Microsoft could unveil, and we’ll see after the event how much was right! The event is 30 minutes long. We usually see Microsoft host events that are at least an hour meaning these updates could be punchy with follow up content on Microsoft’s blog. Or we could see a small number of updates, spread across the 30 minutes.

Copilot name change

Some might remember for a brief period Copilot for Microsoft 365 was called Microsoft 365 Copilot. With the rumour mill turning, it sounds like we could be heading back to that name, especially since the event is called Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2. The new (old) name will likely impact other Copilots such as Copilot for Sales becoming Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales. And instead of Copilot in Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word. It’s a mouthful for sure and helps define the difference between Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Pro, the consumer version.

I would expect to hear this announcement with other changes coming to the other Copilot products, not just Copilot for Microsoft 365.

New features

I would imagine Microsoft will begin teasing some new features to tee up Microsoft Ignite on 18th-22nd November. It seems a while away, but this timeline gives Microsoft two months to move some features into a public preview ready for a General Availability later down the line.

Microsoft has mentioned this event covers the future of AI at work. We could see new Copilot features coming to the main productivity apps as well as some of the lesser used ones like Planner, Whiteboard and Loop. For example, Microsoft has previously discussed a feature in Outlook called Sound Like Me, where Copilot learns how you write emails and tries to essentially copy you and your mannerisms. Given this event is the future of AI at work, a Sound Like Me reveal could prove interesting! This feature will also increase usage with M365 Copilot in Outlook. Sound Like Me was originally available but was taken away based on user feedback.

Microsoft could be expanding the number of Copilots that are based on ChatGPT-4o. Whilst Copilot is based on ChatGPT-4 architecture, this can include up to 3 Large Language Models. With ChatGPT-4o more widespread, AI-based answers become quicker and more accurate.

Finally, I’m not expecting to hear more about Windows Recall as Microsoft may be saving this for an event later in the year. We might receive a progress update, but I would be very surprised to hear anything major.

Copilot Pro

The event specifically calls out “the next phase of Copilot Innovation”. And Copilot is bigger than Microsoft 365 Copilot at work. There is a consumer version – Copilot Pro, priced at £19 per user per month. While this competes with other premium offerings in the consumer market, that is a steep price to pay on top of a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan. For perspective, Microsoft 365 Personal is £59.99 a year. Adding 1 year of Copilot Pro at £228 a year, the total is closing in on almost £300 a year. It would be nice to see an affordable plan create a middle ground.

Like most in the Microsoft channel, I’m looking forward to the event and the difference in format. Hearing Microsoft use a “Wave 2” format suggests the wave updates commonly seen in Dynamics 365 are making their way to Windows and Modern Work. What Wave 2 holds…we’ll have to see on 16th September!

If you have questions or thoughts, add them in the comments below and we’ll see what Microsoft unveil together!

Join us next time where we break down the updates!