During Microsoft Ignite 2023, the tech giant unveiled a rebranding initiative for its AI-powered chatbot, Bing Chat. The chatbot, initially introduced on Bing earlier in the year, is now named Copilot in Bing. Simultaneously, the corporate-focused premium version, formerly known as Bing Chat Enterprise, has also undergone a name change to Copilot.
Microsoft emphasizes that the renaming is not intended to cause confusion, despite the fact that the Copilot brand is now associated with numerous products within the company. According to Caitlin Roulston, the Director of Communications at Microsoft, the decision to rename “Bing Chat Enterprise” to “Copilot” aligns with their vision of creating a unified Copilot experience for both consumer and commercial customers.
One plausible reason behind the rebranding could be the underwhelming impact of Bing Chat on Bing’s performance, prompting Microsoft to detach the technology from the search engine that introduced it. A report from StatCounter in August revealed that six months after the launch of Bing Chat, Bing had not gained any market share from Google. Microsoft contested these findings.
The changes go beyond mere nomenclature. Beginning December 1, users signing into Bing with a corporate account, specifically a Microsoft Entra ID, will enjoy “commercial data protection” when using Copilot in Bing. This entails that their data will not be stored or utilized for training AI models, and Microsoft will not have access to it.
Caitlin Roulston explained, “Copilot will update the commercial terms and conditions on December 1 to reflect that it’s a generally available product from Microsoft.” Additionally, she mentioned that Microsoft plans to extend eligibility for Copilot with commercial data protection to more Entra ID users over time at no extra cost.
Copilot is now accessible on Windows, Copilot.Microsoft.com, and Bing. It is included in various Microsoft enterprise subscription plans, such as Microsoft 365 E, E5, Business Premium, and Business Standard, at no additional cost. Starting December 1, Copilot will be part of Microsoft 365 F3, and for other customers, it will be available separately for $5 per month.
