Copilot will generate AI summaries for any Word documents you share with others in OneDrive

Copilot for Microsoft 365 will generate AI summaries for users sharing Word documents with others on OneDrive, according to a new feature coming to Microsoft 365 in February 2024. The entry says the feature will be optional, and users can opt for AI summarization or not, depending on their choices.

If they opt for one, the AI-generated document summary will be included in the share notification email received by the recipients, so that they can gain insight into the files that were shared.

If users decide not to generate the AI summary, they can do so by ticking the box inside the share dialog.

Users can now opt to include an AI-generated document summary inside the share dialog when they share a Word document with other users. The document summary is included in the share notification email sent to the recipient(s) giving them more context around the contents of the shared document. This feature is only enabled for customers with a Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 license and works only when sharing a Word for the web file.

Microsoft

Users will need an active Microsoft 365 license and access to Microsoft Copilot to be able to enjoy this feature, and it only works when sharing a Word file.

However, it is incredibly useful, especially when it comes to longer Word documents that have to be read in a short time: Copilot can generate a summary in seconds with the most important information, greatly reducing time and effort to get others up to date with documentation.

Summarization and editing have always been Copilot’s core capabilities, and this feature, especially, could be the one that would make the AI tool popular among Microsoft 365 users. But if that is not enough, then users should know that Microsoft 365 Copilot will be integrated into Windows Copilot, so theoretically, these summarizations can be easily accessed without even having to open the emails.

We’ll have to wait until February to see how it works, though.