An Introduction to Copilot Plugins for Newcomers
Microsoft's AI chatbot, Copilot, is marketed as your "everyday AI companion." Although Copilot comes with the regular AI features, other companies have created "plugins" that expand its functionality. Here's what you can do with these plugins.
What are Copilot plugins?
These plugins are analogous to browser extensions. They allow you to add extra features that Microsoft didn't include or to improve existing ones by searching the web. To access Copilot's plugins, you'll need a Microsoft account. It can be a personal or work account, but without it, you won't see the Plugins menu when you launch the website. Desktop users will likely need a Chromium-based browser like Chrome or Edge to access the plugins as Safari didn't work for me.
Once logged in, the Plugins menu appears to the right of Chats. Click on Plugins and you'll see eight options. (Seven if you're using iOS.) Unlike ChatGPT Plugins (RIP), the options are rather limited and don't allow other developers to add more. Nevertheless, there are some notable features here:
- Search: This plugin allows Copilot to search the web in its responses. If you disable it, none of the other plugins can function. In reality, it's not a removable option.
- Instruction: This plugin lets you ask Copilot cooking-related questions about recipes or meal plans. It even lets you place your grocery orders through the provided link.
- Kayak: This plugin lets you ask Copilot travel and accommodation questions, which Kayak will provide responses for. The plugin allows you to set a budget for Copilot to adhere to in its recommendations.
- Klarna: This plugin allows you to ask Copilot to compare prices from "thousands" of stores online.
- OpenTable: This plugin allows you to use OpenTable through Copilot, enabling you to both search for nearby restaurants and follow a link to make your reservation.
- Phone: This plugin connects Copilot to your Android device. (Sorry, iOS users.) You can read and send text messages through Copilot, as well as ask the assistant about your contacts. Microsoft says you'll need to use the Link to Windows app for this feature to work.
- Shop: This is a non-generic shopping plugin; it draws from Shop, a company that aggregates results from different stores.
- Suno: This plugin lets you ask Copilot to generate music via Suno. I wrote about using Suno to create your own AI-generated music, an experience akin to magic.
These are your plugin options when using Copilot, but they come with restrictions. With the Search plugin and one other plugin, there's a limit of three plugins you can have active at once. If you want to change which plugins you're using, you'll need to start a new conversation with Copilot through the "New topic" button. Unfortunately, you can't switch between plugins during a particular conversation, so choose wisely before you start.
It's also crucial to remember that using these Copilot plugins means sharing your data with the plugin company. Bear this in mind as you use the service.
Using Copilot plugins
With your plugins enabled, you can integrate them into your conversation by explicitly indicating your preference for a specific plugin. For instance, you can say, "Use Suno to generate a rock song about AI," or "Use Instruction to come up with a chicken marsala recipe." You'll identify Copilot's use of a plugin by the plugin's logo displayed above the response.
Some plugins require clicking through to the company's website to proceed. For instance, if you ask Kayak to look for hotels in New York City for a weekend in October, it delivers a list of options, each with a summary of the hotel's reviews, prices, and amenities. To book one of these hotels or learn more about it, you'll need to click the Kayak link provided.
Credit: Aussiedlerbote
These plugins are quite nifty, but they're not worth going all out for. If you have a specific thing you want to do, like ordering groceries with Instacart or making restaurant reservations with OpenTable, it's better to just go to those websites directly. Copilot will still send you to their websites if you choose to proceed with any of the results. However, they can be handy when you're searching for ideas: Copilot and Instacart might inspire some dinner options that you wouldn't have thought of on your own. Also, if you use Copilot often on an Android phone, it's pretty neat to keep up with messages from the chatbot.
Read also:
Here are two sentences that contain the words 'tech' and 'how to use copilot plugins':
- If you're interested in expanding the functionality of Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot, you might want to explore using tech like plugins. These plugins can be installed to provide extra features that Copilot doesn't offer by default.
- To use the 'Kayak' plugin with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot for travel and accommodation information, and it will provide responses from Kayak. Keep in mind that some plugins require clicking through to the company's website to proceed, so you'll need to be comfortable with this aspect of how to use copilot plugins.
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