Introduction
Copilot is an AI Tool integrated into Microsoft Edge. On the whole I still prefer Google, but I am stacking up reward points to exchange for Amazon Gift Cards (it all helps). In less than a year I have managed more than 30,000 which in terms of value equated to what the best of free crypto sites such as Cointiply and CoinPayU offer. You only have to click three sites / links a day to enable search rewards after another three points up to 120 points daily - with another 60 point available if you search on your mobile.
Why not give it a go, you will need to open this link in Edge - join here
Overview.
As a search engine Bing is still a pile of crap but if they are giving points away I will gladly take them. However the point for today is to discuss the value of Co-Pilot which I admitted to using to help research yesterday's article before asking questions about its reliability. The fact is that it can be a useful assistant for general tasks but it is prone to making occasional mistakes, "hallucinating information", or failing to follow instructions. While it leverages the power of models like GPT-4 and can cite sources, users should always verify its output, especially for important or technical tasks. For factual accuracy, consider it to be an advanced assistant rather than an infallible authority, and don't solely rely on it for critical information.
As always DYOR - Don't let even a virtual assistant do it!
Review
However, that said, Co-Pilot isn't without its value. It's able to access recent and up-to-date information by accessing the web, and unlike some other LLMs (Large Language Models) it is not limited to its training data. Copilot, rather helpfully provides links to its sources, which is helpful for fact-checking, although end users should always further verify data for themselves. Furthermore its deep integration within Microsoft 365 apps can be highly beneficial for tasks like drafting emails or summarising documents, not to mention the convenience that goes with it. And best of all its free (although you should ask yourself if anything is ever truly free), even though it offers many of the capabilities of paid services such as ChatGPT Plus, Essentially we are using the GPT-4 model, for free.
This doesn't mean that it doesn't have its limitations. It has even been known to make up information (hence "hallucinations!") or provide inaccurate answers, especially for complex or highly specialised queries which it often can't handle. This results in it being inconsistent with instructions and it has been reported by users that Co-Pilot at times even provides the exact opposite to the information requested or fails to follow negative constraints (e.g., "do not..."). This becomes even more exacerbated when it comes to specific technical tasks such as coding in certain languages and it often makes mistakes that are hard for it to self-correct. As with any AI, there is a risk of it generating or amplifying biased or harmful content despite Microsoft's efforts to provide users with a responsible AI. Remember that the AIs employed by Facebook Reels and Tiktok also have this flaw because its algorithms are based on the idea that the more you look at something the more it will show it to you.
Conclusions
Despite its flaws it shouldn't be cast aside. So long as we remain aware of what it can't do. As best practice, Co-Pilot can be used as a starting point, in a similar way to Wikipedia, and it can provide a framework and the user should potentially treat its responses as a good first draft or a way to generate ideas, and definitely not as a final product. Usage of clear and specific prompts will yield the best results and avoid ambiguity. Information should always be fact-checked with other reliable sources and it should not be your sole point of access. As with all research it should be used alongside a range of other resources such as official documentation, community forums, or human experts.
And BTW I did not use Co-Pilot to research this article!
As always stay safe and well my friends.
