Microsoft works to add non-OpenAI models into 365 Copilot products

Microsoft has been working on adding internal and third-party artificial intelligence models to power its flagship AI product Microsoft 365 Copilot, in a bid to diversify from the current underlying technology from OpenAI and reduce costs, sources familiar with the effort told Reuters.

It is the latest effort by Microsoft, which is a major backer of OpenAI, to lessen its dependence on the AI startup – a departure from recent years when Microsoft touted its early access to OpenAI’s models. When Microsoft announced 365 Copilot in March 2023, a major selling point was that it used OpenAI’s GPT-4 model.