Microsoft Copilot is changing the way we work, communicate, and collaborate. According to a 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, 75% of knowledge workers around the world now use generative AI at work. AI development continues to accelerate, and as Satya Nadella has shared, “we believe in a future where there will be a copilot for everyone and everything you do.”
We want to build the best AI ecosystem with Microsoft Copilot, something you’ll be hearing much more about this week at Build and in my upcoming session. We’re looking to you to create amazing experiences for your users that customize and enhance Copilot with your data, systems, and workflows. You can also build your own copilot that works as a standalone app, works with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and more.
New capabilities in our pro- and low-code tools announced at today’s event will enable you to build copilots and publish them as Copilot extensions that reach users on Copilot and on Teams. You’ll be able to reach more users, drive contextual discovery of your apps and data, and deliver higher quality user experiences. You can also benefit from faster time to market, improved ROI, and best-in-class policies around security and data governance.
In this blog post, we’ll share some inspiring examples of the growing Copilot ecosystem with examples from independent software vendors (ISVs) and customers using Copilot to elevate customer experiences, automate business processes, and grow their businesses. Next, we will walk through how you can build your own Copilot extensions and copilots with low- and pro-code tooling, discuss how to get certified in the Microsoft 365 App Compliance program to help speed up IT approvals to grow your reach faster, and finish up with resources for how to publish and monetize through the marketplace.
Explore the growing Copilot ecosystem
ISVs and customers have embraced Copilot to create unique and compelling experiences, and they’re building them on a strong platform. With thousands of applications in the Teams store and over 145,000 custom line of business (LOB) apps, there’s already a robust ecosystem. Organizations can take full advantage of the existing user base on the Microsoft 365 platform, and when they build Copilot extensions and copilots, they can reach these users in the flow of work. Here are some examples of ISVs and customers who are building these unique experiences:
At Microsoft Build this week, we are highlighting a number of ISVs and customers who are building great Copilot extensions and copilots. Here are a few of their use cases I’d like to mention:
- Adobe Express, empowering organizations to create on-brand content, is integrating with Copilot in Microsoft Word to generate, edit, and share all types of assets.
- Amgen, a leading biotechnology company, is known for leveraging advanced data analytics and AI paired with data to transform drug discovery and development. Copilot is an important part of this approach, boosting workforce productivity, speeding up drug development, and automating business processes.
- ESRI, a leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, is extending Copilot to build rich geospatial visualizations in ArcGIS for Teams.
- Moveworks, a company delivering AI solutions to large enterprise companies, is further boosting its artificial intelligence focus to automatically address workplace requests with their own copilot in Teams.
- ServiceNow, bringing together industry-leading generative AI capabilities offered by Now Assist and Copilot, enables employees to get the help they need regardless of which platform they are in.
- Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology company, is leveraging its Copilot extension with its AI assistant CoCounsel to help legal professionals complete complex work with the click of a button.
- UiPath, a leader in AI and automation, is enabling end users to find and run relevant automations using both search and action prompts, across Copilot including in Teams.
- WM Reply, a company focused on delivering engaging and beneficial employee experiences, created an extension that helps summarize project timesheets and resource allocation for discussions and individual stakeholder reviews.
- Wolters Kluwer, a global provider of professional information, software solutions, and services for various sectors, is enabling tax and accounting professionals to perform complex data searches to inform tax consultant decisions or recommendations to customers.
Additionally, other ISVs showcasing their Copilot extensions and copilots at Build breakout sessions include: Aisera, Canva, Jira, Lucid, LumApps, M-Files, Meltwater, Mindvalley, Mural, Templafy, Vantage Circle, Zoho Projects, and more.
These are just some of the examples of how Copilot is transforming experiences in various industries and domains. You can discover more Copilot experiences by visiting our demo gallery.
Develop your Copilot extensions and copilots with comprehensive AI tools
Depending on which Copilot use case you have in mind, you can choose from different development options that suit your needs and preferences. You can use Microsoft Copilot Studio, a user-friendly experience with a managed stack, rapid development environment, and SaaS based tooling for specific needs across industries, departments, and roles.
Alternatively, you can take an approach with Microsoft Visual Studio, which helps you build experiences where you can hand off to your own copilot for more advanced experiences.
Learn more about the Copilot development options. Next, let’s uncover how the Microsoft 365 App Compliance program is key to developing and maintaining trust among your users.
Get certified in the Microsoft 365 App Compliance program
Establishing confidence and trust in the marketplace is key to successfully growing adoption and monetizing your Copilot extensions. Microsoft has developed the Microsoft 365 App Compliance program to certify the security and compliance of Copilot extensions (which is aligned to our Responsible AI standard), at no additional cost. Copilot extensions can become Microsoft 365 certified in three general steps: Preparation, Assessment, and Certification. Through the Partner Center platform, you will answer Publisher Attestation questions, submit initial scoping documents, and upload evidence as needed to be awarded a Microsoft 365 Certification. For more information, watch the video.
Publish and monetize your Copilot extensions through the Microsoft commercial marketplace
The Microsoft commercial marketplace is a partner-focused platform dedicated to helping you generate leads, reach new customers, increase sales, and unlock new opportunities for your solutions to grow. Your copilots and Copilot extensions — currently available in Teams and copilot.microsoft.com in public preview — can be distributed to your new or existing customers by publishing your offers to the Microsoft 365 and Copilot program in Partner Center. You can sell directly through in-product stores such as Teams, Microsoft AppSource, and the Azure Marketplace (if meeting Azure Marketplace requirements).
Once your Copilot extension is published, you can create a transactable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offer to monetize in the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace. SaaS offers let you deliver and license software solutions to your customers via online subscriptions.
Read this article to learn about the six steps to monetizing your extension and prepare your offer for publishing to the commercial marketplace.
Start getting the most out of the Copilot ecosystem
ISVs and customers have multiple options for creating and customizing Copilot extensions and their own copilots, and we’ve made it easy to publish, monetize, and get certified. While we’re excited to share some announcements advancing our Copilot capabilities even further at Build this year, we’re equally excited to see what you can create and how we can continue to push the power of AI together.
Learn more about what’s coming up and how you can continue your Copilot journey: