Microsoft Copilot can assist with various daily tasks such as drafting emails, document summaries, online searches, content generation, and image creation.

Use of Copilot

Connected to Microsoft’s search engine, Copilot offers up-to-date information and direct links, making it a valuable research and teaching tool.

Copilot can perform writing tasks, generate code, solve math problems, and handle other basic tasks besides research.

uOttawa staff, faculty, and students now have free access to the university-licensed version of Copilot for the Web. This version offers faster responses, quicker image creation, and enhanced data security. 

Getting started with Copilot

To get started with Copilotexternal link, log in using your uOttawa credentials.  

Take a moment to watch this brief two-minute video that guides you through the features in addition to examples of your new AI companion use cases. 

Copilot usage

  • Your chat data is not saved and not used to train models. The data is not available to Microsoft.
  • Copilot cannot access your other Microsoft 365 data.  It does not work on Outlook email, Teams messages, SharePoint files, etc.
  • Only Select members of IT with administrative roles can access the information that is inputted and outputted from Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft’s offerings including services related to Copilot are fast changing and evolving and it is not clear when the changes have occurred. We invite you to consult Microsoft’s FAQ about Copilot for updated information on how information within Copilot is managed.
  • New provisions were added to the sections 24 to 27 within Policy 90 - Access to Information and Protection of Privacy which deal with the privacy of users of IT resource and sets out in what circumstances the University may access user generated information.