It’s still early days for Microsoft Copilot, and you might be wondering if businesses should trust anyone claiming to have expertise in it.
No, says Loryan Strant, product and innovation lead at Dutch IT consultancy Rapid Circle.
But why does he say that? Strant, one of Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals, believes it’s because nobody has had enough time with Copilot yet to have learned enough about it to be meaningfully helpful in a business context. In a long rant published online titled “How to Identify Copilot Bullsh*t”, Strant made a pretty strong case for businesses to take any offer of claimed expertise with a large pinch of salt.
Oh, you’re a Copilot expert, are you?
Basically, he calls BS on content creators – as he says, “IT professionals, corporate bloggers, and in some cases, even MVPs” – and their knowledge of Copilot. He says that the platform has only been publicly available since November, and only to a small number of Microsoft Partners, and therefore anyone claiming to have used it for a long time can’t be telling the truth.
Besides that, Copilot itself has changed a lot since its release, leaving it in a state of “some things are clear and some things are still a dark art”.
The other problem Strant has is, owing to its recent release, anyone claiming to have Copilot expertise is doing little more than repeating Microsoft’s website content and not offering anything unique. And by bamboozling prospective clients about their knowledge and experience with Copilot, they could be heading for disaster.
Inexperience and a lack of real knowledge plus a ridiculously complicated and powerful technology being unleashed on your company data… what could go wrong?
Ask pointed questions
His advice to businesses that are interested in Copilot is to ask some pointed questions of your chosen Microsoft Partner when it comes time to decide on the way forward.
While Strant only provided one question to ask (How long have you had access to it), we’re going to take that and extrapolate it into several that we hope will help businesses figure out if their Microsoft Partner is on the level or blowing smoke about their Copilot experience.
Question 1: How long have you been working with Copilot, and can you provide examples or case studies of your successes in that time?
Question 2: How did you get access to Copilot considering the high cost and licensing requirements?
Question 3: Can you show how your expertise adds value beyond what is publicly available through Microsoft’s resources and web content?
Question 4: How have you adapted your strategies or recommendations in response to the changes and adjustments Microsoft Copilot has undergone since its release?
Question 5: Can you talk about the potential risks (like data privacy) of implementing Microsoft Copilot, and how have you addressed/would you address those risks?
Be cautious
Navigating the complexities of Microsoft Copilot is going to need a careful, informed approach, especially for businesses that are looking for guidance on this brand-new technology that’s only just become commercially available.
Strant’s scepticism is a valuable reminder that while emerging technologies like Copilot offer exciting possibilities, they also necessitate a discerning and cautious approach when seeking consultancy.
Read More: Microsoft goes all-in on AI at Ignite
The questions provided serve as a very basic toolkit for businesses to start vetting potential consultants. They emphasise the importance of not just technical know-how, but also ethical considerations, adaptability, and whether or not your chosen vendor can actually add value.
Copilot and other AI technologies are indeed quite exciting and can potentially change how many organisations do business in significant ways. But since it’s still early days, all businesses should choose carefully, be wise, and above all, be cautious.