Copilot
Copilot
An AI assistant feature that works alongside you to help with tasks.
In Simple Terms
A copilot is an AI assistant feature that helps you with your work by working alongside you. When you're writing text, organizing data, or programming, it automatically predicts what you'll need next and suggests it. If you give it instructions, it can also draft documents or write summaries for you, helping your work go more smoothly.
Behind the Name
The name "Copilot" comes from the word for the second pilot who sits beside the captain in an airplane, assisting with the flight. It combines "co-" (meaning "together") and "pilot." Just like a co-pilot supports the captain, this kind of AI supports a person as they work, sitting alongside them to help out.
Take a Closer Look!
A copilot is a feature or mechanism where AI works alongside a person to help with operations and tasks as they use an app or piece of software.
The person stays in the driver's seat, while the AI plays a supporting role, offering assistance and suggestions to help them along.
For example, it might suggest how to continue a sentence while you're writing, or summarize a long piece of text.
In spreadsheet software, it might suggest complex formulas, and in programming, it can automatically generate candidate code for the task you're trying to write.
Some products also offer a different mode called an "agent," which goes beyond suggesting actions: you tell it a goal, and the AI works out the steps and carries them out on its own. This gives it a much wider range compared to an assistant-style copilot, where a person approves each step one at a time — with an agent, you can hand off a whole series of steps just by stating the goal. That said, how much AI is allowed to do on its own varies by product, and many pause to check with the person before important actions like a payment or sending something.
Combined with human judgment and confirmation, this helps prevent mistakes and save time, which is why copilots are used in a wide range of settings, from office software to development tools.