Microsoft Copilot is everywhere, but understanding exactly what you have access to can be surprisingly difficult.
How is Copilot Chat different from a standalone chatbot like ChatGPT? What changes between the free and paid versions? What is the difference between web mode and work mode? And which AI model is actually answering you?
Our new AI Apps & Agents Series course, Copilot Chat, is designed to untangle those questions so you can understand the tool, use it more confidently, and decide where it fits into your work.
The beginner-level course is approximately 20 minutes and was released in August 2026.
What You’ll Learn
Instructor Elizabeth Shaw walks through Copilot Chat in a hands-on demo, giving you a practical look at how the experience works and where its strengths and limitations show up.
You’ll learn how to distinguish Microsoft Copilot Chat from standalone chatbots like ChatGPT, understand the differences between free and paid tiers, and make sense of web mode versus work mode.
The course also explains which AI models may power Copilot responses, including GPT, Claude, and Microsoft’s own models, and how those models can work together.
You’ll also see how to apply Copilot Chat to everyday tasks and evaluate when it is, and is not, the right tool for the job.
Get Answers to Common Copilot Questions
The course tackles some of the questions users often have when they first encounter Microsoft Copilot Chat:
- How is Copilot Chat different from a standalone chatbot like ChatGPT, and why does that matter?
- What is the difference between the free and paid versions?
- How do web mode and work mode differ?
- Which AI models are actually answering your questions?
- What can Copilot see when you use it, and how does work data factor into the experience?
Rather than treating Copilot as a single, simple chatbot, the course helps you understand the different pieces of the experience and what they mean for how you use it.
Who This Course Is For
Copilot Chat is designed for knowledge workers who want a clearer understanding of the chatbot landscape, corporate teams looking to use Copilot more consistently and responsibly, and business leaders working to build AI literacy across their organizations.
During the course, you’ll watch Copilot Chat in action, compare outputs from different models using the model picker, and explore Copilot Workspace and related capabilities.
About the Instructor
Elizabeth Shaw is the founder of Foghorn Innovation, an AI advisory firm. A former Gartner and Forrester analyst with more than 20 years of experience shaping strategy at Sephora and Cisco, she has advised organizations including HBO, Chime, and Warner Music Group and has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Forbes.
How to Watch
Enroll in AI Apps & Agents Series: Copilot Chat
AI Apps & Agents Series: Copilot Chat is available to AI Mastery Membership members and is also available for individual purchase.
Jeremy Zimmer
Jeremy Zimmer is the Director of Marketing for AI Academy by SmarterX.