Microsoft (MSFT) took another step in its race to add generative AI capabilities to its array of enterprise products on Wednesday, announcing the availability of its Microsoft Copilot for Security platform.
The service, which hits the market April 1, is meant to help cybersecurity professionals better understand security threats and cut down on the time it takes to discover security issues. The platform has been in public preview since November 2023.
“Copilot is informed by large-scale data and threat intelligence, including more than 78 trillion security signals processed by Microsoft each day, and coupled with large language models to deliver tailored insights and guide next steps,” Vasu Jakkal, Microsoft corporate vice president of security, said in a statement.
Copilot for Security is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, as well as Microsoft’s own AI models, and integrates into Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR.
Microsoft’s Sentinel is a platform that allows cybersecurity professionals to detect and hunt for threats, while Microsoft Defender helps them protect against, and address, attacks. Microsoft Security Copilot provides a means for cybersecurity workers to ask questions about threats and attacks and get responses based on whether and where potential attacks can or have hit an enterprise’s systems.
In addition to making Copilot for Security available for general purchase, Microsoft said it is adding new features to the platform including the ability for users to create their own generative AI prompts for their businesses and add third-party software integrations, as well as support for prompts and responses in eight languages.
To bolster its pitch for Copilot for Security, Microsoft is also releasing a new study that it says shows cybersecurity professionals not only benefit from Copilot, but want to continue using it.
The study, which Microsoft says focused on experienced security professionals, found that workers were 22% faster with Copilot and 7% more accurate across all tasks while using the software. Microsoft says 97% of those surveyed said they want to use Copilot the next time they do the same task.
Microsoft’s Copilots, generative AI-powered apps, are currently available in preview or for general access across a slew of Microsoft’s software segments including finance, customer relationship management, cloud computing, productivity, Windows 11, and more.
The general idea is for Microsoft to integrate Copilots, or at least generative AI, into each of its products as it seeks to squeeze the most out of its multiyear, multibillion-dollar investments in ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
Microsoft got off to an early lead in the generative AI wars thanks to its work with OpenAI, but the competition is catching up. In February, Alphabet’s Google (GOOG, GOOGL) debuted its Gemini Business, a $20-per-month add-on for its Gemini for Workspace productivity suite. The company also offers Gemini Enterprise, a $30-per-month add-on for Gemini for Workspace with enhanced features for meeting summaries and transcriptions.
And last week, Salesforce (CRM) announced two new healthcare programs running on its AI-powered Einstein 1 Platform.
Amazon (AMZN) is also offering its own generative AI capabilities, setting up yet another front in the cloud wars between the two tech behemoths.
Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He’s been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.
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