Unlocking GPT-4 Turbo: Microsoft Copilot's Latest Complimentary Offering

Access to the sophisticated model driving Copilot's Pro tier was previously exclusive, but that's changing.

Microsoft's AI Assistant Copilot Introduces GPT-4 Turbo to Its Free Tier

Copilot, Microsoft's artificial intelligence assistant, has undergone a significant enhancement with the addition of a turbocharged upgrade to its free tier.

GPT-4 Turbo, the powerhouse OpenAI model fueling Copilot's Pro tier, is now accessible to users of Copilot's free tier. To harness the capabilities of GPT-4 Turbo, users need to set Copilot to either Creative or Precise mode.

While subscribers to Copilot Pro retain default access to the GPT-4 Turbo model, Mikhail Parakhin, CEO of Microsoft's advertising and web services division, mentioned in a Tuesday post on X that these users have the option to switch to older models if they prefer.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed, "For free users of Copilot in Creative mode, GPT-4 Turbo is now powering that experience. Copilot Pro users remain able to toggle GPT-4 Turbo on or off in Creative mode."

Trained on data up to April 2023, GPT-4 Turbo boasts text-to-speech capabilities and accommodates a context window of 128,000 tokens—the highest capacity among GPT versions. Tokens represent fragments of words, and a larger token capacity allows users to input more text into the model, providing additional context for improved results.

Launched last year by Microsoft, Copilot integrates AI across various platforms, including Windows 11, Bing search engine, Microsoft 365, and the Edge browser. The Pro tier of Copilot, priced at $20 per month, offers additional AI-powered features in Office apps, priority access to new OpenAI models, and enhanced image creation tools.

Generative AI is becoming increasingly prevalent across tech companies, spurred by the emergence of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot in late 2022. Google, Samsung, and other major players are integrating AI into their products, with Apple expressing keen interest in the potential of generative AI.

OpenAI's recent initiatives include enabling users to build specialized AI applications, while competitors like Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude continue to enhance their AI offerings.

Anticipating the Arrival of GPT-4.5 Turbo: What's Next?

The rationale behind Microsoft's decision to introduce GPT-4 Turbo to its free Copilot tier remains unclear. Initially, Microsoft deliberately provided a more advanced AI model in Copilot Pro to entice users to opt for the paid version. However, by making the same model available in both the free and premium tiers, individuals who were inclined to subscribe to Copilot Pro solely for the superior GPT option may opt for the free version instead.

Nevertheless, Microsoft's move could serve as a hint. There have been speculations about OpenAI's development of a new model called GPT-4.5 Turbo. While the company has been secretive about future GPT iterations, Reddit users recently stumbled upon a now-deleted blog post from OpenAI mentioning that GPT-4.5 Turbo "exceeds GPT-4 Turbo in speed, accuracy, and scalability."

Although the blog post was swiftly removed from the OpenAI website, its existence suggests the imminent arrival of an upgraded GPT model. It also implies that if Microsoft indeed intends to distinguish its Copilot versions by offering the superior model in its paid tier, the company might be contemplating introducing GPT-4.5 Turbo to Copilot Pro upon the launch of the new model.