Copilot gets free GPT-4 Turbo upgrade: 3 new features coming to the AI assistant

UPDATE: Mar. 14, 2024, 12:48 p.m. EDT This article was updated to include a quote from Microsoft explaining how users can access the enhanced free Copilot tier.

GPT-4 Turbo is now powering the ChatGPT competitor Copilot, upgrading the Microsoft AI assistant from the previous GPT-4 model, as announced by Microsoft’s CEO of Advertising and Web Services, Mikhail Parakhin.

The exciting part is that this upgrade is applied to the free tier, meaning users can enjoy the expanded capabilities without any cost.

A revised version of GPT-4, referred to as GPT-4 Turbo, has been implemented. According to Mashable’s Cecily Mauran, it can handle larger amounts of text in a single prompt and introduces new vision, text-to-speech, and DALL-E features.

If you are curious about the three major upgrades heading to Microsoft Copilot, keep reading.

3 New Features Expected in “Free” Copilot with GPT-4 Turbo

The limitation of GPT-4 is its knowledge base cut-off at September 2021. With GPT-4 Turbo, the knowledge base is more up to date.

1. Updated Knowledge Cut-Off Date

GPT-4 Turbo updates Copilot’s knowledge base cut-off date from September 2021 to April 2023. This means users can now seek more information that was previously unavailable for free users.

2. Increased Text Handling Capability

While GPT-4 has an 8K context window, GPT-4 Turbo extends this to 128K. In simpler terms, as Mauran described, Microsoft Copilot’s free tier can now process nearly 300 pages of text in one go.

3. Improved Responsiveness

Last December, OpenAI acknowledged that GPT-4 Turbo exhibited “laziness” by providing slow responses to user prompts. Subsequently, as previously reported in January, OpenAI updated GPT-4 Turbo to enhance tasks like code generation and mitigate instances of ‘laziness.’

You might be wondering why Microsoft is suddenly offering these benefits. According to XDA Developers, there may be a forthcoming GPT-4.5 Turbo model from Microsoft, possibly reserved for the paid tier, leaving the non-paying users with GPT-4 Turbo.

“GPT-4 Turbo now powers the experience for free users of Copilot in Creative mode. Copilot Pro users can still switch GPT-4 Turbo on or off in Creative mode,” stated a Microsoft representative to Mashable.

Topics
Artificial Intelligence

Kimberly Gedeon

East Coast Tech Editor

Kimberly Gedeon explores the world of technology, delving into the latest gadgets such as iPhones and VR headsets. She has a penchant for unique and unconventional tech, whether it’s a 3D laptop, a transforming gaming rig, or video-capturing smart glasses. With a journalism career spanning over a decade, she began at MadameNoire covering tech and business before moving to Laptop Mag as a tech editor in 2020.