Last updated: 27 September 2026
Microsoft 365 Copilot and ChatGPT are both AI assistants built on large language models, but they are designed for different jobs. The biggest difference for businesses is access to your company data and how that data is protected.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams
- Can use your emails, files, chats and meetings, within your existing permissions
- Covered by Microsoft’s enterprise data protection when used with a work account; your data is not used to train the models
- Needs a paid Copilot licence on top of Microsoft 365. Copilot Chat, a web-grounded version without access to your files, is included with most Microsoft 365 business plans.
ChatGPT
- A general-purpose assistant for drafting, research, analysis and coding
- Does not see your Microsoft 365 data unless you paste it in or connect it
- ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans do not use your data for training by default. Free and personal plans may, unless users opt out.
Which should we use?
Many organisations use both: Copilot for work inside Microsoft 365, and a business ChatGPT plan for general tasks. Whatever you choose, set clear rules on what data staff can share. See is ChatGPT safe to use at work? and our AI Readiness Sprint.
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