Getting a head start on your day with Microsoft Copilot

When Meghan Flynn, an administrative assistant for Duke’s Residence Life, started using Microsoft Copilot in August 2024, she didn’t expect it to transform her daily workflow. Now, just months later, she’s not only streamlined her workload but also become an advocate for safer, smarter use of artificial intelligence (AI) within her department.

Image

Flynn used to spend a lot of time formatting. Whether creating agendas for meetings or extracting data from Excel tables, she would spend a significant amount of time on the tedious tasks that consumed her to-do list.

“I’m nose-deep in my computer all day,” Flynn shared.

So, when she learned that Microsoft Copilot was offered to the Duke community at no cost, she jumped on the opportunity to try the new tool. It quickly became evident that it would be a game-changer in Flynn’s work experience.

“It’s saving a lot of time, and I’m also able to execute at a much higher level than before,” Flynn said. “Instead of starting at the starting line, I’m starting a third of the way through.”

After quickly becoming an avid user of Microsoft Copilot, Flynn decided to subscribe to the upgraded version. She appreciates how well it integrates with the Microsoft 365 products and how much more efficiently she can get her tasks done.

A paid version of Copilot for Microsoft 365 integrates with applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, using large language models to assist with tasks such as understanding, summarizing, predicting, recalling, translating, and generating content. 

“One of the biggest things I use it for is to create meeting agendas,” Flynn said. “I can use Copilot and say, ‘Create a meeting agenda for this date at this time, going over these three main points,’ and then it will generate a whole agenda.”

Despite its usefulness, Flynn reminds others that Microsoft Copilot—just like any form of AI—isn’t a magic button. She encourages those who use the tool to take the time to make sure that they review the AI-generated content and make it their own.

“I just use it to get me started,” she said. “It gives me that boost, but I always go back through and refine the output. Instead of practicing my writing, I’m practicing my editing. Instead of practicing your formatting skills, you’re truly focusing on the content rather than the construction.”

Along with its efficiency, Flynn also appreciates how Microsoft Copilot protects Duke’s data. Signing in with your NetID will ensure you are in a secure environment.

 “I actually spend a lot of time trying to talk everyone in my department out of using ChatGPT, because [Copilot] isn’t using the data we put in to train language models for other stuff,” Flynn said. “We were given this tool for a reason—to protect our data.”

To learn more about how Microsoft Copilot can improve your work experience visit oit.duke.edu.