How to Make a Custom Copilot Agent and Why You Need One

What is a Custom Copilot?

A custom Copilot is an AI assistant explicitly tailored to your business. It leverages your organization’s knowledge and custom topics. Grounding the Copilot with curated content ensures it provides accurate and usable results.

How is it Different from Copilot 365?

A custom Copilot using a curated library can offer several advantages over a more general solution like Copilot 365, especially for specialized tasks like proposal writing:

• Tailored Content: A custom Copilot can be trained on a curated library of documents specific to your industry or organization, ensuring the content it generates is highly relevant and aligned with your needs.
• Enhanced Accuracy: By using a curated library, the AI can provide more accurate and contextually appropriate responses, reducing the need for extensive edits and revisions.
• Customization: Custom Copilots can be fine-tuned to match your specific writing style, tone, and formatting preferences, making the output more consistent with your brand or personal style.
• Integration: Custom solutions can be integrated with your existing tools and workflows, providing a seamless experience and improving overall efficiency.
• Scalability: As your needs evolve, a custom Copilot can be updated and expanded to include new data and functionalities, ensuring it continues to meet your requirements.
• Security and Privacy: Using a curated library means you have control over the data the AI is trained on, which can enhance security and privacy, especially when dealing with sensitive information.

How Do You Make a Custom Copilot Agent?

You can create Copilot agents using platforms like Copilot Studio, which provides tools such as ready-made large language models.

Prerequisites

• Microsoft 365 Account: You need a Microsoft 365 account to integrate your custom Copilot with Microsoft 365 apps like Word.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot License: Ensure you have access to Copilot Studio. This platform allows you to build and customize your own Copilot without coding skills.
• Data Sources: Identify the data sources your Copilot will use. This could include content stored in SharePoint and OneDrive, such as a curated content library or a collection of past proposals.

Basic Steps

• Access MS 365 Copilot. https://m365.cloud.microsoft/ . (NOTE: You can also use Copilot Studio. See below for details.)
• Click ‘Create Agent’
• Select Configure Tab (You can start with the ‘Describe’ tab if you would like a more ‘wizard-like’ dialog.)
• Name and Describe your Copilot. In this example, we are creating a Proposal Assistant:

• Define Your Requirements. Be as specific as possible in your instructions. You can include both what you want it to do as well as what NOT to do. Include aspects of style, voice, emphasis, etc.
• Identify the location on SharePoint or OneDrive that contains the content you want the Custom Copilot Agent to use. This is where you could browse to a curated content library. The custom Copilot will use this content to ground its responses. You can add content to this location, and Copilot will expand to include it as well.

• Click Create.
• Share your Custom Copilot.
  • IMPORTANT: If you want to share this custom Copilot agent, be sure to click Change sharing settings.

• • Set sharing permissions and copy link to share with other users.

• Use your Custom Copilot. You can find your Copilot Agent in Copilot Studio, but also directly in the Copilot pane in MS Word. Enter or select the ‘@’ sign in the Copilot pane to see a list of custom Copilot agents.

More Information

The following are links to more information on making custom Copilots.

Copilot Agents for Proposal Writers
How to Craft an Expert Proposal Prompt
How to Curate a Content Library
Does AI Make Content Libraries Obsolete
Copilot Agent Video