Microsoft Launches Security Copilot

Last week, Microsoft introduced Security Copilot, a new GPT-4-powered cybersecurity analysis tool intended to prevent, identify, and solve security concerns. Presented as “the first security product to enable defenders to move at the speed and scale of AI,” Security Copilot is designed to assist professionals rather than replace them.

Aside from Open AI’s revolutionary GPT-4 technology, the Security Copilot uses Microsoft’s own security-specific model. This model draws its knowledge from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency databases. Together, they process 65+ trillion daily signals.

While the interface resembles a chatbot with a prompt bar – not unlike ChatGPT-powered Bing – Security Copilot has a narrow focus on cybersecurity. It can only answer relevant queries like “What security threats my business faces today,” or “How can I improve the security of my company?” The tool will then generate answers that professionals can use to “respond to threats quickly, process signals at machine speed, and assess risk exposure in minutes.”

This product features a pinboard section that allows teammates to share information and can generate a PowerPoint presentation that summarizes critical cybersecurity information. There’s also a prompt book that allows users to incorporate a set of steps or automations within one ready-to-use prompt that multiple team members can use.

According to Microsoft, its Security Copilot can deliver “an enterprise-grade security and privacy-compliant experience.” The company does warn that, like any AI technology, the Security Copilot can make mistakes. To improve its functionality, Microsoft encourages users to provide comprehensive feedback through the namesake feature built into the tool.

Recently, the company incorporated AI-powered Copilot across its business apps. Microsoft-owned GitHub also introduced its own Copilot, designed to assist professionals with coding lines or entire functions.

The new Security Copilot integrates with other Microsoft security products and is expected to evolve into an array of products over time. It’s currently in preview, with no official launch date for the general public.

While Microsoft continues to embrace AI in full force, a nonprofit group supported by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and dozens of other high-profile individuals have expressed concerns over the risks rapid AI development poses to humanity and society. They have signed an open letter urging tech giants to cease all AI experiments for at least six months to focus on developing safety protocols instead.