What Is an AI Copilot?
An AI copilot is an assistant that works alongside a person inside their existing tools, suggesting and drafting while the person stays in control. It speeds up work rather than taking it over, which is the main thing that separates a copilot from an autonomous agent.
How an AI copilot works
A copilot sits inside an application and responds to what the user is doing. In a code editor it suggests the next lines, in a document it drafts or rewrites, and in a support tool it proposes a reply for the agent to send. The person reviews and accepts each suggestion, so the copilot advises while the human decides.
AI copilot vs AI agent
The line is autonomy. A copilot proposes, and a person approves each step. An agent decides and acts on its own within set limits. A copilot keeps the human in the driver's seat, while an agent takes the wheel for tasks it is trusted to run.
Why AI copilots matter for business
Copilots are the low-risk entry point to AI at work, because a person checks everything before it takes effect. That makes them easy to adopt, and it also caps their upside: a copilot makes each person faster, but it does not remove the person from the task. Moving from copilots to agents is how a business goes from faster work to less work.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions.
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What is the difference between an AI copilot and an AI agent?
What is an example of an AI copilot?
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