Microsoft wants to use ChatGPT in Word and Outlook: reports
Microsoft is currently looking into ways to integrate the popular chatbot AI ChatGPT into Word, Outlook and PowerPoint apps, according to a report by the American tech media publication, The Information. The report states that as per claims from an insider at Microsoft, the tech giant wants to improve their apps' automated response system by using OpenAI's chatbot technology.
By using the text-generating GPT model made by OpenAI, Microsoft reportedly hopes to improve how apps like Word and Outlook can perform tasks such as autocorrecting text or replying to emails. According to a previous report by The Information, Microsoft is also planning on making a new version of Bing that directly incorporates ChatGPT, so users can receive better answers for their search queries.
Despite the promising collaboration, sources report that there are various challenges that will rise if the ChatGPT integration truly takes place. One prominent obstacle will be accuracy, as ChatGPT is known by many users for not being an 100% accurate source of information. Integrating an inaccurate source into autocompletion in Word, email replies in Outlook or search queries in Bing could make the apps more difficult to use.
The Information also reports that Microsoft is currently working on preserving the privacy of language models such as GPT-3, as well as the currently unreleased GPT-4. The report further states that researchers at the company have already conducted successful experiments on large-scale language models based on private data.
Microsoft's current use of AI can be prominently seen on Word and PowerPoint, where the apps frequently suggest users images and captions based on previous history and preferences. However, if the ChatGPT is brought into the mix, we could, for example, expect Outlook to automatically write intricate, humane-sounding mails with queries as specific as "write an apology letter for missing my nephew's birthday", etc.
At the time of writing, no official information regarding Microsoft using ChatGPT or their plans regarding it has been announced yet.