Does the NEW GPT-5 Make Microsoft 365 Copilot Smarter?

Exploring GPT-5 in Microsoft Copilot: What’s New and Why It Matters

I’m always on the lookout for updates that can make our daily work smoother and more productive. With the arrival of GPT-5 in Microsoft Copilot, there’s a lot of buzz about what’s changed and whether it’s worth your attention. Here’s my take on what’s new, how it compares to the previous version, and where you might find it most useful.

What’s Different with GPT-5 in Copilot?

The main upgrade is something called orchestration. In simple terms, Copilot now decides whether your prompt needs a quick answer or a deeper dive. For example, if you ask for a summary of a project, Copilot can choose to research more thoroughly or just give you a basic overview. This means you get more relevant responses without having to specify every detail.

Side-by-Side: GPT-4 vs GPT-5

I tested both versions using the same prompts. When I asked Copilot to summarise a project from my emails and files, GPT-4 gave a general reply, while GPT-5 took a bit longer but delivered a more detailed and thoughtful response. The new version pulls from a wider range of sources and provides clearer structure, which saves time editing.

When drafting emails, GPT-5’s output felt more natural and ready to send, with less need for tweaking. Instead of obvious AI-generated headings, it uses simple bold text to introduce sections, making the message look more human.

Working with Data in Excel

If you use Copilot to analyse spreadsheets, GPT-5 stands out. I asked both versions to review invoice data and generate charts. GPT-4 was faster but only gave basic summaries. GPT-5 took longer but returned richer insights, such as overdue ageing, top customers by outstanding amount, and multiple charts. It even explained its process and offered a downloadable summary.

Digging Deeper with Prompts

Sometimes you need more than a surface-level answer. With GPT-5, you can simply add “think deeper” to your prompt, and Copilot will provide a more thorough analysis. This wasn’t possible with earlier versions, which often stuck to general replies.

Final Thoughts

GPT-5 in Copilot isn’t a dramatic leap, but it’s a solid step forward. The orchestration feature means you spend less time clarifying your requests and more time getting useful results. If you rely on Copilot for writing, research, or data analysis, you’ll notice the improvements.

Check out my YouTube tutorial linked below, where I'll dive into this a little deeper.