- Microsoft has clarified some of the terms and conditions associated with Copilot
- Responsibility has been shifted to the users of the AI tool
- Despite being for “entertainment” purposes, it is still heavily marketed towards workers
In a major turn of events, Microsoft has reconfirmed that Copilot is for “entertainment” only and that if used for work it should be used as the first of several stages of fact-checking rather than being trusted.
“It may make errors and may not work as intended,” the company wrote. “Do not rely on Copilot for important advice. Use Copilot at your own risk.”
While the company would very much like businesses and employees to continue to use Copilot for work, there is a clear shift in responsibility to the user here, clearing Microsoft of any accusation of misinformation.
The article continues below
Microsoft says “use Copilot at your own risk”
Microsoft is effectively admitting the risk of AI hallucination amid ongoing concerns about copyrighted content, IP ambiguity and output legitimacy.
With this in mind, the company clearly wants us to think of Copilot as a tool, not a decision maker, and for users to independently fact-check output and be careful with sensitive, protected data.
“You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless… from and against any claims, losses and expenses… arising out of or related to your use of Copilot,” Microsoft added in another paragraph.
More generally, the company also notes that prompts and responses can be used to enhance Copilot, but enterprise versions have additional safeguards to protect sensitive information. In other words, users retain rights to their input, but Microsoft still has the right to use the data to improve the service.
But while Microsoft’s efforts to shift some responsibility onto users’ shoulders have hit the spotlight, it’s not the only company with such terms. OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic all state similar advice in their terms, including user responsibility and no guarantee of accuracy.
The shift in responsibility from AI vendor to user is an ongoing change, companies argue, as the industry is still figuring out what the legal risks might be, but with Microsoft still selling Copilot tools to business users and consumers, it’s clearly a reframing of the concept rather than a total shift in behavior.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
