Paying Copilot Pro customers have lost a major part of what they pay for. Say goodbye to Copilot GPT Builder in early July 2024.
It’s only been a few months since Microsoft launched their paid AI plans including Copilot Pro and they are already removing a major component.
Copilot GPT Builder was being dropped from Copilot Pro on 10 July 2024.
Copilot GPT Builder is (was) a way to make your own customized AI system. At its simplest you can setup a specific response style for any question, for example all answers in the form of a poem or excited newspaper article.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 is keeping its version of custom Copilot builder. Or, at least, Microsoft hasn’t said anything about it.
Only one months notice
Usually when Microsoft cuts a feature, it’s done with a lot of notice, sometimes a year or more.
Copilot GPT Builder left paying customers with just a month’s warning.
Paying customers have barely had enough time to get comfortable with making custom Copilots when it’s being deleted.
It’s arguably a form of “Bait and Switch” since Copilot GPT Builder is a fairly new plan was a major sales point for Copilot Pro until just a few days ago. Now customers are paying the same for a lot less than they were promised.
Lose everything ….
On 10 July 2024, all custom Copilot GPT’s were deleted.
The announcement …
Dropping Copilot GPT Builder was announced to customers in a dense and contradictory email sent exactly a month before the feature is removed.
First Microsoft says
“We are committed to improving your Copilot Pro subscription ….”
Then in the very next paragraph they say how the subscription is being downgraded.
“We are removing Copilot GPT Builder ….”
In the FAQ Microsoft tries to explain why the feature is being removed with some corporate-speak, possibly written by Copilot itself.
“We are continuing to evaluate our strategy for consumer Copilot extensibility and are prioritizing core product experiences, while remaining committed to developer opportunities. To this end, we are shifting our focus on GPTs to Commercial and Enterprise scenarios and are stopping GPT efforts in consumer Copilot. ”
The real reason is, as always, Money. Microsoft decided that they could cut costs by dropping custom AI for consumers.
