Windows Copilot supports file uploads now. The functionality extends the AI’s capabilities. Users could only upload images previously.
The new file upload capabilities limit file types that you may upload. Included are many plain text formats and also Microsoft Office document formats.
Uploading works by clicking on the attachment icon in the Copilot interface on Windows. A file browser opens with a filtered list. Only supported file types are listed here.
Select a file and it gets uploaded to Copilot. Note that there is no information on privacy or how the file is used by the AI or Microsoft. Better be careful what you upload.
You may then ask Copilot about the file. It may provide a summary or extract data or information from the file.
First Test: Security Spreadsheet listing February 2024 Microsoft security updates
I uploaded an Excel spreadsheet that listed the February 2024 security updates that Microsoft released.
The task I gave Copilot was simple: return all vulnerabilities with a maximum severity of critical.
The AI did return three vulnerabilities rated critical but missed the other 68 vulnerabilities rated critical. A reminder to check the max severity column resulted in the listing of 8 critical security issues. Better, but it still missed 63 others.
I decided to try another approach. This time I submitted the following command:
Check the max severity column of the Excel spreadsheet. Return product and Details information of each that has the value critical. There are 71 in total. Return all.
This time, Copilot returned 8 again, but stated that there were “many more”. Still not very helpful. I asked it again to return all 71 entries and not just the 8 it returned.
Copilot apologized for the oversight and returned 8 again only.
Second Test: Shipping label PDF document
For the second test, I decided to feed Copilot a PDF document with shipping information.
Any question I asked Copilot was met with a “cannot do, sorry” response. I uploaded a different document to see if it could provide information in that case.
This time, Copilot was able to return the correct information. It also managed to return other information, such as the ID of the shipment, correctly.
Thoughts on the current state regarding file uploads
My experience with Copilot’s file upload feature was mixed. It did well in one of three cases. While that is not enough to judge it based on that performance, it highlights on the one hand how useful AI tools can be, and on the other how far away from “trusting” an AI’s output we are.
This is not even taking into account any privacy reservations that you may have about AI.
Still, file analysis could become a huge tool for computer users and organizations. From returning vital information from spreadsheets to all sorts of post-processing and data linking features.
It is not there yet, though.
On an airline such a copilot wouldn’t be the one piloting given he’s not even able to checklist correctly. Drunk? No, dumb.
Thanks Martin for these tests. Obviously Microsoft as many others doesn’t bother to beta test its code, relying on users to waste their time by testing the company’s unbaked code. Pathetic.
There is a stark discrepancy between what Microsoft, Google, and others advertise, and what users get when they try these tools by themselves. Yes, they work great sometimes, but since you can’t be sure, you always have to verify, which makes the whole thing cumbersome.