Microsoft

Generative AI and Copilot Foundations

Microsoft

Generative AI and Copilot Foundations

 Microsoft

Instructor: Microsoft

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Describe the core capabilities and real-world applications of generative AI.

  • Demonstrate how Microsoft Copilot enhances productivity across Microsoft 365.

  • Evaluate potential AI risks and select appropriate safeguards for responsible use.

  • Identify workflow opportunities where Copilot delivers measurable improvements.

Details to know

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Recently updated!

July 2026

Assessments

12 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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This course is part of the Microsoft AI Business Professional Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 7 modules in this course

This module clarifies where Copilot lives and how it accesses the information you need. You will learn the difference between "Public AI" and "Work AI," specifically how Copilot securely references your Outlook and OneDrive data to provide professional context. Learners will leave knowing how to verify that Copilot is referencing the correct organizational data and how to navigate the M365 ecosystem with confidence.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

This module bridges the conceptual understanding of generative AI to the practical reality of Microsoft 365 Copilot as a productivity tool. Learners will explore real business use cases, understand how Copilot creates measurable value, and practice articulating that value in professional terms.

What's included

1 video2 readings2 assignments

Before professionals can use Copilot safely, they need to recognize where it can go wrong. This module maps the landscape of AI risks—hallucination, intellectual property exposure, and inappropriate use cases—giving learners a decision framework for determining when Copilot assistance is appropriate and when human judgment must lead.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Knowing the risks is not enough—professionals need practical techniques to act on that knowledge. This module equips learners with a concrete data safeguarding process and a structured source-of-truth audit method that turns responsible AI use from an abstract principle into a repeatable professional habit.

What's included

1 video3 readings3 assignments

This module provides learners with a practical orientation to Copilot across the Microsoft 365 apps they use every day. Learners will see how Copilot surfaces in Word, Teams, and other core tools, and understand the workflow pattern that makes Copilot integration effective rather than disruptive, and practice executing hand-offs that move information seamlessly from one stage of work to the next.

What's included

2 readings1 assignment

Not every task belongs to Copilot. This module equips learners with a structured evaluation framework to make confident, defensible decisions about which tasks to delegate to AI and which require human leadership, turning ad hoc AI use into a professional strategy.

What's included

2 readings3 assignments

Learners step into the role of a consultant at Apex Strategy Group following a high-profile government engagement that became a turning point for the firm's AI practices. Using task evaluation and responsible use frameworks, learners redesign how AI should have been used across the specific workflow tasks performed during that engagement, producing a structured, portfolio-ready Workflow Assessment that reflects genuine professional judgment.

What's included

2 readings1 assignment

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Instructor

 Microsoft
383 Courses2,709,734 learners

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.