What is AI Copilot?
An AI assistant embedded in a product that helps users complete tasks within that product's context.
Definition
An AI copilot is an AI assistant integrated into an existing product or workflow that provides in-context assistance — suggestions, completions, drafts, answers — while a human remains in control of the final action. Copilots are reactive (they help when asked) rather than autonomous (they don't act independently). GitHub Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and HubSpot Breeze are examples.
Example
GitHub Copilot suggests code completions as you type. It doesn't deploy code, open PRs, or monitor repositories on its own — a human writes the code with AI assistance. That's a copilot.
AI Copilot vs ai-agent: What's the difference?
An AI assistant embedded in a product that helps users complete tasks within that product's context.
A copilot helps you do your work. An agent does the work for you. Copilots are human-driven; agents are autonomous.