Microsoft has made the decision to discontinue the GPT Builder in Copilot Pro, leaving consumers without access to this feature as of July 10. Any GPTs created by Microsoft or its customers have been removed during the period from July 10 to July 14 for privacy reasons. Data associated with or collected by these GPTs should have also been deleted.
The GPT Builder was introduced just four months ago in March as part of the Copilot Pro subscription. This tool allowed users to create custom GPT chatbots without the need for coding skills, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus GPT Builder. However, unlike ChatGPT, Copilot Pro’s GPT Builder only allowed users to use GPTs privately or share them with specific individuals.
Microsoft has stated that they are shifting their focus on GPTs to Commercial and Enterprise scenarios, hinting that custom GPTs may still have a future for business users. The decision to retire the GPT Builder for consumers may have been influenced by a lack of subscriber interest or a strategic shift in priorities.
If you have created custom Copilot GPTs, it is important to have backed them up before the removal of the tool. Instructions on how to back up your GPTs can be found on the support page. Unfortunately, if you have not done so already, it is too late to do it now.
While Microsoft’s Copilot Pro subscription offers AI features for Microsoft 365 applications, such as Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel, the discontinuation of the GPT Builder raises questions about the future of the consumer version of Copilot Pro. Other companies, such as OpenAI and Google, offer similar AI subscription plans with premium features.
In conclusion, the retirement of the GPT Builder in Copilot Pro may be a sign of Microsoft reevaluating its strategy for AI consumer products. Subscribers who are affected by this change should consider the options available to them, including cancelling their Copilot Pro subscription if necessary. The landscape of generative AI tools continues to evolve, and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft adapts to these changes in the future.
