Microsoft Just Put A Major AI Feature In Copilot Pro On The Chopping Block

Microsoft is breaking the news to its Copilot Pro users that the tech giant will end support for Copilot’s Custom GPT Builder next month. The company added that if anyone has used the GPT Builder, they will need to remove their data by July 14.

The news comes on the heels of Microsoft coming under fire after announcing another new feature shipping with upcoming Copilot+ PCs, Recall. The announcement quickly drew the ire of those concerned that their PC taking thousands of screenshots and then storing them on the device would amount to a security nightmare. Microsoft has since stated it would make Recall an opt-in feature, instead of being enabled out of the gate. While Custom GPT Builder has not faced that type of scrutiny, it appears the company is rethinking how quickly it rolls out AI-infused features.

Microsoft explained it was removing Copilot GPTs in Copilot Pro in a recent support document, remarking, “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.”


For some, Copilot GPT Builder, first introduced in January, is the equivalent of what Apple announced this week with its “Apple Intelligence.” A way to customize a PC to fit the style of the individual owner. However, after July 10, 2024, that ability will no longer be available for consumers using Copilot Pro.

The company added that any data collected from subscribers using Copilot GPT Builder will be deleted, along with any Copilot GPTs created by customers. Microsoft also posed the question in the support document, “Will I still be able to access my Custom GPTs?” The answer was a very direct, “No.”

While the $20 per month Copilot Pro subscription will soon not allow users to create custom GPTs, it still offers some value above and beyond the free version. One of those is having Copilot in Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel, and OneNote. Other benefits of paying for Copilot Pro are having 100 boosts per day, instead of the 15 that comes with the free version, and priority access to GPT-4 Turbo.

One question remains for Microsoft, and that is if users will still find enough value in the Copilot Pro subscription to keep paying for it. If anyone has used the Custom GPT Builder in Copilot Pro, will the removal cause you to cancel your subscription? Let us know in the comments.