Microsoft 365 is the leading business software used across the board in South Africa from large corporates to NGOs, SMEs to small businesses and professionals. It makes sense to use the built in AI tool in Microsoft which is based on the foundation of ChatGPT and Claude. Thus Copilot combines the strengths of both AI models.

Claude is especially powerful in mathematics and using Copilot for Excel is a game-changer. What I like about Copilot in Excel is that it doesn’t perform magic! It asks for clarification if your prompt has not been clear. It also shows you the process it is going through section by section so that you can follow it.

The South African Generative AI Roadmap 2025, which surveys over 100 mid-sized and large enterprises across industry sectors in SA, has just been released. It was conducted by World Wide Worx, in association with Dell Technologies and Intel.

The report shows GenAI adoption has climbed in SA, from 45% of large enterprises in 2024, to 67% in 2025.

Arthur Goldstuck, World Wide Worx CEO and principal analyst of the study, stated that ChatGPT “absolutely” dominated last year (2025), with usage at 93%.

It maintained that level, but we saw Copilot leaping up from 62% in 2024 to 74% in 2025.

Copilot is the entry point for most teams. Email, documents, meetings, and collaboration improve immediately.

But Goldstuck noted that:

Many organisations are simply unaware of the gaps they’re leaving in their systems. The risk goes beyond the technical, and includes reputational, ethical and operational vulnerability. While the first step of technology adoption is well underway, our survey demonstrates there is room for operational growth.

One of the gaps that we have identified through our own training experience is that staff are given the AI tool and told to get on with it. To use Copilot effectively in Microsoft 365 the user must know how to use the program first. Without that knowledge they can’t prompt Copilot correctly. Also, it has become obvious now that staff must have the knowledge to check the AI output. There is just too much reputational and legal risk to not check the output besides the business risk of basing decisions on flawed information.

Drowning in Spreadsheets, or Flying with Copilot?

One South African team, two very different workdays: Excel by hand, versus powered by Copilot.

Staff need structured training, clear governance, and a culture where AI-assisted work is reviewed with professional judgement.

For South African teams, the opportunity is significant: faster analysis, better collaboration, stronger communication and more confident decision-making. But the organisations that benefit most will be those that combine the tool with skills, oversight and responsible use.

Copilot is powerful — but capability comes from people who know how to use it well.