Imagine logging in on a Monday morning and, instead of opening Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and multiple documents, you ask Copilot a simple question: "what should I focus on today?".
Using Work IQ, Copilot reviews your upcoming deadlines, recent meetings, active documents, ongoing email threads and open conversations, and identifies any commitments you've made or tasks that may require your input.
Copilot will respond with a concise summary: a document that needs edits before an afternoon meeting, an overdue email commitment and a few tasks that are awaiting your feedback.
Sounds good right? This is Work IQ in Copilot.
Work IQ is the intelligence layer that enables Microsoft Copilot to understand your work context, not just your questions.
Rather than acting as a simple prompt-and-response assistant, Work IQ allows Copilot to understand what you're working on, who you're working with and what matters most right now. This enables Copilot to deliver relevant suggestion, anticipate needs and surface the right information at the right time.
In short: Work IQ is how Copilot knows what's going on in your work world.
Work IQ is not a standalone feature, it's a context engine that sites at the core of Microsoft 365 Copilot and the emerging AI agent ecosystem.
It continuously interprets signals across Microsoft 365 to build a dynamic, living model of your work. This includes:
This model allows Copilot to deliver responses that are context aware, role-specific, organisation relevant, timely and actionable. Unlike traditional AI assistants, Copilot powered by Work IQ doesn't just aim to be correct, it aims to be useful in your specific work context.
Work IQ operates through three tightly connected layers.
First, it ingests signals from Microsoft 365 content such as emails, meetings, Teams chats and files. these signals provide a real-time view of what is happening across your workday.
Second, it builds memory! Over time, Work IQ learns recurring patterns in your work, allowing Copilot to maintain continuity so you don't have to repeatedly explain what you're working on and who is involved.
Finally, Works IQ connects these signals and memories to generate meaningful output. This is what enables predictions, prioritisation and context-aware recommendations rather than isolated answers.
Work IQ is what transforms Microsoft Copilot from a helpful assistant into a powerful work partner.
As AI agents become more deeply engrained into our everyday work, Work IQ provides the foundation that makes them genuinely useful in reducing noise and improving your prioritisation, and not simply standing as another gimmicky gadget.
Interested in more recent Microsoft 365 Copilot updates including voice chat and smarter agents? Read about them here.