Table of Contents
Copilot-Generated Morning Briefing and Nightly Wrap-up Just too Much
I received varied feedback after writing about the classic Outlook style for the new Outlook client. Some agreed with me that making new Outlook resemble the classic client will help some users make the transition, even if the style is imperfect (the folder menu needs attention, for instance). Others viewed the initiative with the same contempt they reserve for anything related to the new Outlook, dismissing the classic Outlook style as an attempt to hoodwink users.
In particular, the lack of support for COM add-ins seems to be a major pain point, especially when people don’t know how they can transition the add-in to the modern version of add-ins.
Any software used by hundreds of millions of people attracts a broad spectrum of opinion. It’s all grist to the mill as Microsoft winds down the clock to the announced end of support timeline for the classic client sometime in 2029. Of course, Microsoft might decide to extend the timeline, but all I hear now is that the Outlook developers are very focused on executing a successful transition by then. The classic client might well live on as a client for Exchange SE because the new Outlook won’t support on-premises servers.
Using New Outlook
In any case, I continue to use the new Outlook in the splendor of the classic style. Sustained use is the only way to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of any software, and I’ve been spending more time with the new Outlook over the past few weeks than at any other point in the client’s development.
Most of the time, the experience has been satisfactory. It’s a mail client, not software that runs a nuclear power station. Its job is to help me process email quickly and efficiently. New Outlook is certainly capable of meeting that requirement, so I don’t have much to complain about.
Copilot Enters the Fray
And then Microsoft Copilot gets involved by offering to create a morning briefing (Figure 1) or wrap up the day (Figure 2).
These features are just annoying. I never asked Copilot to become so proactive and inject itself into my workflow in this way and there’s no way to disable the morning or evening offers at a user level or for the tenant. At least, I can’t find anything in Outlook settings or a PowerShell cmdlet to disable these options. It’s yet another example of Microsoft thinking that it knows best as it seeks opportunities to thrust Copilot into any available corner in the Office apps.
Both options open Copilot with a prepopulated prompt. Figure 3 shows the prompt for the daily wrap-up, which essentially seeks to summarize what happened in the last eight hours. If you don’t like what Copilot generates, you can always amend the prompt or refine the conversation with follow up prompts.
I maintain a zero-latency inbox. Messages don’t stay in the inbox when I’m available to read and process them. I delete messages once I have finished with them – or file them in a suitable folder. Copilot seemed disappointed and reported
Note: The available email results for the past week were surprisingly sparse and did not include the broader Inbox activity that I’d expect from your mailbox. The search returned only a few sent messages plus a Planner digest email, so this brief is incomplete compared to your normal inbox volume.
Then again, I never asked Copilot to wrap up my day.
User Options Key to User Acceptance
I know many will like this kind of summary. Summarization is exactly the kind of processing that AI tools exact at, so that’s not the issue. Being in control of the client is the problem. I don’t mind Microsoft encouraging me to use Copilot if I can disable the annoying pieces. Without options to control Copilot, useful assistance quickly becomes unwelcome interruption. It also doesn’t help new Outlook’s reputation.