• Microsoft has introduced OpenAI GPT-5.6 into Microsoft 365 Copilot and is rolling out Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 to selected Copilot experiences. 

• The update expands Copilot’s ability to support content creation, analysis, planning, and multi-step work across familiar Microsoft 365 apps. 

• For business users, the real question is not whether GPT or Claude is stronger, but whether Copilot can help employees complete higher-value work faster. 

• Businesses should evaluate AI by productivity, adoption, workflow efficiency, governance, and measurable business outcomes. 

• For Hong Kong businesses, the key to AI success is not simply adopting the latest model, but embedding Copilot into real daily workflows with the right enablement and governance. 

According to Microsoft and OpenAI, GPT-5.6 is now available in Microsoft 365 Copilot across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot Chat, and Copilot Cowork. Claude Sonnet 5 is also rolling out to Copilot Cowork and PowerPoint. For business users, the key question is not “which model is strongest?”, but whether Copilot can help employees create documents, analyze data, build presentations, summarize meetings, and complete multi-step work more efficiently. This article explains what the update means for productivity, Copilot adoption, and AI return on investment. 

GPT-5.6 is now the preferred model in Microsoft 365 Copilot, supporting work across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot Chat, and Copilot Cowork. It is designed to help users move from rough ideas to more polished documents, clearer analysis, and stronger presentation drafts. 

Claude Sonnet 5 is also being introduced in Microsoft 365 Copilot, currently rolling out mainly to Copilot Cowork and PowerPoint. It is built for agentic, multi-step work such as planning, reasoning through context, and creating business artifacts. 

In short, Microsoft is not simply adding new model names. It is expanding the range of work Copilot can support inside the tools employees already use every day. 

Availability note
Claude Sonnet 5 should not be described as fully available across all Microsoft 365 Copilot apps. Based on Microsoft’s announcement, it is currently rolling out to Copilot Cowork and PowerPoint, and availability may vary by region and tenant configuration. 

Employees are already exposed to tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, so it is natural for business leaders to ask which AI model is best. In practice, there is rarely one simple answer. Different models may perform better across writing, reasoning, summarization, or multi-step work. The business priority should be clear: does the AI capability improve the way employees work?

Different teams need AI for different reasons. Marketing teams need to draft articles, proposals, EDMs, and social posts faster. Management teams need to compare options and analyze information. Project teams need help with plans, task organization, and knowledge sharing. The value of Copilot is not limited to chat; it comes from supporting real work across departments. 

The real value of this update is not the model upgrade itself, but the wider range of business tasks Copilot can now support. 

For example, GPT-5.6 can help users draft documents, analyze data, create presentations, and work through open-ended problems in Microsoft 365 apps. Claude Sonnet 5 adds another option for multi-step planning and business content creation in Copilot Cowork and PowerPoint. 

For most businesses, the practical questions are simple: 

• Can employees complete work faster? 

• Can the quality of work improve? 

• Can repetitive work be reduced? 

These are the questions that define real business value.

For knowledge workers, productivity gains usually come from faster document creation, better information organization, and less time spent preparing materials. However, these benefits only appear when employees know how to apply Copilot to their daily work. 

From Superhub’s experience working with business customers, many companies have already deployed or purchased Microsoft 365 Copilot, but employees may not be using its full capabilities. Some still treat Copilot mainly as a general chat tool, instead of applying it to meeting summaries, document drafting, Excel analysis, presentation creation, or cross-department knowledge search. As a result, adoption remains low, productivity gains are limited, and the return on AI investment becomes harder to justify. 

That is why businesses should not evaluate GPT-5.6, Claude Sonnet 5, or any new AI capability in isolation. A more effective approach is to identify high-frequency, repetitive, and time-consuming workflows first, then improve adoption through training, departmental pilots, and usage tracking. 

As AI becomes more capable, businesses should review how it is managed. Key areas include: 

• Data access permissions 

• Protection of company data 

• AI usage policies 

• Compliance requirements 

• Employee usage boundaries 

Businesses can start with three steps: identify repetitive or information-heavy workflows, define clear AI usage standards, and validate results through departmental pilots. For organizations that have already purchased Copilot, the priority is not to wait for the next AI feature. It is to use enablement, use case design, and adoption tracking to help employees apply Copilot in daily work. 

GPT-5.6 becoming part of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Claude Sonnet 5 rolling out to selected Copilot experiences are both worth attention. But for most business users, the real focus is whether Copilot can help employees complete daily work faster, reduce repetitive tasks, and improve the quality of content, analysis, and collaboration. For organizations that have already purchased Copilot, the next step is to review whether employees are using it well, whether the right use cases and training are in place, and whether governance is strong enough to turn AI licensing cost into practical productivity gains and ROI. 

If your organization has already deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot but adoption remains low, Superhub can help review current usage, identify practical use cases, and design enablement plans to improve adoption and ROI. 

1. What does GPT-5.6 mean for Microsoft 365 Copilot users?
   It gives Copilot stronger support for content creation, analysis, and knowledge work across Microsoft 365 apps. For business users, the value is faster, higher-quality work in documents, presentations, data analysis, and decision preparation. 
2. How does Claude Sonnet 5 improve Copilot workflows?
   Claude Sonnet 5 can support more complex workflows such as multi-step planning, content organization, and business content creation. Based on Microsoft’s announcement, it is currently rolling out to Copilot Cowork and PowerPoint, not all Microsoft 365 Copilot apps. 
3. Should businesses directly compare GPT-5.6 and Claude Sonnet 5?
   Not as a standalone decision. Businesses should evaluate AI by use case, productivity impact, output quality, governance fit, and adoption potential. 
4. Can AI model choice affect employee productivity?
   Yes, but productivity does not come from the model alone. It depends on whether AI connects with company data, fits daily tools, and supports real workflows such as meeting preparation, reporting, and data analysis. 
5. How is Microsoft 365 Copilot different from standalone AI tools?
   Microsoft 365 Copilot works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft Graph, so AI can operate within the company’s existing work environment instead of becoming another separate tool. 

Source: Available today: OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Community Hub

Available today: Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5 in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Community Hub