Microsoft 365 Copilot will use private community and event content as grounding sources

Updated May 4, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.  Introduction Microsoft 365 Copilot will begin using content from private communities and private events as grounding sources to generate responses. This change helps Copilot provide more relevant and context-aware answers by incorporating content that users already have access to, while continuing to respect existing permissions and security controls. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 515144. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out this feature in late May 2026 and expect to complete the rollout by late June 2026. How this affects your organization Who is affected: All Microsoft 365 tenants using Microsoft 365 Copilot What will happen Microsoft 365 Copilot may reference content from private communities and private events when generating responses. Users will only see content they already have permission to access:  Sensitivity labels applied to the source content will be displayed alongside Copilot citations, when applicable. The feature is enabled by default and cannot be turned off. What you can do to prepare No action is required. You may want to inform administrators, compliance teams, or helpdesk staff that Copilot can now reference private community and event content while continuing to honor existing permissions and sensitivity labels. Compliance considerations Question Answer Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? Yes. Existing private community and event content may now be accessed by Microsoft 365 Copilot as a grounding source, while respecting current permissions. Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI/ML capabilities that interact with customer data? Yes. Microsoft 365 Copilot expands its grounding sources to include private community and private event content. Does the change provide end users a new way of interacting with generative AI? Yes. Copilot responses may now include insights derived from private community and event content the user can already access. Does the change modify or interact with Information Protection labels? Yes. Sensitivity labels applied to the source content are displayed alongside Copilot citations.