Microsoft has presented its Copilot Fall Releasea major update to Copilot. Beyond the new features, the announcement focuses on a change in approach to how to approach this technology. Mustafa SuleymanCEO of Microsoft AI, has stated that they want to “change the perspective” on AI, moving away from the “noise, hype and fear” that surrounds it.
The objective, according to Suleyman, is to bet “on optimism in times of cynicism.” The main idea is that technology should be at the service of people and not the other way around. “Instead of AI that replaces human judgment, we’re building AI that enhances yours,” he said. This update seeks to make Copilot a more personal and useful tool on a daily basis.
Although Suleyman insisted that the objective is not to “pursue the engagement” or “optimize screen time”, it is clear that User retention is an important issue for the company. In fact, all the features presented help raise this metric.
A more social Copilot with a better memory
To achieve this “human-centric” approach, Copilot introduces social features. The most notable is Groupsa shared experience that allows groups of up to 32 people collaborate in real time. In this group chat, Copilot can summarize threads, propose options, register votes or distribute tasks.
It is also launched Imaginea collaborative space designed so that users can explore and remix ideas generated by artificial intelligence, adapting them to their needs.
Personalization deepens with a long term memory. Users can ask Copilot to remember important information, such as project details, personal preferences, or key dates, so you can use them in future interactions. Copilot will also be able to reference past conversations to return to tasks.
In addition, the new connectors will allow you to link third-party services such as OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar. This will facilitate the search for documents, emails or calendar events using natural language, always with the user’s explicit consent.
The update also focuses on health and education. Copilot for health will offer answers based on reliable sources of informationlike Harvard Health, and will help you find doctors. For its part, Learn Live will function as a Socratic tutor, guiding the user through concepts using questions and interactive whiteboards.
Mico, the new face of Copilot that reminds us of Clippy
Perhaps the most visual novelty of this update is Mico (MIcrosot COpilot). It is a visual character that seeks to give warmth to the interaction. Mico is expressive, reacting to conversation and changing color to reflect the tone of the interaction, making voice chats feel more natural.
The introduction of a visual assistant has made many media compare it inevitably with Clippy, the famous Microsoft Office assistant from the late 90s. In case you didn’t know it, Clippy was an animated clip that appeared to offer (too much) help in Word or Excel and that became a reference for millions of users. Unlike its predecessor, if we can consider it that way, Mico is designed to be “empathetic and supportive” and always optional. You will achieve this, as expected, thanks to the capabilities of LLMs.
Obviously, all of these capabilities will be integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem. For example, Copilot Mode in Edge will be able to reason about open tabs and perform actions. In Windows 11, the Hey Copilot wake word will be activated to start a conversation at any time. Microsoft has announced that all updates are now available in the United States and will begin rolling out to the United Kingdom, Canada, and other markets in the coming weeks.
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