With Microsoft’s AI assistant getting a makeover, Adarsh tells you all about it…
When it comes to consumer products, Microsoft has always been playing catchup with Google. Unlike its business software acumen, Microsoft are really lacking when it comes to serving the consumer market. Even now, Microsoft’s search engine Bing is drastically behind Google in its market share.
But if you listen to Mustafa Suleyman – the recently appointed chief executive of Microsoft AI – the company is about to make massive headway in the consumer products division with its use of AI. The US-based software company has added “an entire army” of creative directors – including psychologists, novelists and comedians – to aid in this endeavour.
According to Suleyman, these creative directors have finessed the tone and style of Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot to distinguish it from the competition.
Let’s look at all the new features that have been added.
- Copilot Voice
Copilot will now have four new voice options to choose from. And Voice will also help users to brainstorm ideas when they’re on the go. You can even ask it questions or choose to vent if you’re frustrated and Copilot will listen to you and respond accordingly.
With time, Copilot will learn and understand more about you and be able to give better responses based on your preferences.
- Think Deeper
Copilot can now answer complex questions thanks to its Think Deeper feature. It takes its time before answering challenging questions but offers detailed and step by step responses. It is designed to have answers for everyday problems as well as complex situations. It is particularly handy when it comes to comparing the pros and cons of complex options.
The Think Deeper feature is still undergoing improvements and is set to get better with time. The current version is available to Copilot Pro users for $20 a month.
- Copilot Vision
Copilot Vision is designed to see what you see, once you give it the requisite permissions. It can understand both texts and images that are viewed on a webpage and can offer assistance without interrupting your workflow. For instance, if you are decorating a house, Copilot Vision can help you find furniture, choose colours and even recommend how to arrange your newly bought furniture.
Copilot Vision will not store any of the content it engages with or use it for training. According to Microsoft, the moment you end your session, the data will be permanently deleted.
- Copilot Daily
This feature will provide you with a daily summary of important information like the news and weather. Every morning, you will get the information that you desire in a form that is simple and easy to consume.
You can also set Copilot Daily to share more important information like upcoming tasks and reminders.
- Copilot Discover
Confused about what to eat, where to visit or what to do? Copilot Discover will give you conversation starters and also provide a handy guide to its useful features. The suggestions will get better as Copilot learns more about you from the information you provide through other Microsoft apps and software.
When will these Features be Available
Copilot Voice is already available for users in select regions of USA, UK, Canada and Australia. The language is also currently limited to English. Copilot Daily, on the other hand, is available in USA and the UK. Microsoft plans to expand this feature to other regions as well.
No release date has been announced as yet for India.
The Last Word
With these upgrades to its AI assistant, Microsoft is taking a big bet in the consumer service market. The plan clearly is to position Copilot as a more intuitive companion for everyday tasks.
While Google continues to dominate the market, Microsoft’s focus on blending technology with creativity might just create a ripple in the market. How successful it will be remains to be seen!
In case you missed:
- OpenAI finally unveils its Advanced Voice Assistant!
- TalkBack, Circle To Search & 3 More Google Features added on Android
- Talk to ChatGPT with new AI Glasses
- Presenting Gemini Live, Google’s Response to ChatGPT Voice
- 5 Free AI Assistants To Make Your Life Easier
- Meta AI launches on WhatsApp & Insta in India
- Active Listening Feature on Phones raises Privacy Concerns
- Presenting Claude, ChatGPT’s Competitor which is apparently Better!
- Introducing Universal AI Employee being built by Ema AI
- Top 5 Tech Trends in 2024