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Microsoft dropped its Copilot fall release today with a dozen new features, the splashiest being a new anthropomorphic buddy called Mico.
The rest focus mostly on personal productivity, or making humans more capable versus AI; the wider tech industry has tended to prioritize the latter in the past few years.
“Here’s the simple idea I keep coming back to: technology should work in service of people. Not the other way around. Ever,” says Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman.
The updates are now live in the US, and rolling out across the UK, Canada, and “beyond” in the next few weeks, Microsoft says. If you’re outside the US, take a closer look at what’s available in your region. Microsoft notes that “specific feature availability may vary by market, device, and platform.” You can access Copilot through the app (iOS or Android) or by visiting copilot.microsoft.com in Microsoft Edge or another browser.
Meet Mico: The New Clippy for the AI Age
Clippy may have retired in 2007, but Microsoft is back with a new anthropomorphic computer buddy, Mico. The name is a combination of “Microsoft” and “Copilot,” and the avatar is currently only available in the US.
Mico is a voice assistant that promises to be “expressive, customizable, and warm,” Microsoft says. It changes colors to reflect the interactions, which sounds somewhat like a mood ring for your computer. A variety of conversation styles can help you find the one you enjoy most, or you can disable Mico if you need a break. For more emotional support, Mico can engage in Real Talk, a “collaborative model that challenges assumptions with care, adapts to your vibe, and helps conversations spark growth and connection,” Microsoft says.
A Better Way to Do Group Projects
(Credit: Microsoft)
In the US, you can now invite up to 32 people to a session with Copilot, perhaps friends, classmates, or coworkers. The Groups feature offers real-time collaboration, while the AI “keeps everyone aligned by summarizing threads, proposing options, tallying votes, and splitting tasks.” Once a person starts a session, they send a link to others, who join the conversation. Sounds helpful, or at least like it could make big group projects go a bit smoother.
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Microsoft is also offering a creative version of this, called Imagine, which allows you to iterate on others’ AI-generated images. “Every post can be liked and remixed, creating a dynamic ecosystem where creativity multiplies,” Microsoft says. “We’re pioneering ways to measure AI’s social intelligence–how it elevates group chats, encourages creativity, and grows conversations.”
Health Advice From a Chatbot?
(Credit: Microsoft)
Chatbots giving health advice is a controversial proposition, but Microsoft is diving right in with new Copilot for Health features. The chatbot can now answer health-related questions, grounded in “credible sources like Harvard Health,” Microsoft says. It can also help locate doctors with the right specialty, location, and language.
A new Learn Live feature, meanwhile, turns the AI into a tutor—specifically, a “Socratic tutor” that asks questions and guides students, rather than providing answers. It can also pull up “interactive whiteboards” to help students study, practice a new language, and more.
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Better Memory and Context
Copilot finally gets a memory, something ChatGPT offers, so every interaction doesn’t start from scratch. It can keep track of important information, like your anniversary or if you’re training for a marathon, and recall it during future interactions. You won’t need to repeat, “I’m training for a marathon,” before asking a question about meal planning or training, for example.
Copilot will also have more context about your life and work with Connectors that let you link services, such as OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. The AI could then answer questions about your inbox, for example, or unearth documents, emails, and events.
Sound creepy? Google Gemini can perform similar functions, for what it’s worth. However, Microsoft says it has built-in privacy controls and requires “explicit consent” before accessing your data.
The final all-knowing new Copilot feature is Proactive Actions, rolling out in Deep Research. It looks at your recent activity and research threads, surfacing insights and suggesting next steps.
Too Many Tabs Open? Close ‘Em
Microsoft is building upon its July launch of Copilot Mode in Edge with a new feature called Journeys. It aims to make you more comfortable closing tabs, because it remembers your past browsing “journey” and can bring you back once you’re ready to pick back up again. It’ll also reference your browsing history in conversation. For example, it knows if you were shopping for a couch, so you can reference that casually without repeating, “I am shopping for a couch. Will this chair match?”
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As a news and features writer at PCMag, I cover the biggest tech trends that shape the way we live and work. I specialize in on-the-ground reporting, uncovering stories from the people who are at the center of change—whether that’s the CEO of a high-valued startup or an everyday person taking on Big Tech. I also cover daily tech news and breaking stories, contextualizing them so you get the full picture.
I came to journalism from a previous career working in Big Tech on the West Coast. That experience gave me an up-close view of how software works and how business strategies shift over time. Now that I have my master’s in journalism from Northwestern University, I couple my insider knowledge and reporting chops to help answer the big question: Where is this all going?
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