Microsoft unveils new Copilot AI assistant for Windows

21 September 2023, 20:04

Microsoft's new Copilot AI assistant
m365_chat_web. Picture: PA

Copilot can be used at any time on a Windows device to help with any task, Microsoft says.

Microsoft has unveiled a new AI-powered assistant for its Windows PCs that is able to help users with any computing task.

Called Copilot, the new assistant can be called upon at any point to generate text, find music to help a user focus, organise different windows on screen or help with creative tasks around photos or video, the tech firm said.

Microsoft said the new app was a way of building on the various AI tools it already had in place across different apps to now “unify these capabilities into a single experience”.

The tech giant is already using OpenAI’s ChatGPT within its Bing search engine.

With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft

The company said Copilot would begin to roll out as part of a free update to Windows 11, starting on September 26.

“We are entering a new era of AI, one that is fundamentally changing how we relate to and benefit from technology,” Microsoft consumer chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi said.

“With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action.

“At Microsoft, we think about this as having a co-pilot to help navigate any task.

“We have been building AI-powered co-pilots into our most-used and loved products – making coding more efficient with GitHub, transforming productivity at work with Microsoft 365, redefining search with Bing and Edge and delivering contextual value that works across your apps and PC with Windows.

“Today we take the next step to unify these capabilities into a single experience we call Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion.

“Copilot will uniquely incorporate the context and intelligence of the web, your work data and what you are doing in the moment on your PC to provide better assistance – with your privacy and security at the forefront.

“It will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and in our web browser with Edge and Bing.

“It will work as an app or reveal itself when you need it with a right click. We will continue to add capabilities and connections to Copilot across to our most-used applications over time in service of our vision to have one experience that works across your whole life.”

Microsoft’s announcement comes a day after Amazon unveiled a major update to its voice-based AI assistant Alexa, revealing it will soon be able to converse more naturally and better understand context and inference.

During its live event, Microsoft also unveiled two new laptops – the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Laptop Go 3, as well as a new Surface Go 4 tablet.

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

A child’s hand pressing a key of a laptop keyboard

Charity ‘appalled’ at reports online safety laws could be cut for US trade deal

School children during a Year 5 class at a primary school

Education Secretary: More men needed in classrooms to be positive role models

Games controller

Cult classic Shenmue named most influential game of all time in Bafta poll

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood (PA)

Parents crying out for online regulation, MP Eastwood says

TikTok is set to be banned in the United States later this week unless a buyer emerges.

Amazon makes last-minute bid to buy TikTok as deadline looms

Nintendo Switch 2

Everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 will release on June 5, 2025

Nintendo Switch 2: Exciting reveal, but why is it more expensive here?

A Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo confirms Switch 2 will launch on June 5

Tesla dealership damage

Tesla sales tumble to weakest since 2022 amid Musk backlash

The Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo reveals release date for long-awaited Switch 2 console

Roblox has introduced a slew of new safety features.

Gaming platform Roblox adds slew of safety fixtures for parents to monitor their children’s accounts

Meta's decision to change its content policies was heavily criticised by online safety experts (PA)

Majority oppose Meta’s rollback of safety rules, charity says

A child's hands pressing laptop keys

Regulation and technology can help combat spread of online misogyny, expert says

Raspberry Pi 4 micro computer

Raspberry Pi profits tumble after supply shortages

An RNLI lifeboat brings a group of people thought to be migrants into Dover

UK to work with allies and social media to tackle people smuggling adverts

A child using an Apple iPhone smartphone

School curriculum resources to teach children about risks of in-game purchases