Microsoft's Copilot AI Gets A Major Redesign With Ambitious New Capabilties

Microsoft got in on the ground floor of the current AI hype, releasing the first Copilot PC features in 2023. Its decision to roll out Copilot while the technology is still developing has led to a lot of changes, and the latest update is the biggest yet. In fact, Microsoft claims its new Copilot is more conversational, warm, and helpful.

Copilot on your Windows 11 PC will soon have a daily summary feature, offering access to news and weather, with the option of having that content read by your chosen Copilot voice. Yes, Copilot talks now. Microsoft says this is a more natural way to interact with the robot, similar to the Gemini Live feature that Google recently released. There's also a revamped Discover interface that recommends conversation starters for Copilot.

While some of this sounds useful, Microsoft's drive to make Copilot more friendly may go too far for some. All the examples it has provided may come off as even more aggressive than before, and there's going to be a lot more clutter in the Copilot UI. Feature bloat is a problem in many Windows tools, and it appears that Copilot is not immune.

Microsoft's problematic Recall feature is going to return soon, too. This feature was announced earlier this year but pulled from preview bulbs of Windows due to privacy concerns. Recall takes screenshots of your PC and runs them through a local AI model so you can search for content. Potentially useful? Yes. Creepy? Also yes. Microsoft says Recall is more secure now, but the release will be staggered. It will arrive on Qualcomm-powered AI+ systems this month. For Intel and AMD-powered machines with enough AI juice, there will be a Windows Insider preview starting in November.

Copilot+ PCs are also getting a few more new capabilities, including Click to Do. This feature suggests AI tools based on your screen. Search is also getting better on Copilot+ systems. You'll be able to search for photos by their contents rather than the file names. It's a bit like Google Photos but it all happens locally.

If you want to get a peek at the future of Windows AI, Microsoft has also announced the availability of Copilot Labs. The experimental feature set currently includes Copilot Vision and Thing Deeper. The former lets Copilot see and comment on your screen contents in real time. Think Deeper will prompt the robot to generate a longer, more detailed response to a complex question.

The value proposition of Copilot+ PCs has been debatable since Microsoft began the initiative. However, the company is determined to make AI-assisted or accelerated features truly useful to the average consumer. Time will tell if Copilot can do that.