Copilot's Big Changes as Microsoft Turns 50

Microsoft just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Photo: Jean Luc-Ichard .

On April 4, Microsoft announced changes to its AI chatbot to mark its 50th anniversary. The company said Copilot has become an AI agent that can perform actions on most websites, allowing you to book tickets, reserve tables at restaurants, and more.

Similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, this chatbot is also capable of remembering specific information about the user, such as your favorite food or movie.

Additionally, Copilot can analyze real-time video from your phone and answer questions based on what the chatbot sees. This feature is similar to Gemini when integrated with Google Lens.

The upgrades come as Microsoft looks to overhaul Copilot to incorporate more of its own technology (internally known as MAI). Copilot has long been criticized for lagging behind its rivals, largely relying on OpenAI’s ChatGPT model to power its operations.

Microsoft says it has partnered with platforms like 1-800-Flowers.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Tripadvisor to ensure compatibility from day one. You just type in a request, like “send a bouquet of flowers to my sweetheart,” and Copilot will attempt to complete the task for you.

Inspired by the search engine Perplexity, Copilot can now also track online deals. The chatbot will notify you when there are promotions and provide a link to purchase.

But how effective Copilot really is at these tasks remains unclear. Unlike some competitors, Microsoft hasn’t released many details about how it works, nor has it provided any data to show where Copilot might struggle or when human intervention is needed.

It’s possible that websites could also block Copilot, similar to how they did with OpenAI’s Operator. Some companies may do so to avoid impacting their advertising revenue, according to Tech Crunch .

The new version also has less controversial upgrades, like the ability to create podcasts from existing content, similar to NotebookLM’s “Audio Overview” feature. Copilot will create a conversation with two AI hosts. You can pause the podcast at any time to ask the chatbot questions.

Copilot's new interface. Photo: Microsoft.

On Android, iOS, and Windows, Copilot can now “see” images from your camera, photo library, or desktop to analyze and respond contextually. This feature will be available for Windows Insiders starting next week.

On the other side of the coin, Copilot adds Pages, a project collaboration tool inspired by ChatGPT Canvas and Claude Artifacts. Pages allows users to store and organize notes and research materials on a whiteboard-like interface.

Complementing Pages is the Deep Research feature that helps Copilot collect information from online sources and then analyze it to answer complex questions. This feature is similar to Deep Research in ChatGPT or Gemini.

As mentioned, Copilot will remember information about you so it can suggest personalized solutions or remind you when necessary. You can also choose to delete individual memories, or turn this feature off completely.

“Copilot puts you in control through a user control panel where you can choose what information is remembered, or choose not to remember anything at all,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post.

While Microsoft says users are in control, details about how Copilot can be prevented from accessing private files or causing serious errors on the desktop are still limited, TechCrunch noted.

Source: https://znews.vn/thay-doi-lon-cua-copilot-khi-microsoft-tron-50-tuoi-post1543658.html