On Tuesday, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to bringing artificial intelligence to everyday users with the launch of an enhanced version of its Copilot chatbot, now equipped to engage in voice conversations and analyze images.
In a blog post introducing the revamped chatbot, Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s executive vice president and CEO of AI, emphasized that “Copilot will be there for you—always in your corner, aligned with your interests.”
Suleyman, who previously led Google’s AI division, DeepMind, joined Microsoft in March after leaving his own startup to oversee the company’s consumer AI efforts.
Microsoft has been a front-runner in making generative AI accessible to the public, largely leveraging technology developed through its $13 billion collaboration with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
However, it faces increasing competition from Google and soon Apple, both of which are using their strong positions in the smartphone market to introduce their own AI solutions. Meanwhile, Meta is capitalizing on its extensive user base across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to promote its Meta AI chatbot.
According to Microsoft, Copilot’s voice capabilities offer a more natural way to interact with your AI assistant, featuring four voice options to facilitate brainstorming, quick questions, or even emotional support.
Currently, the voice features are being rolled out primarily in English-speaking regions, while the image interpretation tool is still in a testing phase and requires users to opt in for participation.
Microsoft also emphasized that user safety is a top priority, assuring that any data collected through the new vision feature will be discarded after use. The tool is designed to “see” what the user is viewing on a webpage, respond to inquiries about its content, suggest next steps, and assist users without interrupting their workflow.
Initially, this feature will be limited to a select group of popular websites to ensure a safe user experience, according to the company.
Additionally, Microsoft introduced a new capability called “Think Deeper,” which enhances Copilot’s ability to tackle more complex issues. This update follows OpenAI’s release of its advanced model, o1, aimed at addressing challenging problems in fields like science, coding, and mathematics—areas where earlier models had been notably lacking.
Microsoft also plans to enhance Copilot’s personalization through a Discover feature that will allow the tool to adapt based on users’ conversation history. However, this new personalization capability will not be available in the EU and the UK yet, due to stricter regulations concerning personal data usage by large tech companies.
