Microsoft pushes enormous Copilot replace with options like Clippy 2.0

Now that Microsoft is not-quite-forcing you to improve to Home windows 11, it’s time for them to take break, allow you to settle in, lay off a number of the heavy-handed advertising and marketing that’s been the corporate’s staple for the final two years… Ha, simply kidding. They’re truly burying customers below extra Copilot options and integrations. Attempt to comprise your pleasure.

In a sprawling advertising and marketing put up yesterday, Microsoft introduced a bunch of recent options for Copilot… not a single one in every of which requires a laptop computer or desktop that meets the Copilot+ necessities. “Copilot now connects you to your self, to others, and to the instruments you employ daily. It’s there for you, helps you keep organized, and even helps your well being,” says the weblog put up from Microsoft’s CEO of AI.

Right here’s a breakdown of all the brand new and up to date stuff introduced:

Mico, Microsoft’s AI companion character: It’s Clippy 2.0. And the brand new video displaying off the character, which is meant to be conversational, has no audio. What? Fortunately, Mico is barely an “optionally available visible presence”; you may nonetheless use Copilot in its customary text-based interface. Mico is at the moment rolling out within the US, although I haven’t seen it in motion but. (Oh, by the best way. It’s referred to as Mico as a result of it’s an interface for Microsoft Copilot. Riveting.)

Copilot Mode in Edge: Microsoft is pushing the Copilot integration to compete with new “agentic” browsers like Comet. Copilot will have the ability to “learn” the pages you’re and keep in mind your web historical past, in a way that whiffs of Recall on Copilot+ PCs. Don’t everybody leap directly to provide Microsoft much more of your net shopping info.

Copilot Teams: As much as 32 customers can take part a Copilot LLM session directly for collaboration.

Lengthy-term reminiscence: Copilot’s LLM can now “keep in mind” vital info you provide as much as it, mirroring options from different “AI” chatbots like ChatGPT (which varieties the premise for a lot of Copilot’s performance) and Google Gemini. Customers can replace, edit, or delete particular conversations of their historical past, permitting a measure of management over what Copilot remembers.

Integration with Google companies: Copilot can now get into your Google account to “see” Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, one thing that was already introduced. In Deep Analysis mode, it should provide up extra perception primarily based on current exercise.

Copilot for well being: Microsoft guarantees some extra credible search outcomes, together with “sources like Harvard Well being.” It’ll additionally enable you discover the right native docs primarily based in your well being wants, together with location and language. All of these items are, in fact, utterly inconceivable to do with a regular search engine, just like the one Microsoft has been making for a few a long time.

I’ve but to see something in Copilot that makes me need to go away it working on my PC, a lot much less pay $20 monthly for a Microsoft 365 subscription to get at its stronger capabilities. However if you wish to do that stuff out, Microsoft says that every one the above capabilities are rolling out within the US now, with the UK, Canada, “and past” coming later.