Microsoft has introduced a major update to its Copilot AI, enhancing its capabilities with voice and vision features to transform it into a more personalized assistant. These new functionalities, including a virtual news presenter mode and the ability to interpret what users see on their screens, are part of a broad overhaul across mobile, web, and the dedicated Windows app.
This redesign introduces a card-based user interface that makes Copilot feel more personalized and intuitive. The changes are influenced by Microsoft’s recent hires from Inflection AI, including Mustafa Suleyman, the co-founder of Google DeepMind and now the CEO of Microsoft AI. Suleyman’s influence marks a significant shift in Copilot’s consumer-facing features.
“At Microsoft AI, we are creating an AI companion for everyone,” Suleyman wrote in an open letter. “I truly believe we can create a calmer, more helpful and supportive era of technology, quite unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
A Fresh Look and New Features
The redesigned Copilot is warmer and more user-friendly, offering a personalized “Discover” page. This page will adapt to users’ preferences, offering searches, tips, and relevant information based on past interactions. The update also includes voice features, allowing users to talk to Copilot naturally, similar to OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode. With four voice options, users can interact with the AI in a way that feels comfortable and personal.
“We’re making a huge bet on voice,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “When you use it with the way we’ve designed it, you really start to let yourself go and have conversations.”
Another key feature is Copilot Vision, which enables the AI assistant to see what’s on the user’s screen and respond to questions about it. This feature will be useful for tasks like shopping, where Copilot can offer product recommendations based on what’s visible on a webpage.
Privacy Considerations and Future Plans
Microsoft emphasizes that Copilot Vision is opt-in, and no content will be stored or used for training. Currently, Copilot Vision works with a limited list of popular websites, and it won’t function with paywalled or sensitive content during its preview phase.
Copilot’s new features include Copilot Daily, an audio news summary that reads out headlines and weather reports using content from authorized sources like Reuters and the Financial Times. Meanwhile, Think Deeper is a new tool that allows Copilot to spend more time crafting detailed, step-by-step answers to complex questions.
As Microsoft continues to roll out these updates, it’s clear that Copilot is evolving into more than just a chatbot. With voice and vision capabilities, it is becoming an AI companion designed to assist users more meaningfully.
This revamped Copilot experience is available now on mobile apps for iOS and Android, the web, and the Windows app. With plans to expand globally, voice capabilities will initially be available in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US.
Suleyman envisions even bigger things for Copilot. “Over time it’ll adapt to your mannerisms and develop capabilities built around your preferences and needs. We are not creating a static tool so much as establishing a dynamic, emergent, and evolving interaction,” he said.