Microsoft has a new Clippy, and it’s an AI friend called Mico. in the company Copilot Fall Release At the press event on Thursday, the company introduced a series of new features and updates to its AI chatbot, but one that telegraphed how the tech giant intends to bring AI to consumers was the official introduction of the “face” of its AI chatbot — an expressive avatar blob named Miko.
company Let’s tell He Mico (its name is a nod to “Microsoft Copilot”) aims to provide consumers with a “warm” and “customizable” visual presence that “listens, reacts, and even changes color to reflect your conversations.”
If a talking AI assistant immediately brings to mind Microsoft’s infamous productivity assistant, Clippy, you wouldn’t be wrong to think so. It seems that Microsoft has decided to adopt the reference of its century-old companion, because it is also Easter Egg Where, if you tap Mico multiple times, it will be Change In Clippy.
This feature is enabled by default when you are using CoPilot’s voice mode, but users can turn it off if they wish. Microsoft says it’s initially available in the US, Canada, and the UK and will be able to save memories of your conversations and learn from your feedback.
The “Learn Live” mode for US users can make CoPilot a tutor that guides you through concepts rather than just giving answers. The company says it has also made other improvements in areas such as health queries and in-depth research.
“As we build this, we’re not chasing engagement or optimizing for screen time. We’re building AI that brings you back into your life. It deepens the human connection. It earns your trust.” wrote Mustafa Suleiman, CEO of Microsoft AI, in an announcement.
Microsoft isn’t the only chatbot maker to anthropomorphize its AI. For example, market leader ChatGPT offers a visual experience along with several different voice options. Meanwhile, xAI’s Grok has turned its AI into risky AI companions. In app stores, AI companion apps are already attracting millions of users, which shows that there is consumer demand for AI characters to some extent.
However, it remains to be seen whether consumers will respond to Mico’s floating blob.
The company says it’s also working to evolve CoPilot’s personality and tone, with the introduction of a new mode called “Real Talk.” This will allow the AI to reflect the user’s interaction style, but not be as chatty as other AI assistants. Instead, Microsoft says it will feel like something that is “grounded in your own perspective”, and will push back and challenge your views, which may encourage you to look at things from a different perspective.
Finding a balance between a helpful, conversational AI and AI that leads users into bad situations has proven difficult. Many incidents of AI chatbot psychosis There have been reports where AI users reinforce their delusional beliefs from interactions with chatbots.
The Fall Copilot update introduced several other new features to Microsoft’s AI, including the ability to bring friends into your Copilot AI chats, support for long-term memory, connectors to link productivity apps like email and cloud storage, and expanded AI integration for its browser, Microsoft Edge.
The company said it is working on developing Edge into an AI browser that can look at your tabs, summarize and compare information, and take actions for you on things like booking a hotel or filling out a form. This will allow Edge to compete with other AI browsers, including OpenAI’s ChatGPAT Atlas, Perplexity’s Comet, Dia, and others, as well as market leader Chrome, which has integrated its Gemini AI.
