Now that Microsoft is not-quite-forcing you to upgrade to Windows 11, it’s time for them to take break, let you settle in, lay off some of the heavy-handed marketing that’s been the company’s staple for the last two years… Ha, just kidding. They’re actually burying users under more Copilot features and integrations. Try to contain your excitement.
In a sprawling marketing post yesterday, Microsoft announced a bunch of new features for Copilot… not a single one of which requires a laptop or desktop that meets the Copilot+ requirements. “Copilot now connects you to yourself, to others, and to the tools you use every day. It’s there for you, helps you stay organized, and even supports your health,” says the blog post from Microsoft’s CEO of AI.
Here’s a breakdown of all the new and updated stuff announced:
Mico, Microsoft’s AI companion character: It’s Clippy 2.0. And the new video showing off the character, which is supposed to be conversational, has no audio. What? Thankfully, Mico is only an “optional visual presence”; you can still use Copilot in its standard text-based interface. Mico is currently rolling out in the US, though I haven’t seen it in action yet. (Oh, by the way. It’s called Mico because 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 be able to “read” the pages you’re looking at and remember your internet history, in a method that whiffs of Recall on Copilot+ PCs. Don’t everyone jump at once to give Microsoft even more of your web browsing information.
Copilot Groups: Up to 32 users can join in a Copilot LLM session at once for collaboration.
Long-term memory: Copilot’s LLM can now “remember” important information you offer up to it, mirroring features from other “AI” chatbots like ChatGPT (which forms the basis for much of Copilot’s functionality) and Google Gemini. Users can update, edit, or delete specific conversations in their history, allowing a measure of control over what Copilot remembers.
Integration with Google services: Copilot can now get into your Google account to “see” Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, something that was already announced. In Deep Research mode, it will offer up more insight based on recent activity.
Copilot for health: Microsoft promises some more credible search results, including “sources like Harvard Health.” It’ll also help you find the correct local doctors based on your health needs, including location and language. All of these things are, of course, completely impossible to do with a standard search engine, like the one Microsoft has been making for a couple of decades.
I’ve yet to see anything in Copilot that makes me want to leave it running on my PC, much less pay $20 per month for a Microsoft 365 subscription to get at its more potent capabilities. But if you want to try this stuff out, Microsoft says that all the above capabilities are rolling out in the US now, with the UK, Canada, “and beyond” coming later.
