Microsoft's Copilot, a family of AI-powered chatbots and assistants, is getting a boost accompanied by a high-profile Super Bowl LVIII ad campaign.
“Today marks exactly one year since our entry into AI-powered experiences for people with Bing Chat. We’ve learned so many new things, and seen the use of our Copilot experiences explode with over 5 billion chats and 5 billion images created to date. Now with Copilot as our singular experience for people looking to get more out of AI creation, we’re introducing further capabilities,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft.
The web, Android, and iOS versions of Copilot now boast an improved AI model named Deucalion, delivering more refined and efficient responses. The overall look and feel have been revamped with a cleaner style for answers and a user-friendly carousel of suggested prompts, adding a touch of sophistication to the interface. This includes prompts like, "How would you explain AI to a sixth grader?"
The Designer updates
The Designer tool within Copilot, leveraging generative AI models such as OpenAI's DALL-E 3, introduces new editing capabilities. All English-speaking Copilot users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, India, and New Zealand can now seamlessly edit images within the chat flow. This includes tasks like colorizing objects, blurring image backgrounds or changing image styles to pixel art. Copilot Pro subscribers, part of Microsoft's premium plan at $20 per month, gain additional privileges to resize and regenerate images between portrait and landscape formats.
Moreover, Microsoft hints at the imminent arrival of Designer GPT within Copilot, promising users a more immersive and dedicated canvas to visualize their ideas seamlessly.
However, it is crucial to acknowledge the challenges faced by Copilot, particularly with its Designer tool. Earlier incidents involving the creation of inappropriate content, including deepfakes of celebrities, prompted Microsoft to implement safeguards. Despite efforts to address these concerns, the cat-and-mouse game between malicious users and AI vendors continues.
Additionally, there are reports of performance issues with Copilot Pro, as users encounter extended generation times and potential bugs. Speculations suggest server capacity limitations as a root cause, although official comments from Microsoft are currently lacking.
In March last year, the company debuted Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve the efficiency of its productivity tools. This redesign arrives precisely one year after Microsoft embraced generative AI chatbots fully, showcasing Copilot's evolution. The company's Super Bowl ad, the first in four years, proudly features Copilot and demonstrates the host of possibilities offered by the chatbot's mobile app.
While Copilot has contributed to increasing the market share of Bing and Edge, Microsoft remains vigilant in addressing user concerns and refining its AI offerings for a seamless and captivating experience.
