In March this year, Microsoft unveiled Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI-powered assistant that helps users boost productivity across Microsoft's suite of workplace tools. Now, the company has decided to break new ground in AI by announcing Windows Copilot - a Windows-wide AI assistant which makes Windows "the first PC platform to have centralized AI assistance."
The assistant, together with Bing Chat and first- and third-party plugins, will enable users to navigate the PC quickly and easily, completing tasks in seconds.
“Once open, the Windows Copilot sidebar stays consistent across your apps, programs, and windows, always available to act as your personal assistant. It makes every user a power user, helping you take action, customize your settings, and seamlessly connect across your favorite apps,” said in a blog post Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Windows and Devices, Microsoft.
For example, users will be able to drag and drop Word and PDF files into the chat with Copilot and get options like "Explain," "Rewrite," or "Summarize" to process documents quickly.
The chats with Windows Copilot will look like the ones you may have had with Bing online - the assistant will respond in a human-like manner and try to provide accurate results or execute tasks in no time. If you wish to listen to a certain Spotify playlist, Windows Copilot has the power to start the app and open the exact playlist.
The same goes for other apps. With Adobe Express, Windows Copilot can process images, and send them via Teams, email, or any other collaboration app.
Since Windows Copilot is built on the same foundations as Bing Chat, developers can extend plug-ins written for Bing or OpenAI's ChatGPT to this assistant. As a result, developers can create and test new functionalities and improvements for said AI systems and automatically implement them into Windows Copilot.
Microsoft will make Windows Copilot available in preview for Windows 11 in June before rolling it out to the general public.
