On its 50th anniversary, Microsoft is enhancing its AI-powered Copilot chatbot with a range of new features. Copilot can now interact with most websites, allowing users to book tickets, make restaurant reservations, and more.
It has also gained the ability to remember specific personal details, such as favorite foods and films, akin to the capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Furthermore, Copilot can analyze real-time video from users’ phones and answer questions based on what it observes.
These updates come as Microsoft is reportedly considering a revamp of Copilot, traditionally powered by OpenAI’s models, aiming to incorporate more in-house technology. Historically, Copilot has struggled to keep pace with competitors like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, which have rapidly expanded their feature sets.
Recently, Microsoft announced that Copilot can now complete tasks on the web similar to how agentic tools operate, having partnered with several major online services for immediate compatibility. For instance, users can simply instruct Copilot to send a bouquet, and it will attempt to fulfill that request.
In addition, Copilot can track online deals, notifying users of price drops and providing links for purchases. However, the effectiveness of these tasks remains uncertain, as Microsoft has not clarified how well Copilot performs in various scenarios or the possible limitations users might face.
Moreover, Copilot features a new “podcast” generation capability, creating dialogues based on given content, and can visually analyze what is in view of a phone’s camera or on a desktop. A new Pages function allows for research consolidation, complemented by the Deep Research feature that analyzes diverse information sources for more complex queries.
Lastly, Copilot can remember user interactions for personalized suggestions, though users retain the option to manage their data and memory preferences.