Microsoft is adding a new AI assistant called Windows Copilot to its Operating system. The new AI will be integrated directly into Windows 11 and available to open and use from the taskbar across all apps and programs. It will replace Cortana as the official Operating System’s AI personal assistant.
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Windows Copilot can summarize content you’re viewing in apps, rewrite it, or even explain it. It looks very similar to the dialog box that’s found in Bing Chat, so you can ask it general questions and things you might usually ask a search engine.
Copilot won’t directly replace the search bar on the Operating System taskbar and is a separate Windows Copilot button alongside it instead. Since Copilot is integrated into the Operating System, you can also do things like ask this assistant to “adjust my settings so I can focus” or take other actions on a PC.
As Windows Copilot is built on the same foundations as Bing Chat, Microsoft is even allowing developers to extend plug-ins written for Bing or OpenAI’s ChatGPT to this AI-powered assistant. That opens up Windows Copilot to a lot of new functionality that developers are creating for ChatGPT and Bing and for future improvements to be automatically carried forward to Windows Copilot.
Microsoft has been hinting about building AI features into Windows over the past six months after Panos Panay claimed in January that “AI is going to reinvent how you do everything on Windows.” Many had been expecting Microsoft to wait until the next major version of Windows, but the company is clearly pushing ahead with its Windows AI ambitions instead.
Microsoft will now start testing Windows Copilot publicly in June before rolling it out more broadly to existing users.
Here are some of the benefits of using Windows Copilot:
- Copilot can help you save time and improve your productivity by automating tasks and providing assistance with complex tasks.
- Copilot can help you learn new things by providing explanations and summaries of content.
- Copilot can help you stay focused by adjusting your settings and blocking distractions.
- Copilot can help you connect with others by providing assistance with tasks like sending emails and scheduling appointments.
If you’re interested in trying Windows Copilot, you can sign up for the public preview in June.