As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, the company’s AI-driven Copilot chatbot is undergoing a significant upgrade, gaining abilities that push it closer to the versatility of its competitors, ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
Now, Copilot can interact with most websites, handling tasks like booking tickets, making reservations, and shopping online. It’s also been equipped with memory functions to recall user preferences, such as favorite foods or films—offering a more personalized experience over time.
Another major addition is its newfound capacity to analyze real-time video from smartphones, providing contextual answers based on what it “sees.”
This expansion marks a step forward for Microsoft, which is reportedly working to enhance Copilot with more proprietary technology rather than relying solely on OpenAI’s models. While Copilot has trailed behind its rivals in terms of new features, this latest overhaul aims to close that gap.
Seamless Web Interactions and Deal Hunting
Microsoft has teamed up with major platforms like 1-800-Flowers.com, Booking.com, OpenTable, Expedia, Tripadvisor, and more to enhance Copilot’s web-based capabilities. From ordering flowers to finding flight deals, Copilot’s functionality now resembles that of advanced “agentic” tools like OpenAI’s Operator.
The bot can also act as a vigilant deal tracker, monitoring price drops and notifying users when favorable discounts emerge. This kind of utility is increasingly common among AI tools, but Microsoft’s integration aims to make it more intuitive and accessible.
However, the specifics of Copilot’s performance remain unclear. Microsoft has yet to provide detailed metrics or explain how well the system handles these new tasks. And, like OpenAI’s Operator, it’s possible for websites to block Copilot if they see it as a threat to direct engagement or revenue.
Creating Podcasts and Managing Desktops
Taking inspiration from Google’s NotebookLM, Copilot can now generate podcasts by transforming written content into engaging dialogues between synthetic hosts. These hosts can respond to user interruptions and questions, offering a dynamic, interactive experience that mimics natural conversation.
On mobile devices, Copilot can interpret what’s captured by a phone’s camera or stored in photo galleries. Ask it about a curious flower, an unfamiliar landmark, or even text within an image, and it will provide insights.
Meanwhile, on Windows, the upgraded Copilot can also interact with desktop content, adjusting settings, organizing files, and performing searches. The rollout for this feature begins with Windows Insider program members next week.
While these capabilities offer exciting new possibilities, they also raise concerns about privacy and unintended errors. Microsoft has not detailed the safeguards in place to prevent Copilot from accessing private files or making critical mistakes on desktops.
Pages and Deep Research: A Nod to AI Rivals
Taking cues from tools like ChatGPT Canvas and Claude Artifacts, Microsoft is introducing a new feature called Pages. This function consolidates notes and research into a single space, where Copilot can help organize, refine, and transform information into coherent documents.
Building on this, the Deep Research feature scours online sources, documents, and images to synthesize detailed answers to complex questions. It’s a direct response to similar deep research functionalities offered by ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
The most notable improvement, however, lies in Copilot’s ability to remember past interactions. As you use the chatbot, it takes note of your preferences, aiming to provide customized suggestions, proactive tips, and helpful reminders.
If this feels invasive, Microsoft assures users that memory management is entirely within their control. Through a dedicated user dashboard, individuals can delete specific memories or opt out of memory-based features altogether. The company promises transparency and flexibility, allowing users to decide what information Copilot retains.
Microsoft’s enhancements to Copilot suggest a broader strategy to compete directly with industry leaders by offering more personalized, versatile, and capable AI tools. However, with limited performance data released and potential privacy concerns left unaddressed, it remains to be seen how well Copilot’s new tricks will resonate with users.
For now, Microsoft is banking on Copilot’s expanded features to bridge the gap between novelty and practicality. But as the AI-powered chatbots continue to evolve, the challenge will be in ensuring these improvements deliver tangible, user-centric value.
