In this new age of AI prominence, it’s commonplace to see the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity prop up their signature AI tools and champion the many benefits that come with utilizing ever-evolving chatbots.

Major consumer brands, such as Coca-Cola, Samsung and Microsoft, have also incorporated AI into their major marketing campaigns and product messaging. But it’s become increasingly evident that most people aren’t fans of AI becoming a more central part of their favorite companies. And thanks to a recent survey conducted by WordPress VIP, that sentiment is becoming even more widespread amongst American consumers.

And with those results at the forefront of that survey, AI doubters and skeptics have even more fuel to support their arguments against the constantly maturing technology.

A high percentage of Americans are not too fond of AI in a company’s messaging

WordPress VIP’s survey, which was mainly concerned with brands' stronger focus on utilizing AI, released a bunch of key findings that reveal just how much Americans dislike AI being used by mainstream brands:

• 60 percent of respondents said that they’re immediately turned off by AI being implemented into a brand’s messaging and don’t consider it a useful feature
• 16 percent of respondents stated that they think there’s not a single brand that’s managed to use AI well thus far
• 61% of consumers noted that they can’t name a brand that uses AI well in its messaging
• 74% of consumers noted that the internet feels less human than it did 10 years ago

Another major discovery found in this survey is the ever-rising feeling of “bot fatigue”, which is defined as the emotional, psychological, and cognitive exhaustion consumers and workers experience when dealing with an overabundance of artificial intelligence in several facets of their daily life. The most interesting stat tied to that viewpoint is that 40 minutes is the average time at which bot fatigue starts to creep for users interacting with various corners of the World Wide Web.

With the rise of AI becoming more attached to everyone’s favorite companies and sites, people are becoming more trusting of original sources when searching for information. AI referrals to sites are a core feature of chatbots, as evidenced by the survey noting that 60 percent of enterprise respondents have seen an increase in their traffic from AI search engines and answer platforms over the past year.

While there are a ton of consumer brands that have implemented AI into their marketing, there are still several companies that refrain from injecting AI into their core messaging. Strong brands with a clear identity, such as Nike, McDonald's and Nintendo, have stuck to their iconic branding and haven’t used AI as a central theme within their consumer-facing messaging.

Bottom line

Just by looking at that recent Chase Bank commercial that pushes traditional, face-to-face human banking over AI interactions, it’s easy to pick up on the increase in negative feelings most humans and some companies have towards AI.

Consuming content that feels human is seen as more reliable, which today’s biggest brands most recognize as they look for better ways to implement AI into their company infrastructure and rethink how they market their use of the technology as a whole.

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The AI Age has begun, and our digital assistants are ready and waiting to take on translation, transcription, complex calculations and many other processes. What used to take hours can now be achieved with the right prompts and tools in just minutes.

The same can be said of software development. Whether building apps to share with the world or just building tools to solve issues you’re facing in your daily workflows, “vibe coding” is here to stay and has democratized the development process for all.

Ten years ago, building software required years of programming knowledge. Now, you can describe an app in plain English, and AI can generate large portions of it for you. When you need to refine or debug, the AI will do that for you too. Microsoft's Copilot lays claim to be a particularly useful co-developer basically since it’s baked into just about every facet of Windows by now.

What 'vibe coding' actually means

Vibe coding is all about making sure you’re feeling comfortable while building. To that end, it relies on natural language input to build code that would otherwise have taken years to learn, like asking for a certain UI element to be resized, or suggesting color changes.

It’s less about digging through code, and more about explaining what you want: Intent over syntax. Copilot is already doing much of the lifting for the development community, too.

GitHub Copilot helps suggest how to finish lines of code while you’re in the zone, while you iterate using words instead of numbers and brackets. Agentic AI can run in the background while you’re working on Task A, getting Tasks B to Z done down to your specifications.

It’s not just apps, either. Ask Copilot to put together a spreadsheet that tracks your workouts, or a website for your personal blog, and it’ll do just that while following guardrails you put in place.

Why Copilot?

Microsoft is in a unique spot when it comes to AI integration, because it’s running it across the Windows OS that millions of people use daily. Oh, and it also owns GitHub, Azure servers, enterprise apps, and much more.

There’s an argument to be made that Microsoft is very close to creating the ultimate “vibe coding ecosystem” where Copilot writes code, Windows tests it, Azure deploys it, and GitHub distributes it. It could mean that having access to Microsoft’s Copilot AI can turn you from a solo bedroom dev into an app entrepreneur who’s able to share projects across the globe.

An app factory in your home? That’s the dream.

Following a precedent

OK, we’re not quite there yet, but it feels like Copilot is on the cusp of delivering something that we’ve not seen since, well, ever.

That kind of code-to-user pipeline is unheard of right now, but there are other examples of how AI and web tools have smoothed out challenging computing and design concepts.

It’s not all that long ago that you’d need pro-level software like Photoshop to make an awesome design, but now Canva can build what you’re looking for in minutes.

It used to take hours of research to compare products you were trying to decide between, but AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT and our own Tom's Guide Product Finder can now pull up every minor detail with ease.

Microsoft now stands on the verge of doing something similar for every aspiring developer, letting you build something for your phone, your PC, or someone else’s screen and provide support after release, too.

What about the risks?

That’s not to say there’s not due diligence needed when building an app through an AI tool. Bugs will need to be ironed out, and security best practices will be imperative.

After all, if you build an app in 5 minutes but it requires a month of fixes afterward, is the process really as smooth as you need it to be?

From another perspective, however, it means development teams will still be needed, and with the power of GitHub and Azure, you could even build an app by day and help others fix theirs by night.

Looking out for the little guy

If you’re a teacher building a bespoke app for a single lesson, you can put together a small piece of interactive software in minutes, built to your exact specifications. New parents can automate bedtime, feeding, and chore schedules, while aspiring artists can build a professional website to showcase their work.

Small businesses can avoid expensive accounting tools and keep everything in-house, using Copilot to jot down Excel formulas they could only have dreamt of.

The potential applications are colossal, and it could end up feeling like a second coming of Windows 11. Forget Windows 12, you could be telling your PC what applications you need to get through the day more quickly and watching them build in real time.

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Microsoft Build 2026 takes place on June 2-3 and promises to showcase the latest innovations the company is cooking up. Taking place at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, this developer-focused event likely won’t feature bombshell announcements like Windows 12, but instead spotlight the latest and upcoming AI tools.

The full session catalog is already live, with sessions based around agentic AI, Azure cloud smarts, GitHub Copilot, Windows development, and responsible AI. That might not sound exciting, but what we learn during the two-day event will give us a glimpse of updates that will trickle down to the apps, PCs, and services you and I use every day.

You can watch Microsoft Build 2026 online for free by registering at the official Microsoft Build 2026 website. We’ll be covering the show as well, so make sure to keep it locked here as we break down all the technical jargon and explain what is (or isn’t) important.

Here are the biggest announcements happening at Microsoft Build 2026.

Agentic AI and multi-agent systems

One term we expect to hear a lot during Build is “agentic AI.” Right now, people use LLMs like ChatGPT to ask questions. AI agents, however, can take proactive actions on your behalf. For instance, they can resolve scheduling conflicts in your calendar, collaborate with other AI agents, and handle other complex tasks. Microsoft Foundry (the evolved version of the Azure AI platform) should be the basis for this.

To that end, expect Build sessions to cover topics such as agent orchestration and debugging, and perhaps even get real-world production stories. For instance, we could see a demo of an agent researching flights, while another books hotels, and another checks your budget. This would happen without anyone micromanaging the agents.

We’ve heard horror stories about agents deleting important documents and emails, so I hope to see Microsoft address this very real concern. But if these agents work as advertised and don't torch your work, they should act as digital assistants to take some of the stress off your daily grind.

A more autonomous GitHub Copilot

Related to the previous point, GitHub Copilot could also start doing things on your behalf. This platform has already been a boon for developers, and could become even more indispensable. We could see deeper integrations with Visual Studio, VS Code, and the full dev lifecycle.

If developers have an easier time creating app or fixing code, this could result in higher-quality apps for folks like us. Think smoother interfaces on streaming platforms, bug-free banking apps, or even smarter fitness trackers. Developers shipping code more quickly and with fewer bugs means faster app updates.

Azure AI platform

Microsoft’s Azure platform is what does the heavy lifting, so expect Build to discuss the latest on the cloud-based platform. We’ll see sessions diving into things like training and fine-tuning models efficiently, multi-model orchestration, and moving prototypes to production without giant bills.

For non-developers, this could mean keeping AI features affordable, which could result in the price of subscriptions for services we use staying low. That could be wishful thinking on my part, but if the developers are saving money, then perhaps we might as well.

Windows AI Foundry

Windows AI Foundry lets developers build apps that can run AI models on-device on laptops and PCs using the NPU, GPU, or CPU. This is beneficial if you’re working on something sensitive and don’t want to do it on the cloud.

To that end, we should see sessions featuring on-device inference, WinUI 3 with agents, WSL improvements, and other developer-optimized experiences. This builds on Copilot+ PCs but works broadly, all on-device.

Local AI means faster response times since there’s no internet lag. And as mentioned above, it also means better privacy for both personal and business files. Privacy is a growing concern with AI, so I expect Microsoft to really push on-device AI during Build.

What not to expect

Let’s get the big one out of the way. While we’ve heard rumblings about Windows 12 for years, there has not been official confirmation from Microsoft. Build isn’t usually an event where major software is announced, so it’s unlikely that the company will unveil Windows 12 there. However, we’ll no doubt see elements of what could end up in the operating system at the various sessions. What actually makes it into Windows 12 is anyone’s guess, however.

Similarly, we doubt that Microsoft will make any significant hardware announcements. Surface devices for business have already launched, such as the Surface Laptop 8 I reviewed, so any kind of mention would be redundant. We also don’t think Microsoft will unveil or discuss Xbox Project Helix.

If anything, we could hear something about the next Xbox during Summer Game Fest that’s also happening next week—but that’s a whole different story.

Microsoft Build 2026: Outlook

Microsoft Build 2026 won’t be a big fancy event like WWDC or Google I/O, but it will give us some insight into the tools developers will use to (hopefully) build more useful applications and features for regular users. From agentic systems that handle your work to local AI that lets you work more privately, there’s a lot to look forward to.

We’ll be covering Microsoft Build 2026 live as it happens, so keep it locked here for all the latest developments from Microsoft’s big developer conference.

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Microsoft made the biggest change to Windows keyboards in 30 years by adding a dedicated Copilot key to its Copilot+ PCs when they started rolling out a couple of years ago.

Unfortunately, what looked like a means of leveraging Windows' massive adoption into an AI leadership position seems to have backfired. All it takes is a scroll through Reddit to see how much people dislike the button, and my colleague Tony Polanco called it the worst thing about Copilot+ PCs last year.

Now, Microsoft appears to be relenting by officially announcing it will let users remap the Copilot button back to the Right Ctrl or Context menu options it replaced.

In a recently published support document, Microsoft stated: "Customers who rely on the Right Ctrl key or Context menu key for keyboard shortcuts or assistive technologies (such as screen readers) experienced some challenges to their workflows when using these devices."

"A Windows 11 update will ship later this year that will add a setting option to let you remap the Copilot key to act as the Context menu key or Right Ctrl key. When available, you can find this setting in: Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard"

While I've never needed the Right Ctrl or Context menu for my own typical workflow, I've lost count of the number of times I've accidentally triggered Copilot by hitting that key. And while I use a number of different AI assistants over the course of a week, Copilot is very rarely among them.

Some PC manufacturers do let users remap the Copilot key with their own on-device software and we have our own Tom's Guide tutorial on how to remap the Copilot key on Windows 11. However, both of those solutions will require additional steps and won't be as simple as a native solution within the OS that applies universally to all Windows 11 laptops with a Copilot key.

Microsoft hasn't specified exactly when we may see this update, only noting it will be in a "future Windows 11 update." Microsoft typically drops major updates for Windows in October and, occasionally, in September. So in all likelihood, it could still be another five months before we see this change rolled out.

In the meantime, here are 7 genius Copilot prompts that make Windows 11 instantly more useful.

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The shake-up at Microsoft caught a lot of people off guard. When Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond both stepped away from their roles, it marked a major turning point for Xbox.

What came next was even more unexpected: Asha Sharma, formerly leading Microsoft’s CoreAI product, stepped in as the new EVP and CEO of Xbox.

Since taking over, Sharma has moved quickly to reshape the Xbox ecosystem, and early signs are giving gamers a reason to feel optimistic again. Her initial changes include lowering the price of Xbox Game Pass from $29.99 to $22.99 per month, scrapping the “This is an Xbox” campaign, and rolling out long-requested improvements to the Achievements system.

Then came another update. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sharma teased yet another change, one that pushed fan excitement even higher. And honestly, I felt it too. This was the kind of announcement that makes you start paying attention to Xbox again.

Copilot AI on consoles will no longer be a thing

Sharma made it clear that further development for Microsoft Copilot AI across mobile and consoles has officially been halted for good.

Before its cancellation on those devices, this feature was showcased as an AI assistant that could provide players with in-game tips, make game recommendations and even offer predictions for upcoming Xbox showcases. Gaming Copilot is currently available in the Xbox mobile app, on Game Bar for Windows 11 and across the ROG Xbox Ally family of handhelds.

Another major change that Sharma has enacted for the Xbox brand is her appointment of new leaders who will assist her in her mission to make Xbox a powerhouse once again. In a memo detailed by IGN, four of those new roles saw positions filled by Sharma’s colleagues from her time spent at CoreAI.

Those new Xbox leaders include:

• Jared Palmer, the new VP of Engineering at Xbox (former CoreAI VP of product)
• Tim Allen, the new CVP of Xbox Design (former CoreAI president of design)
• Jonathan McKay, the new Xbox Head of Growth (former CoreAI head of growth)
• Evan Chaki will “run a team of forward-deployed engineers that will look to simplify development and end repetitive work” (former CoreAI GM of AI innovation)
• David Schloss, the new Xbox Head of subscriptions and cloud (former Instacart senior director of product and growth)

Kotaku also discovered a bunch of other changes made to Xbox’s most important positions:

• Jason Ronald will now be "accountable for Project Helix and the Xbox platform" as the new VP of Next Generation at Xbox (former VP of Xbox gaming devices and ecosystems)
• Jason Beaumont will now lead product and also serve as interim head of engineering (former VP of Xbox experiences)
• Fatima Kardar will maintain her position as the corporate VP of gaming AI and fulfill her new responsibilities as the head of a “newly formed Personalization org” that will focus on solving player-facing issues like search and discovery.
• Jennifer Creegan will now lead Xbox’s media business (former VP of strategy, business model, and insights)

The takeaway

From my perspective, Sharma has made all the right moves so far to rebuild confidence in the Xbox brand.

As an Xbox Series X owner and long-time Xbox Game Pass subscriber, I’m genuinely optimistic about what comes next. With major titles like Forza Horizon 6, Halo: Campaign Evolved and a new Fable reportedly on the way, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year. I’m also hoping Clockwork Revolution makes the cut.

Dropping Copilot from the core gaming experience also feels like the right call. While I tested the Gaming Copilot feature on mobile and found its recommendations surprisingly useful, most players simply don’t need AI to handle tasks they can easily do themselves. The broader gaming audience hasn’t exactly been asking for it.

Instead, doubling down on first-party studios and focusing on delivering high-quality games—not forcing AI into places it doesn’t belong—looks like a smarter long-term strategy. If Sharma and her team stay on this path, Xbox could finally regain some serious momentum.

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For a long time, my writing process was a series of micro-interruptions. I’d have Microsoft Word open on one side of my screen and ChatGPT or Claude in a Chrome tab on the other. Every time I hit a wall or needed a paragraph tightened, I’d perform a productivity-killing ritual: copy the text, alt-tab to the browser, paste it into the prompt box, wait for the response and then copy-paste it back into my document.

It didn't feel like a big deal at the time, but the "context switching" was quietly killing my momentum. And although Copilot is available in Word, I have found it to be a bit too instrusive and usually keep it turned off.

So, when Anthropic released the Claude for Word add-in, I decided to run an experiment. I forced myself to stay entirely inside Word for a week, using Claude as my only writing assistant.

Here is how moving the AI directly into my workflow changed everything.

Beyond Copilot and ChatGPT for enhanced productivity

Before this, ChatGPT was a destination where I had to go when I had a question such as “what’s another word for X” or “What word would help punch up this headline?” Now, the AI lives inside my document. Similar to Gemini inside a Google Doc, Claude now works in Microsoft Word — the platform I prefer over Google Docs for reasons worthy of another article.

Instead of treating the AI as a separate entity, it feels like a native feature of Word. The biggest shift was psychological: when the tool is right there in the sidebar (or even responding to my Word Comments), I stop overthinking the "interaction" with the AI and just focus on the writing.

Seamless workflow and increased focus

Downloading Claude for Word is easy and takes less than five minutes to set up. Once its installed, you can find it in the Home tab.

From there, Claude for Word can see the entire document. Because of this, I stopped having to re-explain the context of my articles. I no longer had to tell the AI, "Hey, I'm writing a review about X." It already knew. This allowed me to move from a messy first draft to a structured thought much faster.

I found myself writing "badly" on purpose just to get ideas down, then highlighting a section and asking Claude to:

• "Tighten this and check for grammatical errors."
• "Turn this intro into three bullet points for social media."
• "Cut 20% of the word count without losing the tone."

What I love (and don't love)

One feature that blew me away — and something you don’t get with a standard chatbot— is the integration with Word’s "Tracked Changes."

When I ask Claude to edit a paragraph, it doesn't just overwrite my work. It suggests the edits as redlines. This keeps me in the driver’s seat. I can "Accept" or "Reject" its suggestions one by one in the review pane, just like I would with a human editor. It turned the experience from a "black box" output into a collaborative session.

Despite how much I love the workflow, there are still reasons to keep ChatGPT (or the standard Claude.ai web interface) nearby:

• Ideation is better in a chat: For big, messy brainstorming sessions — like "Help me brainstorm names for my main characters"— I still prefer the full-screen chatbot interface. The Word sidebar is a bit too cramped for deep research.
• The 'Prompt' trap: Moving the AI into Word doesn't fix bad prompting. If your instructions are vague, the output is still generic.
• Efficiency can lead to laziness: Because it’s so easy to hit "Accept" on a Claude edit, I found myself occasionally skipping the critical thinking phase.

Bottom line

Replacing my "tab-hopping" habit with a native AI that I actually use has boosted my workflow like I've never experienced. I appreciate that the AI is available when I need it, but not overly intrusive like other writing tools I've used (namely, Copilot and Grammarly).

Using Claude in Word truly demonstrates that working alongside AI in real time can enhance workflow while reducing the bottlenecks that come from several open tabs. I'm glad I tried it and I'm not going back.

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Let’s be real. Nobody I know has anything good to say about Microsoft Copilot. Shoved down our throats in any way possible in Windows 11, it’s turned the OS into a bloated behemoth that consumes the very thing we’re all seeing get way more expensive — RAM. And for what? Some rewriting tools, AI image generation in Paint and a searchable visual timeline of everything you do that’s quite a security risk, which is all ignored by users.

So it’s fair to say that I got a little hyped when I saw the “commitment to Windows quality” blog, which confirms a major update with reduced Copilot features and better efficiency. Microsoft listened…at least that’s what I thought. Because what we’re actually getting from the first signs of these changes is a simple rebranding. Copilot is still there — it’s just called something different.

An AI wolf in sheep’s clothing

As discovered by Windows Latest, the Notepad app and Snipping Tool are the first signs of Microsoft starting to rollback Copilot in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview. Copilot logos have disappeared from Notepad and the Snipping Tool.

But as is clearly apparent, this is mostly just branding only. Instead of a colorful Copilot button, Notepad gets a “Writing tools” icon, whereas the Snipping Tool is actually AI-free from the looks of it. Being someone who got tired of seeing Copilot everywhere, it’s definitely a welcome change.

Though, it does make me nervous that the idea of Microsoft being “intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows” may be more like “let’s just hide it in plain sight.”

Outlook

That’s not to say this Windows 11 commitment is for nothing. We could very well just be seeing a small slither of the wider changes that could reduce AI integration to only where (in Microsoft’s words) it’s “most meaningful, with craft and focus.”

But early updates do give us an indication of where Microsoft is thinking of going, and simply changing the presentation rather than removing unnecessary feature sets does not instill confidence here.

Taskbar customization, a faster File explorer and reduced Windows Updates disruption are all good things, but if Microsoft doesn’t genuinely hit the biggest performance consumer here, then we’re right back at square one — only looking prettier. I hope the company goes harder on the run up to Build 2026.

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The art of prompting can become surprisingly addictive once you get the hang of it. When done right, a prompt opens the door to a real dialogue with AI chatbots.

At its core, a prompt is simply the text-based instruction you give an AI chatbot. Based on what you write, the AI generates a response. But the clarity of that instruction makes all the difference. If your prompt is vague, you’ll likely get a broad answer that misses the point. If it’s clear and specific, the response will be far more precise and useful.

The good news? You don’t need to be an AI expert to write better prompts. That’s where we come in.

Whether you’re experimenting with ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude or another chatbot with free features, the same basic prompting principles apply across all of them.

Use the following techniques as a starting point and you’ll quickly learn how to write stronger prompts—and get much better results from your AI tools.

Be specific about what you want and add context

It doesn’t pay to be vague in real life—that rule certainly applies to how you mingle with your AI chatbot of choice.

Starting out with AI can lead to common beginner mistakes, such as using an all too simple prompt like “Tell me about video game consoles.” That sort of prompt could elicit a wide range of responses that may not target exactly what you’re trying to take away from a particular subject. Instead, narrow down your request to get better results by using a more context-heavy prompt, such as “Explain the pros and cons of an Xbox Series X|S for someone considering buying one for a teenager.”

Adding more context to your prompts is also key.

Once an AI chatbot understands exactly what you’re asking about, it’ll have a much easier time deciphering what you want to know instead of producing a bunch of generic data that doesn’t apply to you. Something as simple as “Help me plan a workout” isn’t ideal—instead, try implementing a prompt such as “Help me plan a 7-day workout for someone just starting in the gym.” The more information you include in your prompts, the better the answers from your chatbot assistant will be.

Give it a role to play and specify the format you’re looking for

Chatbots often start out with fairly generic personalities during your first interactions with them. But it’s amazing how quickly they can switch gears and take on a completely different role based on your prompt.

Whenever you want your chatbot to respond like someone else—whether that’s an expert, teacher or advisor — prompts like the ones below can help guide the AI into that role and deliver more relevant answers.

• Act as a travel agent and recommend a 7-day itinerary for Sydney, Australia
• Act as a tech reviewer and compare the iPhone 17 to the Samsung Galaxy S26
• Act as a motivational speaker and tell me the best ways to deal with negative comments
• Act as a football analyst and tell me which teams will make it to the Super Bowl this year

For those of you who are deep in the midst of studying a certain topic, in need of a structured layout on something, or just simply want to summarize the most important notes attached to whatever you’re wall of text you’re currently reading, chatbots can reorganize any type of information. A prompt that gives your chatbot clear direction on how to coordinate the information attached to a theme, text, article, etc.

Prompts such as “Explain this in five bullet points,” “Create a step-by-step guide on this,” and “Summarize this in one paragraph” will command your chatbot to list out all the information you’re requesting in a more digestible format.

Provide examples and use follow-up prompts to upgrade your results

When you’re in the mood to create something, chatbots can do it all.

Say, for instance, you’re an entertainment writer who wants to come up with a clever headline for an article about the best Clint Eastwood movies. A prompt such as “Improve this headline for a writer pitching this idea to Entertainment Weekly: The best Clint Eastwood movies.”

Or say, for instance, you want to create an image patterned after the Japanese animation style popularized by Dragon Ball Z, this prompt is a good example of how to describe your image and make your chatbot produce it: “A powerful warrior is charging up his energy in the bright sky, with a golden aura surrounding his battered and bruised body. The animation style should look just like the Japanese anime style of Akira Toriyama.”

Follow-up responses can iron out all the kinks you may see in your chatbot’s responses. Think of your time spent with chatbots as a conversation instead of you simply telling it what to do with just one question. Iterative prompts are meant to improve upon a chatbot’s responses and ability to see what you’re looking for during future interactions.

Some good examples of proper follow-up prompts include “Make this explanation simpler,” “Turn this into a checklist,” “Add real-world examples,” and “What assumptions are you making here?”

Bottom line

Once you learn the ins and outs of prompting with AI chatbots, you’ll help them become more useful whenever you present them with a new inquiry.

The best things you can do when coming up with prompts are being specific, adding much-needed context, asking for specific formats, and telling your chatbot to adopt a certain personality for specific cases.

As you grow more familiar with the best ways to converse with a chatbot, that same chatbot will become familiar with who you are and how you like your information delivered.

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For years, the $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscription was the "Gold Standard." It bought you the smartest models, image generation and even access to Sora 2, plus the ability to analyze massive files.

But in 2026, the gap has closed and Gemini has proven its dominance with significant updates, many of which are available for free. While OpenAI is busy pushing its $200/month "Pro" tier for power users, the free versions of its competitors have quickly become more powerful than the paid version of ChatGPT was just a year ago.

If you’re thinking about canceling your subscription because of QuitGPT — or you just want to explore other options — there’s one clear alternative that lets you keep your AI edge.

The winning alternative: Google Gemini

Google Gemini is no longer the underdog. For most users, the free tier of Gemini is now the most logical alternative to a paid ChatGPT account.

Why it beats the "Plus" subscription:

• The 2M token window: While ChatGPT Plus limits you to roughly 300 pages of text, Gemini’s free tier allows you to upload massive codebases, 2-hour long videos or thousand-page PDFs. It goes beyond "summarizing" by remembers the whole thing.
• Native Google Workspace integration: You can ask Gemini to "find the flight details in my Gmail and draft a packing list in a Doc." This kind of "Agentic" behavior is free in Gemini, whereas it requires complex GPT setups in OpenAI’s ecosystem.
• Speed: Gemini 3.1 Flash (the free model) is significantly faster than GPT-5.2 for everyday tasks, with virtually zero latency.
• Productivity and entertainment: Gemini’s free tier is the only major ecosystem that gives you pro-grade creative tools for $0. You can use Lyria 3 to generate 30-second music tracks with lyrics from a text prompt or a photo, and Nano Banana to create studio-quality images or infographics. While OpenAI limits its best creative models to a $20/month paywall, Gemini lets you produce content, edit backgrounds and even generate 4K visuals for free.

The specialized runners-up

Depending on your specific workflow, these two free tools might actually serve you better than a paid generalist:

• Microsoft Copilot: If you want the raw power of OpenAI’s latest models (like GPT-5.2) and image generation without the $20 price tag, Copilot is your backdoor. It's best for web research and creating high-quality AI images. It's free because Microsoft subsidizes the cost to keep you in the Windows/Edge ecosystem.
• Claude: If you use AI primarily for coding or nuanced writing, Claude 4.6 Sonnet is widely considered the superior brain. It's great for creative writing and debugging complex code. The only catch with using Claude that I've found is that the free version has a significant message cap that resets every few hours. So it's really "quality over quantity" play. And, you cannot create images or video using Claude (free or Pro).

Bottom line

Chatbots are not all the same. Each one has significant features that are unique to the particular model. However, if you're looking to trim your budget and avoid paying $20/month, consider switching to Gemini.

The Google Workspace integration, multimodal abilities, sharp reasoning and latest updates to writing capabilities make it a solid alternative to ChatGPT Plus — all for free. You’ll save $240 a year and likely won't notice the difference in "intelligence."

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Microsoft confirmed that a Copilot security bug was allowing the AI assistant to read and summarize emails that were labeled as confidential. According to a report from Bleeping Computer, the bug bypassed Microsoft's data loss prevention policies, which are meant to protect sensitive information.

The bug was discovered in late January (tracked as CW1226324) and specifically affects Copilot Chat and the "work tab" feature. The bug let Copilot read and summarize emails in the sent and drafts folders, including messages that were explicitly labeled as confidential, which should have had restricted access.

Copilot Chat is Microsoft's version of Google Gemini or ChatGPT. It's meant to be content-aware and can interact with 365 apps like Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. The company began rolling it out to Microsoft 365 business customers in September 2025.

"Users' email messages with a confidential label applied are being incorrectly processed by Microsoft 365 Copilot chat," Microsoft confirmed.

The company said that an unspecified code error was responsible for the issue. A fix began rolling out in early February with Microsoft saying that it is continuing to monitor it. A final timeline for the rollout has not been revealed, nor has Microsoft stated how many organizations or individuals were affected.

That said, the issue has been tagged as "advisory," which usually means that the incident was limited in scope or impact.

"We identified and addressed an issue where Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat could return content from emails labeled confidential authored by a user and stored within their Draft and Sent Items in Outlook desktop. This did not provide anyone access to information they weren’t already authorized to see," a spokesperson told Bleeping Computer.

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• Windows 11 is getting 3 new features in a major quality of life update — is Microsoft starting to pull back on AI slop?
• 'Concentrate on keeping it simple': Bill Gates wanted PCs to be straightforward, and Windows 11’s AI push is a betrayal
• Windows 10 users warned to upgrade now or risk a ‘degraded security state’ as Microsoft ends Secure Boot support

Microsoft has seen better days. The last few months have shown Windows 10 reach its end of life, much to the disappointment of many, while the tech giant's stock took a 10% dive, the biggest it's had since 2020.

The common thread for this rough patch? Microsoft Copilot, or in other words, the push for AI on Windows 11. When we see Copilot icons slapped on every app and interface of the operating system, to the point that you have to sign in to Paint, there's a good reason users have felt the sting and coined the admittedly hard term "MicroSlop."

This is the year of the laptop, and it's no secret that Microsoft's OS should be a huge driving force for this, especially with the advancements Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips are showing. But with its focus on AI, it appears the company has shifted its priorities. Namely, with its first patch of 2026, set to fix over 100 bugs, resulting in a plague of bigger issues.

In light of this, it's clear that this has left a stain on Windows' legacy, so much so that Microsoft aims to rectify this by "pulling back" on stuffing Windows 11 with AI. However, perhaps it should never have reached this point in the first place, if the words of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are anything to go by.

As Jason England of Tom's Guide noted, Gates' vision for Microsoft PCs was simpler, and right now, Windows 11 is the complete opposite.

Keep it simple, Microsoft

During an interview in 1986 from Programmers at Work: 1st Generation, Gates talks about his time as the CEO of Microsoft, along with navigating the advancements of computing at the time. With PCs becoming more powerful, programs became trickier to work with.

When asked what the most difficult part of computer programming was, though, one quote stands out that resonates with what Windows has become today.

"The hardest part is deciding what the algorithms are, and then simplifying them as much as you can. It’s difficult to get things down to their simplest forms. You have to simulate in your mind how the program’s going to work, and you have to have a complete grasp of how the various pieces of the program work together."

Gates continues: "The finest pieces of software are those where one individual has a complete sense of exactly how the program works. To have that, you have to really love the program and concentrate on keeping it simple, to an incredible degree."

Essentially, for new software to work on an operating system and integrate with what's already working, it needs to be simple. With the countless number of features Microsoft has implemented into its OS since then, from Windows 7 to Windows 11, I can only imagine that's a hard task. But it's telling that Copilot hasn't abided by these words.

A few years later, in 1992, Gates spoke with Profit magazine, following up on the state of advancing its OS alongside the evolution of PCs.

“Five years ago, a lot of improvements in applications were just throwing features in. Now we have to understand what people want to do, what makes it hard to do those things, and design the interface around those ideas.”

In recent years, the boom in AI services like ChatGPT, Gemini and yes, even Copilot itself, appeared to be the next stage in computing. It seemed to be the right bet, as we've seen how artificial intelligence has made improvements in the way we work, interact with the world (using Ray-Ban Meta Display smart glasses to translate Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show) and certainly in the way we game (Nvidia's DLSS 4.5, as the most recent example).

But then there are AI features like the controversial Windows Recall, the inclusion of Copilot in apps and settings that aren't needed, and more. This is notable, as it goes against Gates' stating "we have to understand what people want to do." And the people have spoken, too.

When we asked "How do you feel about Microsoft potentially scaling back AI features in Windows 11?" in a poll, 68% of responders chose that they wanted a master "OFF" switch for all of it, while 31% said it's about time to clean up the bloat. Notably, no one picked "I actually use those features."

Making amends

Gates' words ring more true than ever today. With a bloated Windows 11 stuffed with AI, leading to further bugs, sluggish performance, and an AI assistant around every corner that nearly demands a smart way to work in... Paint, the frustration is tangible.

But Microsoft appears to be taking heed. President of Windows and devices, Pavan Davuluri, has addressed Windows 11's issues, stating: "The feedback we’re receiving from our community of passionate customers and Windows Insiders has been clear. We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people."

That echoes what Gates said decades ago and is a good sign that Windows as a whole is making a comeback. How will these fixes look? I'm not sure, but we're already catching word that Microsoft plans to ditch OpenAI, as Jezz Corden of Windows Central reports, meaning ChatGPT won't continue to take over Microsoft's AI push.

Microsoft appears to be going back to the drawing board, and if anything, this will follow Gates' remarks of keeping things "simple." So far, Windows 11 may have been a betrayal of these words, but Microsoft is rightfully trying to gain the trust of its users back.

For now, it's looking like the AI bubble might burst after all — for Microsoft, at least.

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AI tools and services come in many shapes and sizes, but the most exciting part is how this technology adapts to your current workflows — without you having to change a thing.

For every chatbot that can respond to queries, there’s a more useful array of features built into the latest generation of laptops with NPUs (neural processing units). And many of them, you may not even realize they're hard at work in the background.

That's because of the power efficiency of offloading key AI tasks to that NPU, which takes the pressure off that CPU to ensure all-day battery life.

Two such machines that benefit from one are Acer’s Swift 14 and 16 AI. Here are 5 ways that NPU brings serious AI smarts to the table without you even realizing it.

1. Copilot Recall

Microsoft’s push for your screen to be recorded at all times is still enough to raise the eyebrows of anyone concerned with privacy, but the feature can be particularly useful.

Screenshots it grabs are encrypted locally, not shared to OneDrive or beyond (unless you choose to), and it essentially allows you to search ...a sort of visual time machine to instantly find what you were looking for.

Lost a product listing? An email contact? Or even a file you put in a folder? Recall can help you find it.

2. Live Captions

Whether it’s for watching content in other languages or a way to make your own content more accessible, Live Captions is a game-changer for anyone consuming or creating video content online.

Copilot tools allow you to create Live Captions for just about anything you’re watching, even when you’re offline, translating over 40 languages into English.

If you’re a creator, it can be used within third-party apps to power transcription for podcast conversions, video assignments, and even training courses you may be building for work.

3. 365 Copilot

Microsoft Office remains arguably the king of enterprise solutions whether you’re using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or just about anything else.

With the arrival of 365 Copilot, it’s been infused with additional features that make the act of scouring tiny toolbars for the button you need a thing of the past.

Now, Copilot permeates just about any layer of the Microsoft Office experience, starting with the creation of a new file. You can explain to Copilot what data you need to show in an Excel sheet, or how best to lay out a Word document, and it can get straight to it to save you setting up your initial template.

Once you’re actually using the included apps, you can use tools like Copilot Chat to ask questions about the work, share content with colleagues, or use AI-powered features like meeting recordings and Microsoft ToDo to keep focused.

Copilot makes Microsoft Office feel less like a series of apps and more like a deeply integrated ecosystem.

4. Look better in meetings

We’ve all been there: The house is a mess, your hair’s still wet from the shower, or you just want to lock the view to yourself for something important.

Windows Studio Effects are a collection of features that can have you looking more professional in just about any scenario, like keeping your face centered in the frame on a call.

Portrait light brightens your face during calls, even in darker rooms, and Eye Contact subtly adjusts your gaze to keep your gaze squared with the webcam lens, making you feel more connected to the person you're chatting with.

Then there are the usual background blur effects you may find elsewhere, except that they’re much more useful because they tap into the power of the NPU - avoiding those jagged lines more often than non-AI options. That applies to both Standard Blur (for your messy room) or Portrait Blur (for appearing more professional).

Finally, if you’re looking to call the family with the kids, Creative Filters are a great way to add some personality, like turning your video call into an illustrator’s canvas or watercolor painting.

5. Semantic Search in File Explorer

Another AI-powered feature that feels so simple it’s almost a miracle it hadn’t been done before, users can turn on Enhanced Search Settings to be able to search for files with just about any terminology they want.

‘Find my budgeting spreadsheet’ can be used to find the relevant file without needing to dive into endless folders. It can take some time to index those files, but it’s worth doing to have them at your fingertips without needing to remember specific names or locations.

Bottom line

So, there you have it - five ways to use AI to assist your workflow and keep you more productive, rather than having to bend your workflow around AI.

All of the features above are available on the Acer Swift 14 AI, which we used for testing purposes.

It weighs just 1.26kg at the low end but has up to 29 hours of battery life, 48 TOPS AI performance in the NPU, and can be configured with an up to 3K OLED display.

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A flaw within Microsoft’s Copilot has been allowing attackers to steal the personal information of users with a single click. Called the ‘Reprompt’ exploit by the researchers at the Varonis Threat Labs, a new report from the data security research firm details the way that the vulnerability permits attackers to gain an entry point to perform a data-exfiltration chain that bypasses security controls to access data without detection.

According to the researchers, an attacker using the Reprompt exploit would send a user a phishing link. Once the link was opened, it would begin a multi-stage prompt injection process that uses a ‘q parameter.’ This would enable the attacker to request information about the victim from Copilot, such as the victim's address or the files they recently viewed. They could access this data even if Copilot was closed.

The researchers had found that "By including a specific question or instruction in the Q parameter, developers and users can automatically populate the input field when the page loads causing the AI system to execute the prompt immediately."

This means that an attacker could issue a Q parameter that asks Copilot to send data back to the attacker's server, even though Copilot is designed to specifically refuse to fetch URLs like this. Varonis researchers were able to engineer prompts to Copilot in ways that bypassed safeguards and asked the AI to fetch the URL in a way that the AI wasn't designed to.

How to stay safe from Reprompt

The good news is that the exploit has already been reported to Microsoft way back in August of 2025, and has been patched this week, so it has been fixed. That means there is currently no risk of it impacting users, particularly if you regularly update your operating system with available patches and updates.

However, it’s still recommended that users be extremely careful about what kind of information they share with their AI assistants and be on the lookout for phishing attempts. That means don't click on links that get sent to you from unexpected sources, especially ones that link to your AI assistant of choice.

Because Reprompt initiates from a phishing link, it is particularly important to follow the guidelines to protect yourself against phishing attempts. Don't open or click anything you're not expecting, especially if it uses urgency or threatening language. Hover over links to see where they redirect to. Use one of the best antivirus programs, and make sure you've enabled all the features it offers to help keep you safe online, such as browser warnings, a VPN and anti-phishing measures.

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LG and Samsung announced at the beginning of the year at CES they would be integrating Microsoft's Copilot AI into their smart TVs. Samsung has already done so and this week LG also made good on its word. The only problem is there doesn't appear to be anything users can do about it.

This became clear when Reddit user defjam16 posted a screenshot of the Microsoft Copilot app appearing on LG smart TVs as part of the next update to webOS. The fact that this was posted to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit should serve as a clue defjam16 wasn't thrilled with the early Christmas present.

The post attracted (at time of writing) over 3,000 comments, with many bemoaning the nature of forced adoption when it comes to AI features.

Because while Copilot now shows up on the LG smart TV home screen like Netflix or YouTube, unlike those apps, there's no way to remove, delete or uninstall it.

And as much as people like getting extra features, it should always be at their discretion whether or not they want to keep them.

My LG TV’s new software update installed Microsoft Copilot, which cannot be deleted. from r/mildlyinfuriating

What makes it even more difficult to swallow is that the Copilot app appears to do little more than act as a gateway to a web-based Copilot interface rather than working in tandem with LG's AI Search experience.

Defjam16 summed up the sentiment in a later post responding to another commenter: "I always hated bloatware, but installing an AI assistant (without explicit permission) that cannot be deleted, with unknown access to microphone and other services might just take the cake."

Although it's possible to disable some aspects of the AI experience — such as voice recognition — users are unable to remove it entirely. LG hasn't officially announced the arrival of Copiliot on webOS, nor has the company made any public statement about it.

Aside from the forced install of potentially unwanted AI features, LG makes some of the best smart TVs you can buy. At Tom's Guide, we routinely praise the performance of its sets, so it's a shame to see the company make a misstep like this.

LG responds

Today, a representative from LG reached out and offered clarification on the integration of Microsoft Copilot on select LG TVs:

"Based on recent coverage regarding the arrival of Microsoft Copilot on LG TVs, we want to clarify that Microsoft Copilot is provided as a shortcut icon to enhance customer accessibility and convenience. It is not an application-based service embedded in the TV.

When users select the Copilot shortcut, Microsoft’s website opens through the TV’s web browser, and features such as microphone input are activated only with the customer’s explicit consent.

LG Electronics respects consumer choice and will take steps to allow users to delete the shortcut icon if they wish."

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The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a compact mini PC with plenty of power under the hood in a sleek, all-black case. Besides being a powerful mini PC well suited for business and productivity, it’s also a Copilot+ PC which means you get instant access to Microsoft’s latest AI features and a dedicated Copilot button right on the front.

MSI didn’t stop there with AI though as the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG includes the company’s own AI Engine software to automatically adjust this mini PC’s settings based on the task at hand.

Likewise, you also get a feature you rarely see on other mini PCs: a built-in microphone and speaker. This lets you interact with Microsoft Copilot or other AI assistants hands-free and personally, I really enjoyed pressing the button on the front to instantly bring up Copilot when I needed to.

Packed with either a high-end Intel Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processor and plenty of memory, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the perfect little desktop companion for getting work done. It has a similar front port layout, but it lacks the second HDMI port that was useful for quick dual-monitor setups on the older MSI Cubi NUC 1M.

Still, besides two variations to pick from (with a less powerful Ultra 5 variant available in some regions), there are also slightly cheaper barebones configurations of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG if you’d rather provide your own storage and operating system.

My MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for you or if something cheaper without all its AI-powered features would be a better fit.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A sleek, all-black mini PC with plenty of ports and some unique features.
• Who is it for? Business users or professionals that want a small and quiet mini PC that comes with Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI features built-in.
• What does it cost? The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG costs $949 for the standard model or $1,054 for the upgraded version. However, you can also get either one in a barebones configuration for slightly less but you will have to provide your own storage and operating system.
• What do we like? Its near-silent operation, the built-in fingerprint scanner and Copilot button on the front, the two Thunderbolt 4 ports at the back (one can be used for power in) and how MSI makes it easy to mount and use this mini PC behind a monitor.
• What don’t we like? That there’s one less HDMI port on the back compared to the previous model, and how its RAM is soldered to the motherboard, which means you can’t upgrade it.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Specs

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The ups

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG manages to pack more powerful internals into the same small chassis without adding extra noise. However, it’s the new AI-powered features and a few key upgrades that allow it to easily outshine its predecessor.

A silent powerhouse

At 5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG has the exact same dimensions as the Cubi NUC 1M. However, MSI has made some slight tweaks to both the front and back of this new mini PC while retaining the same overall design.

Up front, you get two high-speed USB-A ports, a microSD card reader and a headphone jack like before. However, the power button has moved to the left side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG to make space for the new Copilot button and an integrated fingerprint scanner. At the top, there are also now two small holes which are used for the built-in microphone.

On the back of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you get a nice selection of ports including two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 2.1 and a barrel port connector for its 120W power supply. If you look closely at the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right though, you’ll notice a small plug icon. This was one of my favorite things while testing since you can swap out the included power adapter for any USB-C GaN charger providing 100W Power Delivery (PD) instead.

I spent a month or so using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG as my daily driver and during that time, I was really surprised by just how quiet it was, even when dealing with more demanding workloads like photo editing and transferring large files. In fact, I had both it and the Geekom IT15 in the same room and while the latter got noticeably loud doing these same types of tasks, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG remained almost silent.

During benchmark testing, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG showed a massive improvement over its predecessor when transcoding video files in Handbrake and scored higher in Geekbench 6.3’s multi-core tests. However, it fell slightly behind the Cubi NUC 1M in single-core performance. This is a deliberate architectural trade-off though. With its newer Lunar Lake chips, Intel optimized them for improved power efficiency and AI performance in small systems, rather than prioritizing higher speeds for a single task like its older Raptor Lake chips did. The Geekom IT15 did easily beat out the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG overall, but like I mentioned, it was a lot louder while doing so.

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an excellent mini PC for work and business-related tasks, but thanks to its integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V graphics, it can handle photo and video editing as well as some light gaming too. However, this mini PC has another trick up its sleeve that makes it ideal for covert, behind your monitor setups.

Mountable but better front and center

Inside the box with most mini PCs, you’ll find a VESA plate adapter that lets you mount the computer behind your monitor to free up space on your desk. While MSI also includes one with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, it takes things a step further.

You see, with your mini PC mounted behind your monitor, reaching its power button can be awkward. To solve this, MSI developed a proprietary HDMI-CES feature called Power Link that automatically turns on the 2MG (and the 1M) when you turn on your monitor.

However, you will need a compatible MSI monitor that supports Power Link to pull this off. I tested this with the Pro MP271A E2 business and productivity monitor MSI sent over with the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and it worked like a charm.

Given that you may not have an MSI monitor on hand or aren’t ready to swap out your current display, you also get a wired external power button. It plugs into the side of the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and has an adhesive back which makes it easy to stick anywhere on your desk for quick access.

Although I really enjoyed using the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG behind a monitor as it almost felt like an all-in-one computer like the M4 iMac, I actually preferred having it right in front of me at my desk. That way, I could use the microSD card reader on the front to quickly take photos off my camera and the integrated fingerprint scanner in its power button made logging into Windows seamless. There’s another reason you’d want to have this mini PC within arm’s reach though.

Copilot+ on your desk not your lap

Up until very recently, if you wanted a Copilot+ PC with all of Microsoft’s AI-powered features, you’d have to spring for one of the best laptops. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case and you can now find a few mini PCs that come with Copilot+ certification.

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the first one I’ve tried though and while I typically prefer Gemini over ChatGPT, I found myself using Copilot more often than I thought I would. This is because it has a dedicated Copilot button on the front right next to its microSD card reader. What I liked about this approach is that instead of opening a new tab or a new Chrome window, I just pressed the button and Copilot sprung to life.

Another feature that really impressed me is that with the built-in microphone and 2W internal speaker, I could also pull up Copilot’s voice mode and chat away with Microsoft’s AI assistant while I worked. Likewise, the built-in microphone also proved handy when I wanted to use voice search in Chrome.

In addition to a dedicated Copilot button, you also get access to the rest of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features like live captions and translation, Windows Studio Effects to improve your video calls, Cocreator in Paint, click-to-do contextual AI and the company’s somewhat controversial Recall feature. These are all powered by the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG’s NPU which is rated at up to 48 TOPS.

Overall, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is ideal for business-related tasks but it’s also quite well-suited for AI ones too.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: The downs

The Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG certainly improves upon its predecessor with more impressive specs and some useful new features, all within the same sized case. However, it’s not without its downsides, which include one fewer port around back and less long-term upgradability.

Complicating multi-monitor setups

Don’t get me wrong, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 port around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG can easily power a triple-monitor setup. However, as someone who tested and reviewed the 1M, I immediately noticed that there was one less port around back.

With the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, you have almost an identical port layout to the 1M. However, instead of a second HDMI port underneath the Thunderbolt 4 port on the right like on the 1M, there’s just a blank space.

Now I know Thunderbolt 4 is the more versatile port overall but if you want to quickly put together a dual-monitor setup with practically any two monitors, HDMI is the easiest way to do so. To run a dual-monitor setup now, you are forced to dedicate one of the precious Thunderbolt 4 ports to video output using a USB-C to HDMI/DP adapter like I did in the picture above. Likewise, while all of the best monitors have HDMI, only more expensive models come with Thunderbolt or USB-C inputs.

When taking a close look at the rear ports on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG I noticed another downgrade too. While there were two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports on the 1M, these have been swapped with much slower USB 2.0 ones. You still get two high-speed USB-A ports on the front but if you want to plug in one of the best external hard drives to back up your data, you’re more likely to use one of the rear ports instead of one on the front.

The missing HDMI port on the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG stood out to me most but there’s another big change inside that makes buying a higher-specced version of this mini PC from the get-go a better option if you’re interested in using it as your long-term work machine.

Fast but not quite futureproof

With either an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V or an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V under the hood, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is a fast and very capable mini PC, especially as either variation also comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory. However, one of the perks of using a mini PC over a laptop, is that most of them are upgradeable. Opening up the NUC AI+ 2MG is easy enough — just four screws on its underside that do double duty as its feet.

Once inside, you can swap out the included M.2 SSD for something larger. However, you’re going to want to back up that drive first as there isn’t a second free M.2 slot for adding extra storage. While the single slot does support the latest, ultra-fast PCIe 5.0 drives, you are capped at whatever capacity you install.

Unlike the 1M though, you aren’t able to swap out its RAM either. This is because, like with the Ryzen AI Max chip in the Framework Desktop, the LPDDR5X memory is soldered directly to the motherboard. This design is necessary for the highest possible power efficiency and speed of the Intel Ultra 7 or 9 processor, but it means that while MSI gives you a generous 32GB as standard, jumping up to 64GB in the future just isn’t possible.

MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG: Verdict

The MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is an impressive, whisper-quiet Copilot+ mini PC with plenty of power under the hood and enough improvements across the board to make upgrading from the older Cubi NUC 1M worthwhile.

Not only can you easily mount and power it on/off behind your monitor but the integrated fingerprint scanner in the power button and the dedicated Copilot button are just as good of a reason to keep it front and center on your desk.

MSI gives you a great selection of both essential and more powerful ports and it’s always great to see a built-in microSD card reader for extra storage or transferring photos. While I would have liked to have a second HDMI port and faster USB-A ports around back, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG makes up for this with 32GB of soldered, faster LPDDR5X RAM in the base model and its new Copilot+ features as well as the built-in microphone and speaker to quickly converse with your AI assistant.

Given the current retail price, if you’re after a powerful mini PC with a generous 3-year warranty and readily available after service to use as your next work machine, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is easy to recommend, especially if you’re invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem and require the power of a dedicated NPU. Given the changes MSI has made between it and the 1M, I’m excited to see what’s new in the follow-up to the 2MG.

Copilot isn’t new — but the latest Windows 11 upgrades are finally making it worth using. At least, that's been my experience. The new features, particularly housing Copilot on the sidebar where it can be clicked when needed (and left alone when it isn't) has been the reason I turn to it more.

Even though I live and breathe AI and test it for a living, I don't like to use it constantly. I prefer having access to it on my terms, which is why parking it instead of forcing it on me with each sentence I type, has been a game-changer for me.

Copilot runs on ChatGPT-4, which tends to be a fan favorite, and those using the free tier of ChatGPT-5 might find it helpful to know that they can get access to the model by using Windows 11.

Copilot is by nature a chatbot, but with the right prompts it becomes a real AI assistant. From fixing system settings to drafting reports, Copilot can save time, boost productivity and even help you sound smarter in your emails.

While many users still see Copilot as a glorified search bar, it’s far more powerful if you ask the right questions. Here are 7 of the best prompts to get you started, whether you're using Copilot for work, home or creative side hustles.

1. Creating action items

Prompt: “Summarize the last three emails from [person] and list action items.”

Copilot is tied into your Outlook and Microsoft 365 apps, meaning it can scan messages, extract insights and help you prioritize what actually matters. In other words, instead of you taking the time to sift through junk promotional emails sandwiched in with project updates and important messages that need responses, Copilot can take the job off your plate.

This prompt works well for end-of-the-day catchups or pre-meeting prep. A good follow up for this prompt might be: “Draft a response thanking them and asking for clarification on the timeline.”

2. Settings support

Prompt: “Fix my display settings so everything looks sharper and clearer.”

One of the lesser-known perks of Copilot on Windows 11 is its direct integration with system settings. This prompt triggers actions like adjusting resolution, enabling HDR or changing scaling. Sure, you could do it yourself, but not digging through menus as the meeting gets started is an incredible productivity hack. If you've ever joined a meeting and your microphone isn't working or your screen is too dark, you know exactly what I mean.

Another good prompt I use is: “Also adjust brightness for battery optimization.”

3. Drafting emails

Prompt: “Write a polite email telling my boss I need an extension on a deadline.”

If you've ever used a chatbot, you know that they are usually pretty good at drafting messages with context and tone. While most of us are perfectly capable of writing an email to our boss, prompts like this, especially when coupled with a draft of something you've written, can help you get your message across more professionally. In the case with asking for an extension, I know I might be overly apologetic or overexplain myself, that's where Copilot can help.

Copilot understands tone and intent and you can add more context like the project name, your role and your desired new deadline. Since it runs on ChatGPT-4, a model known for writing well, Copilot will craft a respectful, professional message. You can even add a tone guidance like "Make it sound apologetic but confident.”

4. Decode Excel sheets

Prompt: “Analyze this Excel sheet and highlight the top 5 trends for Q3.”

I don't know about you, but whenever I pull up an Excel document my eyes go crossed and I need another cup of coffee. Luckily, Copilot can handle it with ease. If you have Microsoft 365, Copilot can work inside Excel. Ask it to summarize data, spot trends and even generate charts, which makes if feel like you have an analyst by your side.

Try refining the prompt with something like: “Explain these trends in plain English, like you’re talking to a client.”

5. Create a PowerPoint

Prompt: “Create a 5-slide PowerPoint on ‘The Future of AI Assistants by 2035’ with speaker notes.”

Some people have the natural ability to design beautiful PowerPoint decks. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with this and have found Copilot to be a lifesaver. Since Copilot works inside PowerPoint, it can generate full decks based on a title and tone.

It can write headlines and bullet points and even add speaker notes, but it can also suggest images and style within seconds. Tell it what you want and let it do the work while you prepare your opening jokes and professional tone.

6. Plan a fun weekend

Prompt: “Plan a 3-day Nashville itinerary for a family with kids ages 10, 8, and 4 — include food, fun, and indoor options”

While I don't recommend doing this on the clock, it brings me to a good point: Copilot isn't just for work. It's a nice support for planning vacations, meals, events and more. Obviously, you could use a prompt like this if you're traveling for work and want to find an inexpensive to meet colleagues for dinner or a local cafe to catch up on work before your next meeting.

To tailor the above prompt further, you could include a budget, such as: “Keep costs under $500 and avoid long museum visits.”

7. Help with social posts

7. Prompt: “Draft five taglines for me to use on social media to promote my dog walking company."

For individuals promoting themselves on a shoestring budget or running a start-up, every penny counts. Big marketing agencies are out of the question for many, but Copilot offers creative writing tools that rival standalone AI platforms. Give it your brand guidelines, tone and target audience and you'll get usably copy for products, marketing and social.

Another prompt you could use is: “Write a product description in Amazon style with bullet points.”

Bottom line

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A week after Microsoft's Gaming Copilot feature stirred up controversy, the company has released a public statement about the AI tool addressing the backlash.

On Wednesday (Oct. 22), a member of the gaming forum ResetEra found that the new Gaming Copilot AI was sending screenshots and captures of everything they played to Microsoft. Allegedly, this data is being used to train the company's AI models.

"This installed automatically on my PC, and watching the network traffic I realized it was automatically sending everything I was doing to Microsoft," RedbullCola said in their ResetEra post. “I checked the settings, and by default, it’s set to train on text seen on the screen — it screenshots everything, and OCRs text from in-game and sends it to MS. MS then uses what you’re doing to train their AI models.”

Announced earlier this year, the feature only just went into beta on September 18 for PCs and the Xbox mobile app. The AI tool is advertised as a helpful assistant for players using natural language prompts. Basically, it can act as a game guide while you're playing a game.

It is supposed to be able to understand your gaming activity and link you to websites and answer questions. My colleague Tony Polanco tested it out on the Rog Xbox Ally but wasn't sold on it.

Microsoft's defense

Our colleagues at Tom's Hardware were told that Gaming Copilot does not send screensheets or data back to Microsoft.

"When you’re actively using Gaming Copilot in Game Bar, it can use screenshots of your gameplay to get a better understanding of what’s happening in your game and provide you with more helpful responses," a spokesperson told them.

They went on to say that the screenshots are not used to train AI models and that it's optional.

Despite that, the statement also said that Gaming Copilot might "use its text or voice conversations to help train and improve AI."

Your screenshots may not be used by Microsoft's AI, but your prompts could be. It's also unclear where this data is potentially going, either to a Microsoft external server or stored locally on your NPU.

How to find and toggle off Gaming Copilot

You can find Gaming Copilot by going to Game Bar, Settings and Privacy Settings. Under the Gaming Pilot section, it should read "Model training on text" by default.

You can turn if off in the Privacy settings section but unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a way to uninstall it unless you uninstall the Xbox Game Bar. To do that you have to fiddle with PowerShell using admin privileges.

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When Microsoft promised to make every Windows 11 PC an “AI PC,” I worried that the available AI features would be overwhelming. I already juggle ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and a handful of other AI assistants across my browser tabs, so I wondered what could my operating system possibly offer that’s different?

Turns out, Microsoft’s AI offers a lot. After spending time with the AI tools that are already baked into standard Windows 11, I’ve come away impressed. The thoughtful updates are intuitive tools that effortlessly (not annoyingly) make my PC more helpful.

Here are three AI features you can start using today along with the reasons why I’m already hooked.

1. Copilot on the taskbar: A built-in AI you’ll actually use

To be completely frank, Copilot has taken some time for me to get used to. I always have Grammarly up, so Copilot has always felt like overkill.

But the Windows 11 update moves the Copilot icon onto the taskbar, which means it isn’t constantly following me around unless I need it.

When I do need Copilot, I simply click the icon, and the sidebar appears. This gives me direct access to Microsoft’s Copilot (powered by ChatGPT-4), ready to help with summaries, rewrites, explanations or simple tasks like generating code or adjusting system settings.

This is one of the most frictionless ways to use AI right now. You don’t need to open a browser or log into ChatGPT. It’s just there, contextually aware of your system without overstepping.

As someone who is comfortable writing and can’t stand AI hovering, this has been a gamechanger in the way I use Copilot. This feature is long overdue. It’s fast, useful, and integrated; three things most AI tools struggle to be at the same time.

2. AI-powered Snipping Tool: Copy text from screenshots

The Snipping Tool in Windows 11 now includes text recognition (OCR). That means when you take a screenshot, you can right-click and choose “Copy all text,” a feature that makes extracting quotes, emails or serial numbers incredibly easy.

Before this feature, I would take a screenshot with my phone and extract the pertinent information using Apple Intelligence. In other words, this is a time saver and infinitely easier.

Whether I’m clipping from a web page, a PDF or an image, I no longer need to retype anything. It works surprisingly well and is already available in the standard Windows 11 build.

Here's recent example: I used the Snipping Tool to grab an address off a shipping confirmation email image. In just two clicks, I got the 35-character string correct, without ever picking up my phone.

This is the kind of AI that I appreciate; it feels smart and intuitive rather than obtrusive.

3. “Hey Copilot” voice activation (rolling out gradually)

You may not have this feature yet, but it’s coming: Microsoft has added the ability to launch Copilot with the phrase “Hey Copilot.” Think of it as Alexa or Siri, but built into Windows and able to control settings, generate content or answer questions.

It’s a gradual rollout, and you may need to enable it in Settings once it becomes available. But it’s a big step toward voice-driven computing, without needing to install extra apps or hardware.

I recently used the Hey Copilot feature to check my battery health. If my personal computer is not plugged in, it will die within 2 minutes. So, I asked: “Hey Copilot, what’s my battery health look like?” and it opened the relevant settings screen. Simple, but helpful.

Although Copilot is not as conversational as something like ChatGPT Voice or Gemini Live, it gets the job done for quick commands.

Here's what's still to come

While those three features are widely available today, Microsoft has a wave of updates still ahead designed to make AI more personal, social and useful for everyday life. Here’s a snapshot of what’s on the way:

• Mico: This expressive AI companion was something I wanted to see right away, but unfortunately, we all have to wait for this cute little AI to come to our PC. Besides being an adorable update to Clippy, it's a customizable and warm character that listens, reacts and even changes colors based on your interactions.
• Memory: I'm a sucker for AI with memory. That's what sold me on ChatGPT and Claude Memory is a huge reason why I use it. Copilot with memory means it will remember key details like an anniversary, your marathon training progress or your latest project. Plus, it will be able to recall that context in future conversations.
• Health and Learn Live: Copilot for Health promises to help with everyday health questions, while Learn Live turns Copilot into a voice-enabled tutor that guides you through lessons step by step.

Bottom line

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Microsoft announced a handful of new Copilot features today (October 23) that aim to make the company's AI-driven assistant a bit more capable and convivial.

These new capabilities are rolling out today as part of Microsoft's Copilot Fall Release, which encompasses roughly 12 new capabilities and features coming to Copilot across Edge, Windows 11 and more.

This comes a week after the company unveiled a slew of new AI features coming to Windows 11, including new Copilot features that empower you to wake it with a word — so instead of "Hey, Siri..." it's "Hey, Copilot...". You can also ask Copilot questions about what's on your screen and even tell it to do complex tasks with your data.

New Copilot Fall Release features

Microsoft has briefly detailed roughly a dozen new capabilities and features coming to Copilot this fall. Here's my rundown of what you need to know.

Mico comes to Copilot

Copilot users in the U.S. can expect to start seeing a new character appear when chatting with the AI agent in voice mode: Mico.

This colorful anthropomorphic blob is intended to make chatting with Copilot feel a bit more natural, which is why Mico (Microsoft Copilot — get it?) is designed to respond very quickly to changes in tone or topic.

While I haven't had a chance to test Mico out myself yet (the feature is still rolling out across the U.S.), Microsoft claims that the little blob is capable of quickly changing facial expressions, tones and colors to match the mood.

There's also a new "real talk" mode coming to U.S. users who are signed in and at least 18 or older that "challenges assumptions with care, adapts to your vibe, and helps conversations spark growth."

"Copilot is designed to be empathetic and supportive, not sycophantic," explains a blog post attributed to Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman. "It will push back on you sometimes, but always respectfully."

If this gives you Clippy flashbacks, you're not alone—and according to The Verge there's a hidden Clippy easter egg you can access in Mico for a bit of a fun surprise.

Learn Live lets Copilot engage in Socratic dialogues

Microsoft also claims that Copilot (or Mico) can help you learn things more effectively through guided visualizations, questions, interactive cues and more.

U.S. users should be able to access this Learn Live mode now or very shortly, and you can expect it to function like "a voice-enabled Socratic tutor" that will talk you through learning things like novel concepts, new languages or even your semester notes ahead of the big final exam.

Groups arrive in Copilot

Starting today, Copilot should begin allowing you to share Copilot conversations with up to 31 of your closest friends.

The way it works sounds pretty simple: you just start a chat with Copilot, then share a link with others to start a group conversation that can include up to 32 people. Copilot can evidently stay on top of it all by doing things like summarizing threads, tallying votes and splitting tasks.

This feature certainly sounds geared toward collaborative work (as well as group vacation planning), but for the moment, Groups appears limited only to Copilot in Windows and may not be available in the business-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Imagine aims to give AI-generated images a social hub

Microsoft is also touting the fact that you can access a shared gallery of remixable AI-generated art and "like" creations that others share.

It's sort of like a public AI-generated image board, and the ability to generate likes from other users seems like a clear attempt to give it hooks akin to a social media service.

"We’re focusing on an AI that understands the importance of keeping us connected to real people," is how Microsoft's Suleyman explains Imagine. "We’re pioneering ways to measure AI’s social intelligence – how it elevates group chats, encourages creativity, and grows conversations. "

Deeper memory and personalization

Microsoft also claims it's improving Copilot's capabilities to reference past conversations, though it won't provide specific promises about how or when beyond the fact that you can now ask Copilot to remember specific things.

As an example, Microsoft claims you can expect to be able to ask Copilot to remember your anniversary, or that you're training for a marathon, and then in future chats Copilot should be able to remember and reference those materials.

Proactive actions

Right now Microsoft is rolling out a limited preview version of a new "proactive actions" feature that's coming to Copilot's Deep Research mode for folks with a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription.

Here's how it's supposed to work: Copilot will share "timely insights" and suggest the next action(s) you should take based on your recent questions and research.

Copilot for health

Add Microsoft to the growing list of tech companies that want to be involved in your healthcare.

The company is talking up a new "Copilot for health" initiative that will let you talk to Copilot to find local doctors and narrow your search by criteria like specialty, spoken languages and the like. The company also claims it's worked to better source answers from providers like Harvard Health to improve the accuracy of Copilot's answers to health-related questions.

Notably, the Copilot health features are currently limited to the Copilot iOS app and the web version.

I'm still not sure I'd trust Copilot over my doctor, but since so many people are probably using Copilot for these kinds of questions anyway, I'm happy to see Microsoft touting improvements.

Copilot is taking over Edge

Microsoft's Edge browser got an AI makeover this summer that added an experimental new "Copilot Mode" that let you chat with your browser about what's on-screen. An now the company is building and expanding on that functionality in a big way.

The new and upgraded Copilot Mode in Edge is designed to be a web browser you can talk to, and Microsoft claims you can basically use it voice-only and expect it to work pretty well.

The company is also adding a new Journeys feature to Copilot Mode in Edge that organizes and displays your browsing history as a series of "meaningful storylines" you can quickly skim through to refresh yourself on ideas or pick up tasks you were in the middle of completing.

Bottom line

There's a lot to consider here, but I think it's fair to say Microsoft is working awfully hard to push its AI-powered offerings into every nook and cranny of its software business — and trying just as hard to push people into adopting AI by making it more colorful, customizable and communal.

Personally, I'm genuinely excited about a potential future in which we spend more time talking to our laptops than typing on them. I think that could be huge, not just for all the tech neck sufferers out there but for everyone who finds it difficult or impossible to use traditional input devices like a mouse, keyboard or trackpad.

I'm less excited about the rocky ground we have to traverse in order to reach that bright future. It's nice to see Microsoft making repeated claims that it's respecting user privacy and building out AI tools while "not chasing engagement or optimizing for screen time", but when I see new features akin to a social network launching with bright colors and options to share your AI chats with your friends, it's hard not to think Microsoft is absolutely chasing engagement and trying to lead the market in getting users to adopt AI services.

It seems to be working, too, since the AI offerings Apple built into macOS Tahoe are far less robust than what Copilot can now do in Windows 11. Will that make any difference in adoption rates over time? We'll just have to wait and see!

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Buckle up, Windows 11 users: Microsoft just announced a boatload of new AI features that are going to be coming soon to Windows PCs that support them.

These additions appear just days after the company issued the final Windows 10 security patch, effectively ending support for Windows 10 unless you pay for another year of security updates.

Keep that context in mind as you read the Microsoft blog post outlining the new Copilot features coming to Windows 11, as I suspect it's no coincidence Microsoft included a list of suggested Copilot+ Windows 11 PCs to upgrade to along with its laundry list of new AI-assisted toys to play with.

I'll explain all the new Copilot features coming to Windows 11 in depth below, but here's the gist: Microsoft is working to integrate AI more deeply into Windows 11. Some of the new features should be available today (October 16) for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs, with others coming soon in beta form to Windows Insiders before they roll out to everyone.

Folks who update their Copilot+ Windows 11 PCs this week should get a new feature that lets you use a wakeword to talk to Copilot and ask it questions, just like other AI assistants—so instead of "Hey Siri..." or "Hey Google...", you say "Hey Copilot..." and start talking.

Microsoft also laid out plans to integrate two new AI agents into File Explorer that let you do more within the app, as well as a new Gaming Copilot feature that lets you ask Copilot questions while gaming with the press of a button. There are also new experimental features coming to Copilot, most notably an expansion of its ability to do actions for you on the web. Soon, you'll be able to ask Copilot to do complex tasks on your PC using your data, allowing you to execute Copilot Actions on local files.

There's a lot to chew on here, so let's get into it!

New Copilot features rolling out now

Starting today, there are two notable upgrades coming to Copilot in Windows 11: A new wakeword and the global rollout of Copilot Vision to Windows 11 users worldwide.

The wakeword bit is pretty straightforward: as mentioned earlier, it allows you to open Copilot and ask questions by saying "Hey Copilot..." and then asking your question. Copilot has had the option to ask questions via voice for some time, but the new wakeword function will allow you to interact with Copilot entirely hands-free.

And now you can use voice commands to ask Copilot questions about what you're looking at via Copilot Vision. If you're not familiar, Copilot Vision is the fancy term for the feature that lets you ask Windows 11's Copilot app about what's displayed on your desktop. This basically entails you giving Copilot access to a screenshot of what you're looking at, and then the AI assistant will try to provide contextual assistance as you ask it questions about anything: a website, a game, a photo or whatever else you try it on.

Copilot Vision has more reach within the Word, PowerPoint and Excel apps. So while you can ask it general questions about whatever you're looking at on your PC, if you ask it questions about your PowerPoint presentation or term paper in Word, it will be able to review and comment on the entire document, not just the page currently showing on-screen.

Finally, there's a feature coming soon to Windows Insiders that will let you chat with Copilot via text when using Copilot Vision. Until that feature rolls out to your PC, you'll be forced to use voice only when interacting with your PC via Copilot Vision.

Experimental Copilot features coming soon

On top of that, Microsoft laid out a slew of experimental Copilot features that are coming soon to folks who look for them.

By that, I mean many of these features are coming soon to Windows 11 users who are enrolled in the Windows Insider program, while others will require you to be enrolled in the Copilot Labs program. Both of these programs are free to join and allow you to opt in to less stable, more experimental versions of the software so that you can check out new features before they roll out to everyone.

Ask Copilot on the taskbar

For example, there's a new Ask Copilot taskbar feature coming for Windows Insiders that lets you click on the toolbar to access Copilot Voice or Vision. It also works like the existing Search button the taskbar, so you can use it to search for apps, files and settings on your PC.

Windows Insiders should see the Ask Copilot feature integrated alongside the existing Search button on the taskbar.

Deeper Copilot links and integration with external services

You'll soon be able to connect your Windows 11 Copilot app to Microsoft apps like Outlook and OneDrive as well as Google services like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive.

This will allow you to access Copilot in Windows and ask it things using natural language like "when is my next vet appointment?" or "open my Econ 101 term paper", with a reasonable expectation that the AI agent will be able to return the correct answer.

In addition to that, you'll soon be able to ask Copilot to export text to Excel, PowerPoint or Word when conducting tasks. So pretty soon, you should be able to not only ask Copilot to find your latest draft of a term paper, you'll be able to ask it to rewrite it for you and then export Copilot's version to a Word doc you can turn in to your teacher.

That's probably not how Microsoft intends this tech to be used, of course, but now that you can pretty much ask Windows' built-in AI to do your work for you it's almost certainly going to be used for just that.

Copilot Actions come home

Earlier this year, Microsoft rolled out a Copilot Actions feature that enabled you to ask Copilot to do things like reserve a table or book a flight for you by connecting to services like Expedia, OpenTable, Priceline and TripAdvisor.

Soon, Windows 11 users who are part of the Windows Insiders program and enrolled in Copilot Labs will be able to test out a limited set of Copilot Actions that can do work on your PC using your apps and files. These features will be disabled by default even when you opt in, and you'll need to turn them on by opening your Settings menu and navigating to Settings > System > AI components > Agent tools > Experimental agentic features.

To hear Microsoft tell it, this new Copilot feature is basically going to be a "general-purpose agent" that you can ask to do tasks (like sending an email, pulling data out of a PDF or sorting photos) using natural language, and the agent will then go off and try to do the requested action(s) on its own while you get back to whatever you were doing.

I mean that fairly literally: Microsoft is claiming that these "AI agents" get their own user-level Microsoft account on your PC (so they can run apps and access files) and have their own contained, isolated "desktop" environment designed to let the agent access what it has to without seeing anything else on your PC.

The pitch is that you can ask Copilot to do something like "email my last five photos to my sister" and it will go off and attempt to do that while you get back to watching YouTube or whatever. Microsoft claims you'll be able to check in on the agent to monitor its progress, and that Copilot may pause the work to ask you for permission about important actions or files.

So for example, during the preview period, Microsoft claims that local Copilot Actions will be limited by default to local folders like Documents, Downloads, Desktop, or Pictures, and you'll have to give Copilot permission to access anything outside those broadly-accessible directories.

AI agents arrive in File Explorer

Microsoft has been steadily upgrading File Explorer in Windows 11 with useful features like tabs, and now it's taking the plunge and injecting AI directly into the file management app.

Butterfly Effect's Manus AI agent is the most notable addition. Manus launched earlier this year as a web agent and also a downloadable AI app that you can install on your Windows PC and ask to do complex tasks by itself, like generating and then deploying code to a live website.,

Now it's coming to File Explorer as a built-in AI agent that can complete contextual actions for you when you right-click on files and folders. For example, Microsoft claims that you can "select [a] document, right click and select 'create website with Manus’ [and] Manus will build a website for you in just minutes – no uploading, no coding."

Microsoft is also integrating the AI-powered Filmora into File Explorer, although the description of how it will work is a little more vague — it will let you "jump right into video editing easily and seamlessly" from within File Explorer.

Bottom line

There's a lot to chew on here, and it would be foolish to pronounce judgment on these new features before they're fully functional or widely available. But if we just look at how Microsoft's promoting these new Copilot features, I think you can get a pretty good sense of where the company is taking Windows—and it's all about AI.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about all this. I've been working and gaming on PCs since I was a kid and write for a living, so my hands and wrists are shot. Being able to summon Copilot with my voice and ask it to complete tasks on my PC using natural language is awfully exciting because it could literally save me countless hours of pain and frustration.

But on the other hand, it's not hard to prognosticate a future in which AI agents in Windows have all the weaknesses and drawbacks of current AI agents (unreliable responses, untrustworthy data) yet are far more accessible to anyone with a Windows 11 PC. And when you think about the fact that we're already seeing AI agents implicated in encouraging teen suicide and facilitating tragic murder-suicides, not to mention the fact that it can complete basic homework assignments and has caused all sorts of issues for teachers, it's not hard to envision how having enhanced versions of AI tools built directly into millions of Windows 11 PCs worldwide could have some serious consequences.

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Microsoft just announced its first homegrown image generator. The new model, called MAI-Image-1, is the company’s first fully in-house text-to-image AI, and it’s debuting in the top 10 on the LMArena leaderboard, a major public benchmark for generative image tools.

MAI-Image-1 is expected to show up soon in Copilot and Bing Image Creator, giving Microsoft more control over how AI image generation is integrated across its products. That’s a big deal, especially as Microsoft shifts away from relying solely on third-party tools.

Impressive photorealism

The model is designed to generate high-quality, photorealistic images rapidly. Microsoft says it performs especially well with realistic lighting, complex compositions, and natural textures. That speed-quality combo could make it a solid choice for creators and professionals who need visual content on demand.

To avoid overly stylized or repetitive results, Microsoft curated its training data carefully and brought in feedback from artists and designers. Early sample images show off everything from a roadrunner kicking up desert dust to sunset-lit cityscapes and glowing beach scenes, and they look sharp.

Microsoft's broader AI plan

But this launch isn’t just about visuals, MAI-Image-1 is also a key piece of Microsoft’s AI game plan for 2025, which focuses on moving from experimental pilots to enterprise-grade tools. That includes building models around real use cases, enforcing strong data governance, and embedding responsible AI practices at every level.

Microsoft is also building a full stack of AI solutions from ready-made Copilots to custom Azure ML tools, and MAI-Image-1 adds image generation to that mix. As regulations tighten, Microsoft is also doubling down on transparency and safety, keeping human oversight and compliance front and center.

The model is still being evaluated on LMArena, but its strong early performance suggests Microsoft is ready to compete in the fast-moving generative AI space — this time, with its own tech.

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Microsoft is rolling out a new set of features for Excel, Word and Copilot that enable subscribers to tell an AI-powered assistant to generate documents instead of doing the work themselves.

This is significant because it's a big step forward in Microsoft's ongoing mission to inject AI into seemingly every aspect of its business. The company helped kickstart the tech industry's current AI craze by launching Bing with Copilot early in 2023, and later that year, Microsoft put a Copilot AI agent right on your Windows 11 desktop that you can chat with any time to do things like change system settings.

This latest update adds a new Office Agent you can chat with inside Copilot to generate PowerPoint decks and Word documents using data pulled from the Internet. There's also a new Agent Mode for the web versions of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word going live this week for subscribers of the Microsoft 365 Frontier Program.

If you're not familiar, the Frontier Program is a bit like the Windows Insider Program in that it allows Microsoft 365 subscribers to opt into early access to AI features before they're made widely available. This week, Frontier members are getting a glimpse of what Microsoft pitches as the next step forward in human-AI collaboration after vibe coding: vibe working.

"Today, we’re bringing vibe working to Microsoft 365 Copilot with Agent Mode in Office apps and Office Agent in Copilot chat," is how Microsoft Office VP Sumit Chauhan opens a Microsoft 365 blog post announcing the new features, which basically give Microsoft 365 subscribers access to a chatbot that can do basic tasks in the web versions of Excel and Word, with a PowerPoint version soon to come.

As a writer, this seems more exciting as an Excel upgrade, since I've always had a hard time making heads or tails of the many functions and formulae that make great spreadsheets. Microsoft claims the new Agent Mode in Excel can effectively act on prompts like "create a financial monthly close report for a bike shop business, including a breakdown of product lines across VTB, VTF, sequential, and year-over-year growth", and if it can do so reliably without making mistakes, I may never need to learn how to budget.

The new Agent Mode in Word works in a similar fashion, giving you a Copilot chatbot in the web version of Word, you can ask to do things like update tables in a document or fix formatting issues. And while Microsoft has yet to debut the promised PowerPoint Agent Mode, the new Office Agent you can talk to in Copilot chat is capable of generating PowerPoint presentations based on your requests.

All of these new features are rolling out now to Microsoft 365 subscribers in the Frontier program, and if you're one of them, you should be able to access them via Copilot and Word. However, in order to access the new Agent Mode in Excel, you need to jump through the additional hoop of downloading the Excel Labs add-on from Microsoft.

Bottom line

Is this the next generation of spellcheck, or an existential threat to accountants and writers everywhere?

It's hard to know until these AI assistants make their way out of the Frontier program and into the real world, but I have a hunch humans aren't outdated just yet. The promise that anyone can code anything by telling a chatbot to do it (aka "vibe coding") hasn't revolutionized the software market just yet, but we'll have to wait and see how willing businesses and families are to trust Microsoft's AI agents with their data.

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Ditching that laptop you have permanently plugged into a monitor or downsizing from a big, bulky desktop for one of the best mini PCs is something I can’t recommend enough, especially as someone that personally did both. While you might not think a mini PC is powerful enough to handle your workload or to play games on, these ultra small form factor computers have come a long way in the past few years.

Not only are they small enough to easily move between rooms but you can also travel with a mini PC. At the same time, most of them are upgradeable with the ability to add extra storage or even swap out their memory. Though there are mini PCs dedicated to gaming with powerful integrated graphics or even dedicated GPUs, you can also plug in an external graphics card dock if you find yourself missing the full PC gaming experience.

I’ve tried a lot of different mini PCs over the past two years but this week, I finally used an AI-powered one as my daily driver. Even though my daily workload can easily be handled without an NPU, I’ve grown fond of having an AI chatbot at the ready for quick questions or for additional research that would normally involve having a dozen or so Chrome tabs open at once.

Here’s what it’s been like spending a week with the new MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG and why this particular mini PC is one I want to have front and center at my desk instead of off to the side or tucked away behind my monitor.

More power with the same footprint

A few months ago, I finally got to try out the original MSI Cubi NUC 1M after going hands-on with it at Computex the previous year. Just like with the Asus NUC 14 Pro, I really liked how it was available in multiple configurations to suit your or your business’ needs. The Cubi NUC 1M also had a few cool tricks up its sleeve like an external power button which makes it a whole lot easier to turn on when mounted behind your monitor.

The new MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG builds on the original’s very solid foundation but as its name implies, adds AI to the mix. You see, this is one of the first Copilot+ mini PCs. However, unlike the best AI laptops, it’s powered by one of Intel’s Lunar Lake chips as opposed to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series chips. This means that you can still run all your favorite Windows apps and aren’t limited to ARM-based ones.

At 5.34 x 5.22 x 1.97 inches and 1.47 pounds, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is the exact same size as the Cubi NUC 1M but slightly heavier. While its case is nearly identical, MSI has made a few changes up front to better handle AI-focused workloads and for improved security. For starters, the 2MG has a built-in speaker and microphone so that you can talk directly with your favorite AI chatbot right out of the box. Likewise, there’s also a dedicated Copilot button right on the front but more on that later. On the security side, you get an integrated fingerprint scanner in the 2MG’s power button that you can use for logging into Windows via Windows Hello.

In day-to-day use, these small tweaks make a meaningful difference and I’ve been excited about testing them out at home ever since I first saw the Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG at CES 2025 at the start of this year.

Around back, you still have a nice selection of rear ports with two USB-A ones, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, an HDMI 2.1 port with MSI’s Power Link tech on board and a barrel port power connector. There is one glaring omission though and that’s the second HDMI port on the left side that the Cubi NUC 1M had. Still, this is more than enough ports to power a triple monitor setup and to connect a lot of accessories.

While the MSI Cubi NUC 2MG eventually ended up front and center at my desk, I did try it another way first as this is one of this mini PC’s unique selling points.

Made for mounting

Just like with the Cubi NUC 1M and many other mini PCs, the 2MG is designed in such a way that you can easily mount it behind your monitor. In the box, you get a VESA-compatible mounting plate and the screws to attach it to your monitor. However, MSI takes things a step further with its Power Link tech and an external power button.

If you haven’t heard of MSI Power Link before, it’s a proprietary implementation of the HDMI-CEC standard that turns on the 2MG (or the 1M before it) when you power on your monitor. For this to work though, you need an MSI monitor that supports Power Link. If you’re using one of the best monitors from another brand, this is where the 2MG’s external power button comes into play. You just plug it into the side of the 2MG, route the cable around to the front of your monitor and with a tap, it powers on your computer.

As MSI also sent over one of its Pro MP271A E2 business and productivity monitors alongside the 2MG, I got to try out Power Link first hand. It worked like a charm and by pressing its power button, the 2MG mounted behind it sprung to life too. Getting everything setup was really easy as well and if you’re short on desk space, you might want to consider a combo like this yourself.

Given that I review the best standing desks alongside the latest mini PCs, I have plenty of free desk space. So after trying out the 2MG like this, I decided to build a dual-monitor setup around this powerful little mini PC using the Oakywood Standing Desk Pro. Coming from an ultrawide monitor, sure I wanted a bit more screen real estate than just a single 27-inch monitor but I also wanted to put the fingerprint scanner and the dedicated Copilot button on the 2MG to the test.

But even better on your desk

At the start of this year, I ditched my ultrawide monitor for a dual-monitor setup that I absolutely loved. In fact, taking everything down for my next desk setup stung a little bit. That’s why when thinking of a way to put the 2MG’s front buttons to the test, I basically recreated my previous setup, albeit with the Keychron K2 HE keyboard I recently picked up and the Logitech MX Ergo S trackball mouse I’m currently testing out. And to light my new workspace, I’m using a pair of monitor light bars from Quntis as you can control two of them simultaneously using the same puck.

With an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor with an Intel Arc integrated GPU, 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and Wi-Fi 7 on board, it’s been a breeze working from the MSI Cubi NUC 2MG all week. This mini PC is fast, quiet and with an Eero Max 7 mesh router on the other side of the room, I’m consistently getting download speeds of 1.3 gigabits per second (Gbps), though I could plug in an Ethernet cable and take that up to 2.5 Gbps in a pinch for larger downloads now that I have faster fiber internet instead of cable.

Given that I use one of the best Android phones and do most of my work in Google Workspace, I’ve slowly started integrating Google Gemini into my workflow. While I’d never have it write for me, I do like to run what I’ve written by Gemini to get its take on my latest stories as I’m putting them together. At the same time, I like to use Google’s AI chatbot to bounce ideas off of like I would with my co-workers, since it too likes to work late at night just like me.

Although I could just pull up a Chrome window and type bard.google.com into my browser’s address bar like I normally do (yeah I still use its original name and URL), I decided to turn to Copilot instead for helpful suggestions and for bouncing ideas off of. I know a lot of people love and use ChatGPT (which powers Copilot) all the time but it hasn’t won me over in the same way. I guess a lot of this comes down to being so fully immersed in Google’s ecosystem but part of testing new devices like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG is trying new things right?

So with the 2MG front and center between my new dual-monitor setup, every time I’d pull up Gemini, I made a point to physically press its dedicated Copilot button instead. While Copilot’s (and ChatGPT’s) overly enthusiastic and chatty demeanor didn’t win me over, having an AI chatbot at my beck and call with the push of a button absolutely did.

One thing that I really like about this implementation is that the Copilot button on the 2MG opens a separate floating window that doesn’t require me to open a new tab in my browser. I also really like that when I’m done with Copilot, a push of that same button almost instantly removes this floating window from my screen.

For the most part, I’ve just been typing, copying and pasting or uploading images with both Gemini and now Copilot. However, as you can actually use ChatGPT’s voice functionality on Windows (looking at you Gemini), I decided to give that a try too.

Using Copilot Voice with the built-in microphone and speaker on the Cubi NUC 2MG was about as plug and play as it gets. However, I wish there was a way to go directly into voice mode to save me an extra click. Maybe something as simple as a double press of the mini PC’s Copilot button to go directly into voice mode. Still, everything worked well and for broader questions about the weather before I headed out to shoot photos or even with questions about the 2MG, Copilot Voice was a fun and welcome change from just entering text and reading back responses.

One other thing that I did try at first before deciding to go all in on Copilot was remapping the dedicated button on the front of the 2MG. There is an option to change what app it opens in the settings menu of Windows 11 but on my review unit, I had a choice between Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot. I know you can easily remap the Copilot button using Microsoft’s PowerToys utility but given that I will have to wipe this mini PC and send it back, I pivoted to just trying out Copilot on its own for a week.

Although I won’t be ditching Gemini for Copilot anytime soon, it was a fun little experiment and I absolutely loved having an AI chatbot directly integrated into my operating system. However, it was pressing the physical button on the 2MG and seeing it spring to life that really impressed me the most.

Physical buttons are due for a comeback

With one of the best gaming PCs, a business-focused desktop or even a more powerful workstation, you usually have your computer off to the side of your desk and for good reason. However, with a mini PC like the 2MG or even the Mac mini M4, having your computer front and center is a lot more practical and something you might actually do if you want to use its front ports. For instance, the microSD card reader on the 2MG has been a godsend for quickly getting photos (like the ones in this article) off my camera.

I’ve tried other mini PCs like the AtomMan G7 PT or the G7 TI that also have physical buttons on the front. However, instead of launching apps like a chatbot, their buttons are used to quickly switch between performance modes when pivoting from work to gaming after a long day. While I do like this approach too, having that dedicated Copilot button on the front of the 2MG has really rekindled my love for physical buttons and I want to see more of them.

Remember when Apple added its customizable Action button to the iPhone? Well, what if MSI or any of the other mini PCs makers out there did the same thing. Or how about if they added a button like the Essential Key on newer versions of the Nothing Phone to give you quick access to a personalized vault to store your screenshots, notes and more. That would be pretty useful too. The possibilities are almost endless and despite their smaller size, there’s still plenty of extra space on the front of most mini PCs.

A dedicated Copilot key on newer laptops running Windows 11 always felt a bit off to me, especially as someone who prefers a desktop setup with one of the best mechanical keyboards. However, on a mini PC like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, it just feels right.

Stay tuned for my full MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG review but in the meantime, let me know in the comments below what you’d use an extra customizable button for on the front of your PC.

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Whether you wanted it or not, Microsoft and Samsung have partnered to bring the Copilot AI assistant to a Samsung TV near you. This invasion starts with Samsung's 2025 television monitor plus some smart monitors.

The voice-powered AI can be used for movie and show suggestions, episode recaps, and general questions like, "Will Saturday in Seattle have good conditions for hiking?"

According to a Microsoft announcement post, you can find Copilot on support Samsung TVs in the Tizen OS homescreen. It'll also be available in Samsung Daily Plus and Click to Search.

"It’s there when you and your family want to discover something to watch together, get answers to your questions, plan your weekend, or simply hang out," said David Washington, Microsoft AI's partner general manager.

On your Samsung TV, Copilot is a "friendly, animated presence" that looks like an orange-ish amorphous Clippy. The creamsicle blob will bounce around your display while it answers queries.

Copilot can be accessed with your remote or using voice commands. From there you can hit the microphone button and start speaking to the AI assistant.

Microsoft adds that you can sign into the Copilot app to make the AI assistant more personalized, as it will remember previous conversations and preferences.

According to Samsung, the Copilot integration is available on the company's 2025 lineup including Micro RGB, Neo QLED, OLED, The Frame Pro, The Frame. Additionally, Copilot can be accessed on the M7, M8 and M9 Smart Monitors.

Microsoft and LG previously announced that LG TVs would also be adding Copilot to its 2025 lineup. It's not clear when that collaboration will release.

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We all know that ChatGPT (and other chatbots) can crank out fairly coherent, grammatically perfect text that can appear practically human to the untrained eye. Those of us who live and breathe AI, however, can pick out AI-generated text the way a pawn shop owner can spot fake gold.

Despite knowing that there could be consequences, when a deadline looms or your mind is a complete blank, the temptation to rely on AI a little too heavily is very real for students and professionals alike.

And that’s where the dilemma lies: how do you tap into the power of AI writing tools without outsourcing your voice or even crossing the line into plagiarism and completely faking it? Here's how to use AI as a co-pilot without resorting to putting yourself and your ideas on autopilot.

1. Don’t just blindly prompt

The biggest mistake most people make is giving AI a prompt then waiting as the AI pumps out paragraphs of text. For example, you could prompt ChatGPT to “Write 1,000 words about the effects of microplastics on marine life” at the eleventh hour when your paper is due the next day at 8 a.m.

However, any good teacher would be on to you. Not to mention, apps like Grammarly now have AI detectors and can even grade your work, telling you what that AI generated paper will do for your mid-term report card.

But still, it’s midnight and there’s a reason you put your paper off this long. You probably don’t have time to stare at a blinking cursor now. Instead, lean on ChatGPT, or your favorite AI by prompting “I’m writing a paper on the effects of microplastics on marine life, what topics should I cover. Please give me an outline.”

The difference here is that AI is doing some of the grunt work but not the actual work. You may have not thought about including “inhalation/respiration in filter feeders (e.g., mussels, oysters)” but ChatGPT delivered a pretty comprehensive and usable outline.

2. Use AI for proofreading

As writers, we get pretty used to our own words, tone and style. I know that even when I read something over and “proofread,” I almost always miss something. Whether it’s a serial comma an extra space or a run-on sentence, having someone (or something) to help me proofread is a total game-changer.

I’ll often enter my completed draft into ChatGPT, Grammarly or another AI and ask it to proofread and edit. There are writing tools like Microsoft Copilot that actually follow along as you write, but for me, that feels a bit like someone is looking over my shoulder, so I usually wait until the first draft is complete.

I’ve been a writer my entire life; I was first published in a magazine called Spark at the age of eight and never stopped. I can safely say that asking AI to proofread isn’t cheating, especially when you are too shy to share your work with an actual human or simply don’t have a friend around to help. It can catch mistakes and offer suggestions the same way a human would.

3. Fact-checking

A lot of people scratch their heads when I mention I've used AI for fact-checking, but hear me out. If I hear a “fact” or a quote and want to know where it came from, I’ll lean on ChatGPT first instead of Google. ChatGPT is so much faster and cites the source.

As a human, I will always check the source twice, but nine times out of ten, ChatGPT will lead me directly to the source. Using a graph or image in your presentation or report as well? Use Google Lens to cite the source.

Don’t know how to properly cite a source? ChatGPT can help with that, too.

4. Brainstorming

When I’m working on a project, I’ll often run my ideas by AI. For example, I do a lot of writing for young readers aged 8-11 and will often ask ChatGPT to help with trending topics or how to summarize something for a child.

The goal is to use AI to stress test ideas, not to completely generate them.

To get the best results, I’ll do a brain dump of all my ideas into ChatGPT and ask it to tell me the top three best ones. I’ll ask it to help me flesh them out with an outline or with similar ideas that I may not have thought of.

5. Avoid the dreaded copy and paste

This should go without saying, but don’t copy and paste from any AI. Not only is it just inherently wrong and full of ick factor, but the results could also be completely inaccurate. Although AI is evolving, chatbots still hallucinate, which means the words appearing in your draft could be completely wrong.

To avoid embarrassment and sharing false information, it’s in your best interest to use AI sparingly and only to support your writing through grammar checks and editing drafts. Otherwise, you run the risk of generating useless text.

Bottom line

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When OpenAI finally launched the much-anticipated GPT-5, many users were disappointed by what seemed like an over-hyped model. Although GPT-5 brings faster responses, better reasoning and stronger multimodal skills, not everyone loved the change, especially because GPT-4 quietly disappeared from the drop-down model selector.

Upset users took to Reddit and social media to voice their concerns. Some say GPT-4’s tone and pacing just felt better.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, quickly acknowledged the feedback and, in an unprecedented move, even promised to bring back GPT-4, but for paid subscribers only.

For free ChatGPT users, there’s no way to switch back; GPT-5 is now the only option unless you pay for a Plus subscription. That means if you preferred GPT-4’s style, you’re either stuck adapting to GPT-5 or looking for an alternative.

If you’re in that camp, here’s the good news: GPT-4 isn’t gone. You can still use it for free through Microsoft Copilot.

How to get GPT-4 for free

Microsoft Copilot, built into Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, and Bing, runs on GPT-4 Turbo, a faster, more efficient version of GPT-4.

With the free tier, you can ask unlimited questions, generate text, brainstorm ideas, summarize documents and even create AI images. All you need is a Microsoft account.

You can launch Copilot in a few ways:

• Windows 11: Press Windows + C or click the Copilot icon on your taskbar.
• Microsoft Edge: Click the Copilot button in the sidebar.
• Bing.com: Sign in and start chatting.

Why it’s worth trying

GPT-4 Turbo in Copilot retains many of GPT-4’s strengths that users have gotten used to over two years. The detailed answers, strong reasoning and creative writing responses may feel more natural compared to GPT's shorter responses.

If you want more, Copilot Pro ($20/month) unlocks priority access to GPT-4 Turbo during peak times, more customization and Microsoft 365 integration. But for most people, the free version is plenty, and if you're going to pay $20/month because you want GPT-4, you could get a ChatGPT Plus subscription.

Final thoughts

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A newly released Microsoft Research study has ranked 40 occupations it believes are most at risk from advanced AI tools, including writing and journalism roles, customer support and data analysis.

At the same time, the study identifies 40 jobs with minimal AI exposure, particularly those that require a physical presence or hands-on interaction.

While the list highlights which roles have the most overlap with current AI capabilities, the researchers caution against assuming these jobs will be replaced or automated. “It is tempting to conclude that occupations with high overlap will experience job loss,” they write in the study. “This would be a mistake, as our data do not include the downstream business impacts of new technology, which are very hard to predict.”

In fact, they compare the situation to ATMs: while the machines automated a key part of the bank teller role, teller jobs actually increased, as the tech reduced costs and allowed humans to focus on customer relationships.

Here’s what it means for workers and industries in 2025.

What the study reveals

Microsoft’s analysis introduces an “AI applicability score,” which is a metric designed to assess how aligned job tasks are with current AI capabilities like Copilot and ChatGPT.

Specifically, it measures how frequently AI tools are already used in those roles.

Topping the list are customer service representatives, who account for nearly 2.86 million workers.

Other highly vulnerable roles include writers, authors, journalists, editors, translators, interpreters and proofreaders.

The list also features sales and PR professionals, web developers, data scientists, and business analysts; all roles where AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are already being used to streamline tasks and boost efficiency, raising questions about long-term job security.

Microsoft emphasizes that the study illustrates how AI can assist or enhance these roles, but critics note that automation may translate into outright job cuts, especially as companies look to streamline headcount.

“Our study explores which job categories can productively use AI chatbots,” said Kiran Tomlinson, Senior Researcher at Microsoft. “It highlights where AI might change how work is done, not take away or replace jobs.”

Jobs "at risk" according to the study

• Customer Service Representatives
• Sales Representatives of Services
• Market Research Analysts
• Management Analysts
• Data Scientists
• Public Relations Specialists
• Technical Writers
• Editors
• Writers and Authors
• News Analysts / Reporters / Journalists
• Interpreters and Translators
• Proofreaders and Copy Markers
• Web Developers
• Public Safety Telecommunicators
• Business Teachers, Postsecondary
• Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
• Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary
• Political Scientists
• Historians
• Mathematicians
• Statistical Assistants
• Demonstrators & Product Promoters
• Models
• Hosts and Hostesses
• Concierges
• Advertising Sales Agents
• New Accounts Clerks
• Counter and Rental Clerks
• Telephone Operators
• Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
• Broadcast Announcers & Radio DJs
• Brokerage Clerks
• Farm & Home Management Educators
• Telemarketers
• Personal Financial Advisors
• Interpreters / Translators (duplicate reference in original)

40 jobs considered safer from AI disruption

Skills rooted in physical labor or requiring human touch are currently less automatable.

The least affected roles include manual labor and infrastructure operation (e.g., dredge operators, paving crews, roofers). Healthcare support like nursing assistants, surgical aides, phlebotomists and massage therapists.

Additionally, certain skilled trades and facility management roles are considered far less vulnerable to AI disruption.

These jobs typically require hands-on work or physical presence, tasks that current AI tools are not well-equipped to replicate.

The overall message is essentially: if your job involves manual labor, in-person interaction or physical precision, it’s likely to remain safer from automation, at least for now.

• Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers
• Bridge and Lock Tenders
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
• Commercial Divers
• Construction Laborers
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators
• Cooks, Short Order
• Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
• Dishwashers
• Dredge Operators
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
• Fallers (logging)
• Fence Erectors
• Floor Sanders and Finishers
• Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
• Forest and Conservation Workers
• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
• Highway Maintenance Workers
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical
• Janitors and Cleaners
• Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
• Logging Equipment Operators
• Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators
• Oil and Gas Rotary Drill Operators
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance
• Parking Lot Attendants
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Pest Control Workers
• Phlebotomists
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons
• Pourers and Casters, Metal
• Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
• Roofers
• Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Tire Repairers and Changers

What this means for workers and industries

Tech industry leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have warned that entire job categories, especially in customer service, may disappear as AI becomes more capable.

Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, warned that AI could eliminate up to 50% of entry-level white‑collar jobs within the next five years, potentially pushing unemployment rates as high as 10–20%, unless government and industry take proactive steps to prepare.

Office-based roles such as journalists, customer service representatives and data analysts are under increasing pressure as AI tools become more deeply integrated into daily workflows.

AI reduces demand for easily automated tasks like routine text review has also increased the need for complementary human skills such as digital literacy, teamwork and ethical decision-making.

In contrast, hands-on professions remain more resilient for now, though experts warn that robotics and automation could eventually reshape those fields as well.

What you can do

Suppose your job appears on the AI-vulnerable list. In that case, it’s a good time to evaluate your skill risk and consider upskilling, particularly in areas where human judgment and creativity still matter.

Developing complementary skills like critical thinking, communication, ethical reasoning, and AI oversight can help you stay competitive as automation accelerates.

While AI won’t fully replace many roles, they’re likely to evolve into hybrid workflows that combine human expertise with machine efficiency, making adaptability a key asset for the future.

Final thoughts

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Microsoft is reimagining web browsing with Copilot Mode. Similar to OpenAI and Perplexity, this experimental new AI-powered mode in Edge understands your tabs, takes voice commands and even plans future tasks.

Now available on Windows and Mac, Copilot Mode is completely free if you opt in.

Smarter browsing

With Copilot Mode turned on, Edge replaces your new‑tab page with a simplified layout centered around a single input box, combining search, chat and navigation.

Once enabled, Copilot can access all your open tabs (with your permission) and use that context to answer questions or compare information without flipping between pages.

For instance, if you're researching restuarant options across several tabs, you can now ask Copilot to identify the soonest availability, most affordable choice or closest location, and it takes care of everything for you.

Voice and task-driven assistants

Starting today, voice control is live. Users can now talk to Copilot and ask their queries that way instead of typing.

Soon, Microsoft plans to allow Copilot to access browsing history and credentials (with your consent) to do things like book tickets or manage errands, truly acting on your behalf, which is similar to what ChatGPT Agent is currently doing.

Copilot can now compare price options (like Google AI), offer suggestions and make reservations.

However, approving payment details manually is still something users need to do (thankfully).

Stay focused without losing your place

Copilot slips into the sidebar or new tab, allowing you to check summaries, translate content, convert units or ask questions without losing access to the original page.

For tab hoarders like me, I expect this to help with productivity as it keeps distractions down and work flow up.

Designed with privacy and optionality in mind

For those feeling skeptical about a broswer takeover, rest assured that Copilot Mode is fully optional. Users enable it manually and can disable it anytime.

When active, Microsoft makes it clear whenever Copilot is listening, viewing your tabs or accessing data.

All data is handled under Microsoft’s privacy standards and only used with your explicit permission.

And while usage limits apply, the feature is free for now. Microsoft hasn’t yet confirmed if it will join a subscription tier later.

Copilot-guided browsing journeys on the horizon

Microsoft says forthcoming updates will let Copilot identify ongoing browsing themes and surface helpful suggestions and next steps.

Whether you're planning a trip or researching a project, Copilot Mode promises to track the thread of your tasks. The goal of this new feature is to proactively help users stay productive while always offering clear visual cues and only if you opt in.

Bottom line

With AI-integrated browsers like Google AI, Comet, and others already in motion, Microsoft’s upgrade places Edge back in the spotlight with other AI giants.

If you’re curious about how AI can change web browsing for planning, research or multitasking, this AI browser is worth a try.

Copilot Mode trials are simple to enable, reversible and safe. And for the time it’s free, it’s worth seeing if AI-assisted browsing accelerates your workflow.

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Microsoft is doubling down on its AI efforts on Copilot+ PCs with its latest Windows 11 update, bringing a host of new AI features — and they're ready to try right now.

The new Windows 11 update is rolling out now, and it includes a new AI agent in Windows Settings that allows users to find and change settings by describing what they need, a Relight feature in the Photos app to adjust lighting with just a click, more tools in Click To Do and a perfect screenshot feature in the Snipping Tool.

There's also Copilot Vision that's now available in the U.S., featuring the Highlights tool that lets Microsoft's AI provide contextual help on specific tasks, showing you how to carry out activities within an app or browser. This will be available in the Copilot app by clicking the glasses icon.

Not all Copilot+ PCs are getting these updates straightaway: Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs get these AI features first, with support on Intel and AMD devices coming down the line.

Other features are set to arrive soon, including Microsoft's Copilot Vision AI being able to see your whole desktop. But for now, update your Windows 11 PC and find out what the latest Windows 11 update brings to Copilot+ PCs.

Change settings with Windows' new AI agent

Thanks to a new AI agent, you can now change settings in Windows 11 on the fly by asking what you want adjusted instead of scrolling through the Settings app.

Using Windows' first agent for Copilot+ PCs, you can describe what you want to change in settings in the search box in the Settings app. This works on a range of customizable settings, including displays, connectivity and accessbility.

For example, you can ask "change my resolution to 1920x1080" for your display, or "connect Bluetooth device" to find and connect headphones or a speaker to your PC — now all in Settings.

The agent will offer recommendations and even actions to change the settings of your choice with a simple click, and there's also the option to undo any setting that's changed using the agent.

To try this out yourself, follow these directions:

• On your Windows 11 PC, open the Settings app (use "Windows key + i" or search for it in the search bar and open it)
• Type in the Settings search box what you want changed in your own words
• The Settings agent will offer recommendations or an option to do the action

And that's it. If the agent isn't able to understand or change the described settings, a Windows search option will pop up instead with the relevant info.

Right now, this is only available on Snapdragon X Series-powered Copilot+ PCs, but Intel and AMD PCs will get this feature soon.

Edit photos with Relight

Microsoft is also adding a new Relight feature that works in the Photos app, which aims to add professional lighting controls to snaps. It makes adjusting lighting in any photo easier, which will be helpful to anyone looking to spruce up their pictures.

Relight lets you place up to 3 virtual light sources in photos, which can be placed anywhere. You can adjust the light's intensity, color and position using sliders, too, or select presets such as "Studio Portrait" and "Cinematic Glow."

You can do all this by doing the following:

• On your Windows 11 PC, open the Photos app (you can search for this in the Taskbar)
• Select an image you want to edit
• At the top, click Edit and select Relight.
• Choose a lighting preset and customize all the light's locations on the photo. The brightness, intensity and color and also be adjusted with sliders.

Similar to the agent in Settings, this is only available in PCs with Snapdragon X Series CPUs for now, with Intel and AMD-equipped Copilot+ PCs getting it later.

Click to Do delivers more features

Windows 11's Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs is already available, but there are now new actions to help you get through everyday tasks aside from analyzing text and offering contextual actions.

Here's a look at the features you can try out now, which can all be done by pressing Windows key + mouse click, Windows key + Q or using the Snipping Tool and selecting text.

• Practice in Reading Coach: This aims to help improve reading fluency and pronunciation by selecting text and offering advice on ways to improve. This can be done by highlighting text on your screen, selecting Practice in Reading Coach and reading the text aloud.
• Read with Immersive Reader: This gives you a more focused way to read text and improve reading. By selecting text and using Click to Do, you can adjust text size, spacing, font and background theme to your liking. It also allows text to be read aloud, breaks words into syllables and shows a picture dictionary for words you may not know.
• Draft with Copilot in Word: By selecting Draft with Copilot in Word after activating Click to Do, sentences can be made into full drafts in a Word document.
• Actions in Microsoft Teams: This allows you to send a message or schedule a meeting in Microsoft Teams when selecting an email address that Click to Do recognizes.

These new features on Click to Do are currently available for Windows 11 users in English, except for those in Europe.

Grab the perfect screenshot with the Snipping Tool

Windows 11's Snipping Tool is also getting an upgrade, this time adding two features. This includes perfect screenshot and color picker.

Both options are now available as part of the latest update, with buttons added to the Snipping Tool toolbar. Perfect screenshot will automatically crop and resize what's captured on screen based on the content shown (for example, focusing on an app rather than the entire screen), while color picker can capture the color code of what's inspected.

You can do each by bringing up the Snipping Tool or capturing a screenshot using the Print Screen shortcut (Windows Key + Print Screen or Windows key + Fn + Print Screen).

• For Perfect screenshot, simply select the new Perfect screenshot button on the Snipping Tool toolbar in rectangle mode and select a region on screen. This can also be done by holding the Ctrl keyboard shortcut while selecting an area.
• For Color picker, click on the Color picker button in the Snipping Tool toolbar and click on an area on screen you want to know the color code of. You'll be able to choose HEX, RGB or HSL values, and zoom in on an area by scrolling or using the Ctrl +/- keyboard shortcuts.

Remember, many of these features are only available on Snapdragon X Series Copilot+ PCs right now (which are among the best laptops), with other Intel and AMD PCs getting the features soon, according to Microsoft.

Once you've got the latest Windows 11 update, check them out! And be sure to try out these 15 top Windows 11 tips everyone needs to know.

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• Fixing your broken Windows 11 PC is about to get even harder — here’s why
• I reviewed Windows 11, and these are the 5 new features I'm most excited about for 2025

Microsoft is rolling out an update to its Copilot Vision AI on Windows 11 PCs, allowing it to see your whole desktop and talk to you in real time.

Coming to Windows Insiders, the update will let users share their "whole desktop with Copilot," allowing it to see what's on screen and offer contextual help. This was previously only available to use in a couple of apps at a time, but now Copilot Vision can analyze content on everything shown on a PC.

Through "Desktop Share," Copilot Vision can deliver insights, answer questions on everything you do and give you tips on tasks, similar to Google’s Gemini Live and Apple Intelligence. According to Microsoft, it will be able to "get tips on making improvements to your creative project, help with improving your resume, or guidance while navigating a new game," the blog post states.

This Copilot Vision "Desktop Share" feature works as it says on the tin, by sharing your desktop with Copilot in real time (unlike Microsoft Recall, which captures screenshots of your display). This means you can ask questions on anything that's seen on screen, like “what does this error message mean?” or "how do I create a table in Excel?"

To turn it on, simply click the glasses icon in the Copilot app and select the desktop screen you want to share. Of course, you can turn it off at any time by selecting "Stop" in the app.

You'll also be able to activate Vision AI using your voice, as Microsoft is rolling out access to Vision from "Voice conversation." It also states you can add more context in conversations by selecting the glasses icon and typing in what's needed.

Along with the recent Highlights feature, which automatically offers useful content based on the apps, documents or websites in browsers you're looking at, Microsoft is looking to give its Windows 11 PCs even more of an AI advantage. You can try out these 7 useful Copilot prompts to make the most of it.

The Copilot Vision update is now gradually rolling out to Windows Insider channels where Vision AI is available, so if you haven't received the update yet, it will be coming eventually.

You can join the Windows Insiders program by heading to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program, and then clicking Get Started.

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• Fixing your broken Windows 11 PC is about to get even harder — here’s why

Microsoft just flipped the switch on one of its most ambitious Copilot features yet. Copilot Vision with Highlights is now rolling out to Windows 11 users in the U.S.

The new tool allows Copilot to “see” what's on your screen and provide contextual help — a move that puts it in direct competition with Google’s Gemini Live and Apple’s upcoming Apple Intelligence.

Essentially, it’s Microsoft’s answer to the next generation of AI assistants: ones that are proactive, ambient and deeply integrated into your device.

What is Copilot Vision?

At its core, Copilot Vision gives the AI access to "see" whatever you’re currently doing on your PC. Whether you’re browsing, editing a document, watching a video or working in Excel, and allows it to offer help based on that screen content.

For example, you can ask questions like:

“Summarize this PDF I have open”

“What does this error message mean?”

“Help me draft a reply to this email”

Copilot can now view the apps and windows on your screen (with permission), making the AI smarter and more responsive in real time.

What are Highlights?

Highlights is a companion feature that automatically surfaces useful content from your apps, browser and documents.

Think of it like an AI assistant that notices what you’ve been working on and suggests relevant files, reminders or actions; but no prompt is necessary.

Highlights appear in a refreshed Copilot interface, which now docks to the side of your screen for quick access.

How to get Copilot Vision and Highlights

These features are now available to U.S. users running Windows 11 version 23H2 with Copilot+ PCs, or select devices that meet the hardware requirements. You’ll need to have screen reading enabled in the Copilot settings. Note, Vision only activates when you give it permission.

You can try it today by opening Copilot from the taskbar and clicking the new Vision icon in the corner.

A pop-up will confirm screen access and let you toggle Highlights on or off. While you're at it, try the prompts in the video to help get you started.

Why it matters

Microsoft’s move signals a major shift towards staying competitive, giving their AI assistant more capabilities, similar to those of rivals like Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT.

With OpenAI powering Copilot and Meta and Apple launching their own ambient AI tools, we’re entering the age of “AI that sees.” Whether that’s helpful or a little creepy may depend on how well it works — and how much you choose to share.

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Microsoft's annual Build developer conference is happening this week (May 19-22) in Seattle, and I've been here in person to see it live.

I trucked up to Seattle to attend Build 2025 because Microsoft occasionally debuts new hardware at its annual conference, like it did last year by unveiling the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 with Snapdragon chips inside.

I was hoping to get a chance to go hands-on with new hardware, but I was out of luck—Microsoft unveiled a new smaller Surface Laptop and Surface Pro weeks before the event, and they were nowhere to be seen at Build 2025.

Instead, all I heard about this week was AI. From the first minutes of CEO Satya Nadella's Build 2025 keynote it became clear that Microsoft is going hard on AI this year. Since Build is a developer conference much of the talk is about how to build and troubleshoot these systems, so it's been hard to parse how these new AI tools will impact the products and services we use every day.

That said, here are the three most interesting things I've seen at Build 2025!

Github Copilot

Microsoft is rolling out a new coding agent for Github Copilot that is designed to work like an automated programmer, so ideally a coder could do things like assign annoying or repetitive tasks to Github Copilot instead of wasting human time doing the work.

I got to see this AI agent in action several times during Build 2025, and it's a great example of the sort of "agentic web" that Microsoft employees have been talking up during the event. Put simply, Microsoft envisions a future where we have many AI agents running around doing work for us in the background—and the Github Copilot coding agent can do things like plan, write and test code on its own, so ideally programmers can assign it tasks they don't want to do, then check back later to review and verify the agent's work.

The demos I've seen of this tool in action here at Build 2025 are impressive, and it raises interesting questions about how programming work will be done in the future.

Microsoft Discovery

Microsoft Discovery is a new platform built on Azure that aims to help scientists conduct research more efficiently using AI agents.

This is another example of Microsoft's "agentic" approach to AI, as Discovery is intended to let researchers create virtual teams of AI agents that can be instructed with specific data and guidelines to function as, for example, a "molecular properties simulation specialist" that can then assist with R&D and learn over time.

Microsoft claims this technology is already being used at places like the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where researchers have used it to discover a new, more efficient solid-state electrolyte candidate. I couldn't tell you what that means for science, but I can tell you this pushes Microsoft's AI further into the R&D business — and that means we'll likely see more scientific discoveries with AI help.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning

This one is a bit technical, but I think it's worth knowing about because it helps reveal where Microsoft is trying to take the future of business.

The new Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning features let you more easily create and fine-tune AI agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Studio without knowing how to code them yourself. It's the kind of thing you'll only care about if you already use Copilot Studio, as the new Tuning features let users more easily create multiple agents and use company data to train them.

So while you might not be using Copilot Tuning to fine-tune an AI agent to order your morning coffee, chances are that in the next few years your coffee shop and businesses like it will be using these kinds of agents in all sorts of ways. Microsoft gives examples of law firms creating agents that can quickly generate legal paperwork using data and processes of the law firm itself, for example, and I expect companies will find inventive ways to employ these agents when this functionality starts rolling out in June to members of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning Early Adopter Program.

Bottom line

If you made it this far, you know by now that Microsoft really was all about AI at Build 2025. I couldn't escape it no matter where I went, and the live demos I did see were pretty convincing. I still don't trust AI to reliably get things right, but I'm starting to see how it's being honed and adapted to try and fit into a broad variety of different businesses.

As a writer I have my own concerns about AI agents getting involved in my industry, but I can't help feeling a little optimistic about projects like Github Copilot and Microsoft Discovery. More help for researchers is always a good thing (once they get these AI assistants to the point where they aren't making critical mistakes), and as someone who can't code his way out of a paper bag there's real appeal to knowing one day I'll probably be able to ask AI to do all my coding for me.

Microsoft certainly thinks so, because the company is betting big on AI in 2025 and beyond.

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Microsoft Copilot is a powerful workplace tool because it works where you do: in Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.

If you’re not already using it to boost your daily productivity, you’re missing out on a smarter way to work.

But like any AI tool, Copilot is only as good as the prompts you give it. So whether you're drowning in emails, stuck on a blank document, or just trying to stay one step ahead of your calendar, these seven Copilot prompts can help you move faster, think clearer, and get more done.

1. Save time and avoid missing details

Prompt: “Summarize this document in 5 bullet points without losing nuance.”

This prompt works well with Teams and Outlook, especially if you’re trying to keep up with emails, meeting notes, project briefs or long reports.

Copilot helps to keep things efficient by scanning the file and giving you the TL;DR version without missing key details.

2. Get the right tone

Prompt: “Draft a response to this email; make it polite but firm.”

This is a helpful prompt if you’re following up for the umpteenth time and really can’t wait much longer for a response.

From dealing with delays, boundaries, or difficult coworkers, this prompt helps you craft a professional reply that hits the right tone without overthinking it.

3. Tackling busy work

Prompt: “Turn this document into a 5-slide PowerPoint presentation.”

Stop copying and pasting and let Copilot pull your content, suggest visuals, and build out your slides for you.

This prompt works well within Word and PowerPoint and is helpful for last-minute decks.

4. Spotting trends

Prompt: “Analyze this spreadsheet and highlight any unusual trends or outliers.”

Stuck on a spreadsheet? Let Copilot do the number-crunching in Excel.

It can spot inconsistencies, patterns, or anomalies while you focus on the bigger stuff like decisions, not formulas.

5. Get to the action items

Prompt: “Summarize the key takeaways from this Teams meeting.”

If you’ve ever arrived late or missed a meeting completely, you know how tricky it can be to catch up.

Luckily, this prompt helps get to the action items faster from a Teams meeting because Copilot can recap the discussion, highlight decisions made, and even surface action items by tweaking the prompt accordingly.

6. Follow up faster

Prompt: “Write a follow-up email summarizing our meeting and outlining next steps.”

Another helpful prompt for Teams and Outlook, this prompt bridges the gap between real-time collaboration and post-meeting clarity.

Copilot can generate polished recaps that keep everyone on the same page to help eliminate swirl and confusion.

7. Master your schedule

Prompt: “Suggest 3 time slots this week for a quick sync, and draft the invite.”

Yes, Copilot can help with scheduling, too. Don’t sweat it if your calendar looks like a game of Tetris because Microsoft integrates within Outlook and the Calendar to check availability and draft the invite for you.

Just tell the AI assistant what you need and let it take over.

Final thoughts

While many may think of Microsoft Copilot as a useful writing assistant, it is capable of so much more.

This AI productivity partner can work behind the scenes to help you plan, communicate, and execute more efficiently. With the right prompts, it’s like having an extra set of hands (and eyes) built into your workflow.

Have you ever been stuck, behind, or needed a boost and used Copilot? Let me know in the comments how you integrate it into your workflow.

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Windows 11, just like macOS or ChromeOS, is a work in progress, and beta builds are a nice preview into all the cool new things and fixes coming.

And in the catchily named Windows 11 Preview Build 26120.3872 (Beta Channel), we just got a closer look at all the new Copilot+ PC features coming soon, along with fixes to some of the bigger issues users have been facing.

To get access to Windows 11 Preview Builds, go here and register. After this, switch “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” to on, and then click “Check for updates.” You’ll get the Insider Preview.

What’s new?

This is a big update to Windows 11, which starts to expand the usability of Copilot+ PCs. Let’s break them down:

• More text actions in Click to Do: Rather than Copilot being a pop-up window, Microsoft has been adding contextual AI options into the right-click menu for a cleaner, more logical UI. Now we’ve got two more features — the option to “improve your reading fluency and pronunciation” with a reading coach, and an “Immersive Reader” mode that removes any website UI distractions from the thing you’re trying to read.
• Finding photos saved in the cloud via Windows search: The search box in your Windows 11 toolbar is getting more powerful with the ability to search photos saved in the cloud via OneDrive. Now if only Microsoft could fix the OneDrive syncing app…

Not only that, but there are huge new accessibility features, too:

• Add custom words to the dictionary: FINALLY! Any local colloquial phrases you may have or hard to pronounce words that aren’t in Windows dictionary, you can add them via voice access. Simply say “add to vocabulary,” and to be sure, you can ask Windows to “spell that,” and “correct that” if it’s wrong.
• An improved voice access tour: It can be tricky to figure out exactly what Voice Access does. But the new Windows 11 build will give you a tour of the new features and improvements, so you can get started quickly.

On top of this, Microsoft is dropping a bunch of fixes and security tweaks. This includes the ability to turn off searching for cloud-saved content via Windows search box, better controls to reduce the amount of notifications you’ll get from widgets and finally fixing that pesky Start menu crash caused by creating folders.

Not for everyone

But there’s a catch. Not every Copilot+ PC will get these features, and chances are many of you will have to wait a while for this.

If you remember back to when Copilot+ PCs were introduced last year, it all started with Snapdragon X Elite — moving over to chips with an Arm architecture (running the same way as your phone works) rather than the aging x86 that’s been around for over three decades.

This has started a trend of all these new cool Copilot+ PC features coming to Snapdragon PCs first, and in this blog post, Microsoft does confirm that these AI features are “coming soon” to AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs.

Fortunately, the accessibility features aren’t locked in a waiting room. But the lack of a uniform launch of all these features across all Copilot+ laptops does sting a little.

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Microsoft Copilot is gearing up for a few big changes, and one of them is giving PowerPoint an upgrade with a new way to create slides — all from a file or document.

In a blog post, Microsoft revealed it's giving Copilot an update in PowerPoint to create slides based on a file or prompt. This means a fully designed slide can automatically be generated by using a document, whether it be from Word or other formats.

Copilot in PowerPoint can turn a file into a slide with content based on a prompt given, too. As an example, you can note, "add a slide about key takeaways from [document attached]" to make an individual slide based on your reference.

It's been a pain to convert any type of file into a PowerPoint presentation, but Microsoft Copilot has been making it easier to add images and more. While there was a way to create slides via the Copilot chatbot, now it can directly be used on the canvas.

For now, the feature is available to Microsoft 365 Insiders, with it rolling out to more users soon, and PowerPoint for Windows users with a Copilot license.

There are a few known issues, including Copilot not being able to support "specific slide formatting like font, colors, background, and images," but further updates are sure to come down the line.

How to use Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint

Here's a quick look at how PowerPoint using the new Copilot update works, and a couple of tricks Microsoft points out when using it.

There you have it. Microsoft offers a few tips when using it, such as making sure to direct Copilot to a specific section or topic within the file, especially if it's large, and keeping prompts precise and snappy — like 1-2 key points.

We've heard about Microsoft 365's price hikes due to Copilot, and we're now seeing these AI tools in action in PowerPoint. It's worth noting that this feature isn't currently available in the web version of PowerPoint, however, you can still find out how to use Microsoft Copilot AI via the chatbot.

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During Microsoft's 50th anniversary event, the company announced several updates to its AI Copilot, aimed at making it more functional, personalized, and available across a wider range of platforms.

Afterwards, Microsoft set up several stations for us to try various aspects of all the new things Copilot can do, from podcasting to shopping to personalization (if you want Copilot to look like Clippy, you can now do that). Here are three of the features that impressed me the most.

Copilot Vision

While Copilot started off as an assistant baked into Windows PCs, it has since expanded to a mobile app, where it will compete with the likes of Google's Gemini, Samsung's AI, and, eventually Apple Intelligence.

Now, using the Copilot app, you can point your phone's camera at various objects and ask it virtually anything.

For example, in one demonstration, a Microsoft representative aimed her phone at a camera, and asked Copilot what kind of camera it was, and how to adjust it properly to take good portraits.

Copilot responded with the exact model, and then told her how to adjust the aperture, even locating the proper ring on the camera's lens.

It was also able to quickly identify a reproduction of Degas' "Little Dancer" sculpture, and provide information on how much it would cost to purchase a similar model.

Even on desktops, Copilot is gaining new abilities. While it could previously interact with a few apps on your PC — such as Live Captions and Cocreator in Paint — you can now use it with any app on your Copilot PC.

In the demo I saw, you first give Copilot access to the app you want to use — a window with a toggle for every app you have running pops up — and then you can ask it how to perform certain functions within that app.

For instance, if you were editing a movie, you could ask Copilot for help with transitions between clips, and it would not only give you tips, but highlight exactly where to find that tool.

Shopping

What would an AI be if it couldn't help you buy stuff? This is another key feature that was touted by Amazon's Alexa+ AI, which we're waiting to try out.

With Copilot, you can also point your phone's camera at an object, and then ask it where you can purchase that item. In the demo I saw, it was for a pair of headphones.

As another example, I looked up a recipe for a chocolate cake, and, after finding one I liked, I asked Copilot to add all the ingredients to my shopping list. It then sent the entire list to Instacart.

I'm curious to see if I can simply rattle off a list of items and add and delete them, as I saw in the Alexa+ demo. If so, it could be a very handy tool.

Deep research

The last feature that intrigued me wasn't a full demo, as it's not yet available, but looks to be really powerful. Deep Research, as it's called, will act as your personal Wikipedia of sorts.

While not a novel feature — similar functionality is available in Gemini 2.0 and ChatGPT — it does bring Microsoft's AI to the same level as competitors.

When it goes live, you'll be able to give it a topic, define some parameters, and it will go out, analyze thousands of documents and images, and then come back a full report, complete with citations.

This technology — or something like it — is also presumably powering Copilot's new podcasting feature, in which you give it a topic, and it will generate a 5-minute podcast for you on that subject.

Outlook

Many of the Copilot features Microsoft announced this week aren't particularly innovative when it comes to AI, but they do make Microsoft's AI more capable, and bring it up to a par with competing systems from its main rivals.

As Bill Gates noted during the 50th Anniversary event, Microsoft has changed a lot over the previous half-century, and with the emergence of AI, it's going to look completely different another 50 years from now.

Who knows if Windows will even be around by then? While I wouldn't call Microsoft the most nimble of companies, it does know when to pivot.

We plan to more fully test Copilot's new AI tools in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the meantime, which Copilot feature interests you the most? Leave your opinions below!

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Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special Copilot event presentation today (April 4) at its headquarters in Washington.

Tom's Guide was there live on the ground in Seattle to cover all the latest upgrades coming to Microsoft's AI platform, as well as share some of the more interesting reminiscing that Microsoft execs indulged in to mark the company's 50th birthday.

And what we learned, to sum up, is that Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant is getting a massive overhaul that brings with it a host of new features, including the ability for Copilot to "see" what you're looking at and answer questions about it.

We went hands-on with the new Microsoft Copilot and found that some features were more impressive than others, but the overall upgrade seems pretty impressive. These features will be slowly released over the coming months, so for now this event is our only taste of what to expect from the future of Copilot.

The event is over, but you can still scroll down to relive the blow-by-blow account and see everything we saw in our time at Microsoft HQ. So follow along with us as we see what's coming to Copilot!

LIVE UPDATES

Welcome to the party, pal!

We have much to talk about before the main event — what I predict the Copilot announcements will be, how Microsoft got here after 50 years.

Let's start with a little bit of fun. If you read my April Fools' Day live blog, you know I'm a bit of a connoisseur for what is actually good and what's pretty cringe.

So I'm bringing the cringe rating back! I'm going to go through some of Microsoft's more momentous moments in history, watching them back and giving them a score on the cringe-o-meter. Stand by, it's going to get weird...

Where it all began...

On April 4, 1975, Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in a two-car garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Now, you may be wondering where the name came from!

Well, the inspiration came from a cover of Popular Electronics Magazine.

In this January 1975 issue, the team took a deep dive into the Altair 8800 with its Intel 8080 CPU — an 8-bit microprocessor with a 2MHz clock speed, alongside 256 bytes of RAM and 8-inch floppy disk drive.

Bill and Paul's plan was to create software for this computer. Microprocessors + software = Microsoft (sometimes written as Micro-Soft).

Cringe rating: 1/5

Outside of the hairstyles (which I'll admit, I sported Gates' mop in my younger years), nothing remotely cringe about this. That logo is sick, and we absolutely need a throwback in branding design era now!

Clippy — the first signs of Copilot

Introduced as part of Office 97, you know exactly who this paperclip is... In many ways, this memorable figure in Microsoft's history is cringeworthy to say the least. But personally, I like to view this annoying assistant as the early makings of Copilot.

You see, take the physical appearance away, and what you get is an AI assistant that is there to help you write a letter, spell words or save files...sound familiar? Great Big Story did a piece on how it was made — fascinating watch.

Cringe rating: 4/5

I was ready to give Clippy full marks. From how annoying its presence was to the anthropomorphic paperclip that haunted my nightmares, there's a whole lot of cringe here.

But tracking back from Copilot to this, it's fascinating to see just how long Microsoft has been on this AI hype trying to make it happen — and now we have Copilot+ PCs.

Halo put Xbox on the map

Every games console needs games — more specifically a system seller to really make it an essential buy. For PS2, there are numerous such as Gran Turismo 3, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty and GTA III.

For Xbox, there was Halo, and I'll stand on business and say it was the greatest game of that generation of consoles. It looked phenomenal, the combat and movement felt amazing on the controller, and the multiplayer was addictive as hell.

Microsoft wheeled out so many celebrities (including The Rock) to talk about Xbox. But as it turns out, you just need really good games to sell it, and this masterpiece absolutely delivered.

Cringe rating: 0/5

Halo rules. Nothing more to say about it. Playing Blood Gulch team slayer with my friends is a core memory that I will never forget.

Apple well and truly dropped the bag by not following through with its plan to work with Bungie to get Halo on the Mac. In fact, I'd argue that this is one of the moments that has led to the Cupertino crew being quite a ways behind its Windows competition in the gaming space.

Let’s talk about “that” Windows 95 launch…

Windows 95 absolutely changed the game for computing — moving from the text-based MS-DOS to an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI), adding multitasking capabilities, plug and play support for peripherals, and (for the first time) making computing more accessible to the masses.

Microsoft knew it struck gold, so they hosted a long event and…it’s so cringe.

Cringe rating: 5/5

Whether it’s the hours upon hours of sweaty Steve Ballmer or the “I don’t really know the Bride and Groom, but I’m just here to dance” boogieing on-stage, I applaud how hyped they are.

But this was one of many, many moments you look back on through the gaps between your fingers.

Microsoft went public in 1986 — you won’t believe how much they were worth

Since its beginning in the 70s, Microsoft was a private company, and the stock market was keen for it to go public. Eventually on March 13, 1986, it was time to launch an initial public offering.

At the time, the public offering gave over 3 million shares at $21 a pop. This was based on a market cap of $777 million. Now, to make the following comparison more fair, if we take inflation into account, that would be $2.2 billion nowadays.

Sounds like a big number, right? Well, given the market cap is now at over $3 trillion, this is basically peanuts!

Xbox One — the one moment Microsoft threw gaming away

Talk about fumbling the ball. Up until this point, Microsoft’s plan was golden. The Xbox was a success, the 360 was a global hit and they all followed the same formula — good. Games.

Then we got the Xbox One announcement, and they spent 95% of the show talking about TV rather than games, putting a sky high price tag on it, making online verification to play your games a requirement, and Kinect a requirement to play.

Cringe rating: ⅘

Microsoft did come back somewhat from this, and Game Pass + game preservation proves it. But this fumble set them back so far. Plus watching someone say “Xbox is about to become the next watercooler” will never stop making me cringe.

3D Pinball: Space Cadet ruined my education

Cast your mind back to the early 2000s. I was in school, and we just got a shiny new computer lab. We had Excel assignments to do, and a teacher that had no idea how to lock the systems down to specific apps.

Well, that meant rather than do the work, we stumbled upon 3D Pinball: Space Cadet, and did absolutely none of the work. Sorry to admit this now, Mr Peck, but hopefully you can understand.

This game absolutely ruled — from the flashy graphics and realistic physics to the competitions it created. Oh, and if you want, you can still play it here.

Could we get Copilot’s answer to visual AI?

Now, let’s have a think about what Microsoft could be bringing to the main event today. All we know is that there will be Copilot announcements. But what could they be?

Well if one thing is clear from the advances to Gemini and Apple’s visual intelligence, it’s that companies are moving forward to visual AI using the camera. Could Copilot introduce something like this? I don’t know, but it does seem like a logical step forward.

Maybe using the webcam to recognise items you show it?

Remember when Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry taught us to use Windows 95?

Windows 95 was the first of its kind to introduce a graphical user interface (GUI), so Microsoft had to educate people on it. This was a huge leap to making computing more accessible after all?

So what was the fix? Video guides with celebrities! In particular, this one with Friends stars Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry. Both of them are busy figuring out how to put stuff in the Recycle Bin, multitask, and a random rock band moment for...reasons.

Cringe rating: 4/5

Now, I'm sure that back in the 90s, this was viewed as pretty cool. But it's most certainly not aged well!

Copilot just interviewed (and roasted) 3 Microsoft CEOs

As part of the promo campaign building up to Microsoft's special event, there's this fun little segment of a roundtable interview hosted...by Copilot! Bill Gates, Satya Nadella and Steve Ballmer are thrown a couple softballs, but grilled too. It's a fun watch.

Check out the original source code for Microsoft's first product!

Bill Gates just posted something special to his blog — the original source code to Altair Basic. Those who are old enough to remember will know this was a programming language interpreter for the MITS Altair 8800, and Microsoft's first product.

Gates calls it "the coolest code I've ever written to this day," and it's a fascinating time capsule of programming in the 70s. Here are two of the coolest things I spotted while reading through some of the lingo:

• Efficiency baked into every bit: From the code employing a "crunch" routine to convert words into tokens and reduce size to "FNDFOR" routines that use the space efficiently, there's a lot of squeezing work being done here.
• Error handling: Before this, errors weren't really "handled" as much as the computer just said "no," and you had to figure things out. Here, however, the code has a specific error-handling mechanism to print a two-character error message.

Hello from Redmond!

Our on-the-ground reporter, US Editor-in-Chief Mike Prospero has got his badge at the special Copilot event happening today!

Stay tuned for more...

Breakfast time

You know a company means business when the breakfast spread is good. I'm addicted to these avocado quiche bites — very fluffy and the pickled onion adds a nice balance.

Solid 9/10!

Hate Comic Sans all you want! It actually serves a purpose

So Comic Sans may have gotten it's own lore and hatred, but did you know it's friendly appearance actually serves a purpose?

Comic Sans was actually built for easier legibility, and can actually help dyslexic readers with its distinct lettering. Watch Microsoft talk all about this!

Bill Gates was far too cool in his Xbox era

The drip is immaculate. I so want that jacket!

Breakfast is heating up

Good thing I came early and ate! It's almost time to take our seats.

My Copilot announcement predictions

Jason England from the home team checking in! I'll be watching along with all of you, and I wanted to highlight my predictions for the Copilot announcements. Not much is known, so let's make some guesses.

• More agentic properties? Not 100% sure whether this could be a browser operator like what we saw Opera, or whether it's something a little more tailor-made. But this is me putting this wish out into the world.
• Visual AI: Whether it's through a phone's camera or your Copilot+ PC's webcam, some sort of visual recognition AI that works across Microsoft's suite of apps would be sweet.

We're on the way to the event!

Breakfast is over and we're walking over now!

And we're in!

It looks like today's attendees are a mix of media, influencers, and a good number of Microsoft employees!

We've got swag!

Phil Spencer? More like Drip Spencer

Yes, that Adidas top is immaculate. Got some serious Minecraft vibes from it!

Watch along with us here!

The stream has started, and we're just under 30 minutes away from the start of the big event! By the way, there's a live band here!

Throwback to the first ever Surface sold!

Glenn bought the first Surface at Microsoft pop-up store in New York on October 26, 2012! Fast forward 13 years, and the new Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 are two of the best Windows systems you can buy.

The Future Family!

We're joined by fellow Future colleagues Lance Unaloff, Jake Krol (Tech Radar) and Dan Rubino (Windows Central)

Almost time!

The big show is about to happen soon and the venue is filling up fast!

And we're live!

Satya Nadella takes the stage to kick off the Microsoft 50th anniversary event!

Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer

Nadella introduces Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, the men who founded Microsoft. And yes, that is Phil Spencer next to Ballmer.

Future-facing

"Today it's not about the last 50 years but the next 50... our future will nto be defined by what we have built but what we will empower others to build." - Satya Nadella

Microsoft's AI ambitions

As expected, Nadella is now discussing the company's plans for AI and how it plans to build agents for different tasks. One of the goals is to build trustworthy AI systems. And this isn't just for businesses, but for everyday users.

Will AI become useful?

AI has yet to take off big like the tech industry believes, so hopefully we'll get a clearer idea of how LLMs can help people in their everyday work.

How Windows transformed lives

Mustafa Suleyman takes the stage to talk about the first PC his parents bought him. He installed Windows 95 on it. This is a story many of us can relate to.

Welcome to the era of AI companions and copilots

"Today, the average person on the planet will live for 75 years. Just 250 years ago, the average person only made it to 25." - Sulleyman

"AI is a new form of interaction, far richer than any tool we've ever experienced."

We interupt our regularly scheduled program

A protester briefly interrupts the presentation to voice their concerns over Microsoft allegedly ignoring global conflicts and perhaps being complicit in them.

How Copilot can help people

We now see clips of folks using Copilot for everyday tasks.

Use Copilot to create podcasts

Suleyman demonstrates how to create a dinosaur-themed podcast for his family. You'll basically chat with Copilot, and it can respond with witty answers. This might be a fun thing to try out.

Action Quotient

Copilot's AQ, or Action Quotient, allows it to perform actions on your behalf. Best of all, it has links to all its references so you can trust it.

Copilot Pages can help you write

You can write a letter to your landlord to adjust the terms of the lease. From there you can refine using your style.

Microsoft 365 Copilot updates

Microsoft 365 will get a boost with agents that can complete a variety of AI-driven tasks. Some features are available today while others will roll out in the next couple of weeks.

Use Copilot to train your dog

If you're a new dog owner and don't know how to train it, you can ask Copilot to help you out. Dog training can be stressful, so hopefully Copilot can relieve some of that stress for folks.

A true AI companion

Elvira Johnson takes the stage to discuss how she uses Copilot to help her around her home. Painting your home can be hard in humid weather, but Elvira now has a better idea of how to do this thanks to Copilot. Best of all, asking it questions doesn't feel weird.

Joonie is the best dog

I think we can all agree that Joonie is absolutely adorable. This is the star of the show!

Copilot memory

"We're building something that weill adapt to each and every one of us. Ultimately, I think there will be as many copilots as there will be people using them."

Copilot will get to know you personally. You'll never need to start over with our personal copilot. You can always work from a place of deep understanding based on hat you want to share. It will remember more than the specific facts of your life. It can learn your personal style.

A true AI companion

AI has felt impersonal, so it's good to see that Copilot will actually get to know you more personally. This could help people who are hesitant to use the technology feel more comfortable with it. And yes, you can use Clippy as your avatar!

And that's it!

And it's over, folks! The presentation felt shorter than expected, but we got some good information and demonstrations of how Copilot will evolve. We'll have more coverage coming so stay tuned to this page!

The show continues

The livestream on YouTube is over but we're still at the event covering what happens. Right now, Allen Stone returned to keep the folks in attendance entertained.

Now it's Q&A time with Bill, Ballmer and the rest

The livestream has ended and the official Copilot presentation is over, but Tom's Guide is still here at Microsoft HQ watching what looks to be a series of chats with senior execs.

So far we've seen former CEOs Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer step onstage to have a brief (and probably pre-planned) chat with actress Brenda Song, who's handling MC duties now that the main event is over.

"I dropped out of Harvard, Paul moved back to Boston, and when that first kit computer showd up on Popular Mechanics..." Gates said after Song asked him about how and why he and Paul Allen cofounded Microsoft. "There was no software industry, and we thought we could get in the front of this."

At least one Microsoft employee is using this event to protest against the company selling tech to the Israeli military

As the post-event Q&A continues Tom's Guide is still here at Microsoft, and it sounds like there might be more protestors outside the venue. Our editor on the ground can't hear what they're shouting, but they appear to be holding up signs and chanting.

This follows a surprise entrance by Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad during the first 30 minutes of today's presentation. Aboussad interrupted Copilot CEO Mustafa Suleyman to angrily protest Microsoft's business of selling AI services and software to the Israeli military.

"Shame on you all!" She shouted. "You have blood on your hands!"

She spoke for several minutes before being escorted out of the venue by security, while Suleyman repeatedly said "I hear your protest." Now it sounds like more protestors are outside wanting to be heard.

Developers! Developers! Developers!

Steve Ballmer reprises one of his most famous moments from Microsoft's past.

Another protestor interrupts the event

In the midst of a panel with Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, and Satya Nadella, another protestor interrupted the event. She was on the other side of the stage, so we couldn't get a clear photo.

A sneak peek at the new Minecraft movie

After the three CEOs leave the stage, we get a sizzle reel for the new Minecraft movie with Jack Black, which happens to coincide with the release of the film.

The event is wrapping up

One last video highlighting all that Copilot can do concludes today's event. However, we're going to go hands-on with some of Copilot's new features, so stay tuned.

This certainly has been an interesting event, though not entirely for reasons Microsoft hoped.

As we continue to go hands-on with new Copilot demos, I wanted to quickly note that near the end of the Q&A we saw MC Brenda Song bring out Microsoft's head of PR to share some of the funnier negative reviews and complaints the company has received over the years. Decent sense of humor!

A Very Good Dog

Jooni, the pup that was part of the event, made an appearance in the demo area. I'm happy to report that she's just as fluffy as she looks, and she's very well trained — I was able to shake her paw!

Copilot Visual

Stay tuned for our full story, but here's a look at how Copilot Visual works on a phone. In this demo, we pointed the phone's camera at an actual camera, and ask Copilot what camera it was, and how we could adjust the camera to take good pictures.

Let's go shopping!

Copilot can also help you purchase things. In this example, we used the AI to look for a chocolate cake recipe, and when we found one we liked, we had Copilot add all the ingredients to our Instacart shopping list.

Copilot hands-on

I went hands-on with some of Copilot's new features; here's the three that impressed us the most, but there were some others that looked pretty cool, too.

For instance, there was an instance of Copilot running a version of Quake 2, which it was creating in real-time. The graphics weren't exactly cutting-edge, but it was definitely playable.

There was also a podcast demo, where I gave Copilot a topic, and after a few minutes, it generated a podcast on that topic. While it's a bit limited — podcasts are only about five minutes in length, and you can't change the default voices — it's an interesting example of how it can do deep research and come back with something intelligent.

That's all from Redmond! We'll be doing plenty more in-depth coverage of Copilot and its new features in the coming days, weeks, and months, so stay tuned.

That's a wrap

It's about 4 PM at Microsoft HQ, and today's big 50th anniversary event is just about done.

We've seen the future of Copilot and hand a chance to go hands-on ourselves, so make sure to scroll down this blog for reports and video of the new Copilot being put through its paces.

Before I log off for the day, I wanted to leave you with this short clip we captured of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer standing up from his Q&A segment to do some old-fashioned shouting. Ballmer knows he has a reputation for starting chants, and it was weirdly fun to watch him start screaming at an audience of press, influencers and Microsoft employees.

Microsoft Copilot has been around for a few years now, but it hasn't always been called Copilot.

I know because I cover Microsoft for a living, and I was at Microsoft HQ in February 2023 when CEO Satya Nadella unveiled the first version of Copilot with the unwieldy name Bing with ChatGPT.

Back then, we had no clue how quickly "AI" would become the buzzword du jour of the tech industry, but it turns out Microsoft was ahead of the curve. When I went hands-on with Bing with ChatGPT, I was surprised at how intuitive it felt to chat with a chatbot about my search queries. Still, it was a barebones version of what we use today.

Near the end of 2023 Microsoft rebranded, and Bing with ChatGPT became Copilot as the company expanded the brand to encompass a whole suite of AI enhancements for Microsoft software and services.

Now you don't just have one Microsoft Copilot, you have several. There's Windows Copilot, Github Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot and of course, a premium subscription service called Copilot Pro. The free version of Copilot still ranks among the best ChatGPT alternatives, but you do need to pay a monthly fee to enjoy it at full strength.

It can get a little confusing, which is why I put together this brief explainer about what Copilot is, how it works and how you can make it work for you.

What is Copilot?

Copilot is simply the brand for the suite of AI-related services now built into Microsoft software. Originally built on OpenAI's GPT-4 model, there are several different varieties of Copilot, but at their core they're all features that rely on AI to do things like help you analyze and generate text or images.

However, Microsoft has been so simplistic with the Copilot branding that it can be a little confusing to know what form of Copilot you're using or what to call it.

The most common way that people encounter Copilot is via the Copilot app built into Windows 11. But you can also chat with it via Microsoft's Copilot website.

In this form Copilot works much like ChatGPT: a chatbot you can ask to answer questions or perform tasks like creating images and generating quizzes. You can also use Copilot Voice if you'd like to chat with Copilot out loud and hear it respond to you in turn, using a range of voices.

There are multiple models of Copilot to chat with and many things you can do with it, but you need to log in with a (free) Microsoft account to unlock its full potential. If you don't, you can't do things like generate images (up to 15/day unless you pay) or reference old chat history.

Microsoft has also added AI assistants to almost all of its Microsoft 365 subscription services, and these are also branded as Copilot. So if you're using Microsoft Word you could click the Copilot icon to ask it for help with things like rewriting text or generating bar graphs. While in Excel you can ask Copilot to analyze your sheets or generate tables based on your data.

Microsoft lumps all these assistants for its Microsoft 365 suite of productivity software together under the brand Microsoft 365 Copilot, and it's all heavily marketed to professionals as the $20/month Copilot Pro subscription service.

Copilot Pro subscribers enjoy enhanced access to the service, including more access to more features as well as early access to experimental features before they roll out to the free versions of Copilot.

I'll explain all of it in more detail below, but the simple version is that Copilot in Windows or the web is free to use but limited, and you need to pay for Copilot Pro to use it to its full potential.

Key features

Copilot's capabilities differ depending on whether you're using the free version or the paid version, and they change regularly as Microsoft adds new features via software updates and plugins that allow it to interact with services like Instacart or OpenTable.

That said, there are some key features that underpin all of Copilot's current incarnations.

Right now, you can access the free version of Copilot in your browser or via the Android and iOS mobile apps. You can give it prompts via text or voice, chat with it and ask it questions that it will then seek to answer via Microsoft's Prometheus model, which is built on OpenAI's GPT-4 tech.

If you log in with a Microsoft account, you can also take advantage of Copilot's ability to generate images, though there are significant restrictions in place to prevent you from creating AI-generated art of copywritten and taboo subjects.

To do anything more complicated you'll probably need to pay for Copilot Pro, which is marketed to individuals and businesses at a price of $20/month per user.

Microsoft's Copilot Pro page makes it confusing to know what you get, so I'll lay out all the differences between the free and paid versions of Copilot below, but the short version is that you pay for preferential access, early access to experimental features and more monthly credits to generate images and use other AI features.

What kinds of AI features, you ask? Well, it depends on where you're accessing Copilot. To show you what I mean, I'll run down the notable Copilot features across Microsoft's major services.

Before we dig in, one key detail to understand: Copilot Pro subscribers get access to Copilot in the web versions of Microsoft 365 apps like Excel, PowerPoint and Word. If you are a Copilot Pro subscriber and also own a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription (and you have to be the owner, not just someone else on the plan), you also get access to Copilot features in the downloadable versions of Microsoft 365 apps.

So if you want to access Copilot features in the version of Word you download and run on your PC, you need to be a Microsoft 365 account holder with a Copilot Pro subscription.

Github Copilot

GitHub Copilot was launched years before Microsoft Copilot, so this research and code completion tool is pretty well-known among developers at this point. It's available in multiple development environments, including Visual Studio, Xcode and Azure.

If you use GitHub you can use the free version of GitHub Copilot up to a specific limit: 50 chat requests and 2,000 code completions per month.

If you want to use it for more than that, you'll have to pay for a $10/month subscription, though GitHub provides it free of charge to students, teachers and qualifying open-source projects. Business and Enterprise-grade licenses cost more ($19/month and $39/month, last I checked) and grant GitHub Copilot access to large organizations.

Copilot for Excel

If you enjoy Copilot access in Excel, you can use it to do things like answer questions about a sheet ("What does the formula in cell A2 do?") or perform actions like combining rows, flagging all duplicates in a given column or highlighting all cells which display specific data.

You can also ask the chatbot to do things like generate charts and graphs based on data in the sheet, generate a word cloud using Python or suggest ways in which you could optimize data.

Copilot for PowerPoint

As you might expect by now, using Copilot in PowerPoint basically lets you enjoy Copilot's full feature set and put it work on your slide deck.

So not only can you ask Copilot to generate text or images for your slides, you can ask it to do things like summarize your presentation or suggest stock images from around the web. You can also ask it to do things like suggest possible audience questions, suggest ways to optimize your presentation and even create whole presentations from scratch based on just a prompt.

Copilot for Teams

If you use Teams for your meetings you can use Copilot within the app, although some of its advanced features are only available to customers to pay $10/month for Teams Premium.

Within the Teams app you can converse with the Copilot chatbot as normal. If you join a meeting within your organization where the meeting runner has enabled transcription, you can ask Copilot questions about the meeting both during and after the fact.

You could, for example, join a meeting 10 minutes late and ask Copilot to summarize what you've missed so far. You could also ask it to transcribe the meeting, summarize it or condense it into bullet points for later distribution.

Moreover, you could ask Copilot questions about the meeting, like what was covered or what questions were asked and by whom. You could also ask it to do things like summarize quotes in a less technical way, draft email summaries of the meeting or ask for a list of ideas shared by a specific participant.

Copilot for Outlook

If you want AI assistance as you sort, summarize and respond to email, Copilot in Outlook can help.

First and foremost, Copilot in Outlook can suggest email responses and draft them for you. You can also ask it to generate different variations of a message or multiple versions of the same email with varying complexities.

You can also ask Copilot to create email templates for you or draft detailed messages referencing a customer's key details or summarizing previous conversations you've had in the past year with someone.

Copilot for Word

When you access Copilot in Word, you can use it to generate, summarize or rewrite text. You can also ask it questions about the text you're editing, so you could ask it to rewrite a specific passage in three different lengths of varying complexity or ask for a summary of what the text says about a specific subject.

You can also ask it to generate or recommend images, either based on your requests or based on the data shared by your organization (think: brand images, etc). This includes everything from sourcing images from the web and inserting them into the document to designing banners based on your prompts.

Free vs. Pro

You can use many of Microsoft's Copilot services for free, though you may be limited or forced to wait during times of peak usage.

If you pay the $20/month for a Copilot Pro subscription, you can avoid that throttling and enjoy preferential access to Copilot when Microsoft's servers are overloaded. The limit on how many images you can generate per day also skyrockets from 15 to 100 when you pay for Copilot Pro, and you get early access to new experimental features.

One of the big reasons to pay for Copilot Pro is that you get access to Copilot in supported Microsoft 365 apps, including Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint and Word. If you're using it across your whole organization you can also count on Copilot having access to team data and documents.

As noted above you have to also have a Microsoft 365 subscription in order to use Copilot in the downloadable versions of 365 apps, but even without it, Copilot Pro subscribers can use Copilot in the web versions of supported 365 apps.

Where Copilot+ PCs stand in all this

Near the end of 2024 Microsoft unveiled a new category of computer at Build 2024: Copilot+ PCs.

To be clear, this category is entirely made up and defined by Microsoft as a way to define a minimum tier of PC capable of running an enhanced suite of AI features within Windows 11. To qualify as a Copilot+ PC, your Windows machine must have the following:

• 16+ GB of DDR5/LPDDR5 RAM
• 256+ GB SSD/UFS storage drive
• Processor with NPU capable of 40+ TOPS

The thorny issue there is the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) requirement. When Microsoft unveiled the first Copilot+ PCs, the first devices all had Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipsets inside, because at the time AMD and Intel didn't have chips with NPUs capable of 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second).

That has changed now that AMD's Ryzen AI 300 chips and the Intel Core Ultra 200V CPUs are showing up in the best Windows laptops, ensuring they qualify as Copilot+ PCs. That's a big deal because Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chipsets are Arm-based rather than x86-based, so while most Windows apps run fine on a Snapdragon laptop, very few of the best PC games play well with Arm.

So why would you want to buy a Copilot+ PC? Well, in addition to having a specific Copilot key (you can remap it if you want), it means you can use some AI features in Windows 11 that you couldn't use on a PC without an NPU.

Back in 2024 Copilot+ PCs debuted with unique access to features like Live Captions, Image Cocreator and Windows Recall, all of which I used extensively ahead of release. And while I think Windows Recall is a security risk you should not use unless you're absolutely sure you need it, the other unique features of Copilot+ PCs are neat and worth using.

Here's a quick rundown of the major features only available on Copilot+ PCs:

Click to Do is a feature which, when enabled, uses AI to "look" at what you're doing on the screen (specifically images, videos and documents) and provide contextual actions accordingly. So if you were watching a video and liked someone's monitor setup, you could conceivably activate Click to Do, click on the display on the desk and see an option to run a visual search for the monitor.

Live Captions is the most useful, in my eyes, because it taps the power of your PC's NPU to generate captions for anything you're listening to or watching. The captions must be in English, but Live Captions can live-translate 44 different languages.

Cocreator in Paint lets you describe what you want to draw, then as you start doodling in the Paint app you'll see a version off to the side that's AI-enhanced to look like what you described. You can fine-tune details like creativity and style, then click when you're happy with the cocreated image to generate it.

Restyle Image and Image Creator upgrade the Windows 11 Photos app with new features that let you edit an image using AI. Restyle lets you prompt AI for custom filters and fine-tune them to your liking, whereas Image Creator lets you ask AI to generate custom images based on your prompts.

Windows Studio Effects is a suite of AI-powered enhancements you can enable during video calls. These tap the power of the NPU in your PC to do things like improve the quality of your video, subtly enhance the picture you're transmitting or adjust your eyes to make it appear as though you're making eye contact with the camera.

Outlook

Microsoft Copilot is in a decent spot now, but it had a bumpy journey to get there.

When it launched as Bing with ChatGPT I thought it was promising, then buggy, then disappointing. But near the end of 2024, Microsoft made a major effort to rebrand it as Copilot, and since then the company has made good progress on unifying, simplifying and selling its AI assistant services.

The rollout of Copilot+ PCs felt like another stumbling point, but it was easy to ignore the lackluster features and confusing system requirements when the first Copilot+ laptops started dropping with MacBook-beating battery life.

Sure, that was due to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips and not Copilot, but I think it juiced Copilot+ PC adoption to the point that Microsoft is going to keep improving Copilot and integrating it more deeply into Windows for the foreseeable future.

More from Tom's Guide

• 3 things I like and 3 things I don't about Copilot+ PCs
• Chromebooks are taking on Copilot and Apple Intelligence with 5 new AI features
• 5 Windows 11 features I'm most excited about for 2025

Microsoft is betting big on generative AI, with agents taking center stage. These AI-powered tools combine advanced models with tailored scripts to automate not just simple, repetitive tasks but also complex, multi-step business processes.

Unveiled at Ignite, agents are set to become an essential part of how companies operate. From processing data to managing intricate workflows, they aim to streamline operations and reduce the burden of routine tasks — building on the previously revealed 365 agents.

According to Microsoft, this technology will allow employees to focus on more creative, strategic, and revenue-generating activities. This will free humans from the mundane aspects of the modern workday.

One of the more interesting of the new agents for employees is a new self-service agent that will make interacting with HR and IT much easier. It doesn't just answer questions like previous systems, this can complete tasks for you and resolve issues on its own.

What other AI agents is Microsoft announcing?

Automation in the workplace has been a constant evolution, dating back to the first computers — or even further, to the invention of the typewriter. Each leap forward has aimed to simplify tasks and allow employees to focus on more valuable, creative, or strategic work.

Microsoft’s new AI agents take that idea and push it to an entirely new level. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s prediction of AI as a "super-competent colleague" feels closer than ever with these updates.

These agents aren’t just tools — they are designed to be proactive and work with humans to take over complex workflows. They also adapt in real-time to demand and need. And this is just the start with agents set to get smarter in the future.

Beyond the Employee Self-Service Agent, designed to simplify HR and IT interactions, Microsoft also introduced agents to tackle different workplace challenges such as improving meetings by having it take real-time notes, summarize information and present it to the appropriate people.

One of the biggest angsts many people working in an office will have is getting information from SharePoint. With the new SharePoint Agents the focus moves to ‘actionable insights’, making it easier for employees to not only find files but create tasks based on their contents.

These updates point to a future where agents don’t just automate tasks but actively improve collaboration and productivity, reducing friction in the workplace.

It will also get much easier to build agents with new updates to Copilot Studio. The update will enable people to create an agent that can perform actions without having to constantly re-prompt it. The agent will just work in the background including responding to emails, noting when a file is uploaded or distributing meeting notes.

Copilot is also getting an upgrade

Microsoft 365 Copilot is one of the main reasons for paying $20 a month for a Copilot subscription. It gives you the ability to quickly create content or analyze existing content within the office apps you use every day.

Copilot is also getting an upgrade including new 'Copilot Actions,' which are tasks you can delegate to Copilot to perform for you such as getting a status update or compiling a weekly report. They are templates that can be adapted and automated to trigger specific events.

You will also be able to analyze screen-shared content using Copilot in Teams, so it can see what you see and help with more than just an analysis of what has been said. This will help it provide better reports and action points from a meeting.

Microsoft is also changing how Copilot works in Excel, creating 'tailored spreadsheets' for specific tasks such as a project budget or sales report by simply telling the AI what you need. It will suggest how to improve and even create the spreadsheet.

Copilot in PowerPoint is also getting an upgrade — making it easier to build an entire presentation from a document with high-quality slides, speaker notes and animations.

And, finally, there will also be a range of new content creation features, updates to email summaries in Outlook, a prompt gallery, and a tool to enable admins to better understand the network.

What is the point in AI agents?

Microsoft isn’t the only company investing in agent-like technology, so why is the company going so hard on agentic AI?

Well, the idea comes back to ‘ask me once’. You tell the AI what you need and it makes that happen. This is particularly useful in software development where you could ask the AI to go through your code, design tests, identify errors, fix them and send a report.

In the office, there are hundreds of tasks that could easily be automated and some that might seem easy to automate but are in fact fairly complex. Generative AI makes even more complex ideas easier to automate as it can just get on with it on its own.

The language model powering the agent, along the lines of GPT-4o or even the new reasoning o1-family of models, allows it to think through the requirements and perform tasks. In future, it will be able to create fine-tuned mini-versions of itself to perform tasks with a controller.

At that point, we will be getting close to artificial general intelligence. Altman says this is when the AI will not only perform tasks for an organization but could run the whole thing — so even CEO jobs aren’t safe.

I’ve been a diehard Windows user all my life, and even I can admit that Apple is integrating AI into macOS Sequoia in a more elegant and useful way than Windows Copilot has been jammed into Windows 11. 

I know because I’ve been using Microsoft’s Windows Copilot virtual assistant since it launched in late 2023, and it’s evolved quite a bit since then. Apple Intelligence is launching roughly a year later, and while both are still far from finished I already like Apple’s assistant amore because it’s more useful in my day-to-day work.

To be clear, I don’t think Apple Intelligence or Windows Copilot is the game-changer they claim to be. Both are unfinished, finicky and often fail to do what I want them to, which significantly handicaps their usefulness right now. If you’re not already using them, I recommend waiting until both are fully fleshed out to hop aboard the AI-in-your-OS bandwagon.

But if you just can’t wait, you might be interested to learn that Apple Intelligence is currently far more useful than Windows Copilot, at least in my experience. While both will hopefully evolve significantly over the next few years, as of November 2024 Windows Copilot has been available for a full year, yet it can’t do things that Apple Intelligence handles with ease.

Understanding and acting on system commands

Case in point: When I summon the new Siri in macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence and ask it to “turn on dark mode," it almost immediately displays a pop-up toggle for Dark Mode that I can click to enable or disable it with a click.

Now, that’s not perfect — I asked it to turn on dark mode, and it just showed me a toggle button. Ideally I’d like a personal computer that does what I ask it to without forcing me to do more work, which seems like the promise of these “AI” assistants. 

In fact, when I was first testing out Windows Copilot in late 2023 I was able to ask Windows to turn on dark mode, and sometimes it just would, without any additional guff. Other times it would show me a button prompt, just like macOS Sequoia does, that I could click to turn on dark mode from within Copilot.

But nowadays, when I ask Windows Copilot to turn on dark mode (first thing I do on every new PC I unbox, naturally) it just gives me a "no" followed by a paragraph explaining why it can't do what I asked.

Maybe you feel differently, but I think one of the big upshots of companies injecting AI agents into their software is that said software is supposed to become more usable, useful and helpful. Having an OS-level AI that you can ask to do things like enable dark mode, move files around and schedule updates would accomplish all that, yet Copilot seems to have been actively weakened and now is less useful than Apple Intelligence when it comes to controlling your PC.

Getting things done

Another thing I appreciate about Apple Intelligence, even at this early juncture, is how useful the toolset is proving at helping me get work done.

Now admittedly, not everyone will have the same experience since a big reason Apple Intelligence helps me specifically is its ability to generate transcription of audio recordings. As a journalist I end up interviewing people pretty regularly for work, so having a transcription program that's reliable and freely available is a godsend.

I have a few different tools I use for this work, but now I don't have to use them because Apple Intelligence does it for me. I just need to record audio on my phone or recorder, then drag and drop it into the Notes app on my MacBook and Apple Intelligence will transcribe it for me.

Now, is that transcription fast and accurate? Mostly. I still have to wait a bit for longer files to finish, and I often have to fix at least a dozen transcription errors, but that still saves me an hour or more of time writing the audio up myself.

And whatever faults Apple Intelligence may have when doing this work, it's notable that it does it at all, whereas Windows Copilot can't or won't.

Tricks and treats

I know we're a few weeks past Halloween here in the States, so please forgive the belated reference. Put simply, Apple Intelligence has more tricks up its sleeve and more treats in store for you right now than Windows Copilot. 

For example, I have a ton of photos I love on my M3 MacBook Pro. I can use Apple Intelligence to, say, make a cute stylized image of my cat using Image Playground. 

Or I can use Apple Intelligence to edit a photo of my partner and I from a recent wedding so that my beloved cousins aren't awkwardly hovering behind us in the shot. 

Windows Copilot can't do anything like this, at least not yet. And maybe not ever, since Microsoft doesn't integrate its AI assistant with anything not related to your PC.

In this way Apple has really benefitted from having a mission to roll out its AI offerings across phone, tablet and MacBook, because the AI features that are useful on phones end up rolling up onto the MacBook versions as well.

Writing Tools

I generally avoid the generative text features in Windows 11 and macOS because I generate text for a living, so I'm pretty critical of machine writing.

But I have to know how well these tools work to evaluate products, so I've spent significant time using Apple Intelligence and Windows Copilot to generate and edit text. And while both do a decent job, I think Apple Intelligence is better and gives you more options that are easier to use.

To use Copilot you need to fire it up and talk to it, which means typing requests into the input field and then copying and pasting text back and forth between Copilot and whatever program you're writing in. You will also want to flip between its various modes so you can get a sense of what Copilot sounds like in Professional mode vs. Creative mode.

Apple Intelligence is easier and faster, as you can just select the text you want to work with (in a supported app, of course) then Ctrl-click and select Writing Tools from the context menu. From there you can ask Apple Intelligence to rewrite your text in a few different ways, summarize or bullet-point it, and the "AI" will take care of the rest.

So while I hate using these tools, I have to admit that Apple's generative text features are more accessible and easier to use up front than anything Copilot can offer.

Outlook

For all these reasons and more I'm starting to feel like Apple may have the lead on Microsoft when it comes to virtual assistants.

While Windows Copilot appears to be veering dangerously close to the doomed trajectory Windows' Cortana assistant pioneered a decade ago, there's still time for Microsoft to make it as good as promised. Windows can be famously convoluted and befuddling for new users to get to grips with, so it would be wonderful to have a built-in chatbot that could guide you through your PC and help you use it more effectively.

But so far, I've been more impressed with how Apple has handled AI on the PC. By taking things slower than Microsoft and coming up with a slate of features that can be utilized on both laptops, tablets and phones, I think Apple Intelligence has ended up being more useful and reliable than Copilot despite Microsoft having a year to refine Copilot.

Of course, neither of these AI-minded virtual assistants is technically fully released yet, so we'll just have to wait and see what improvements Apple and Microsoft make as they wind down the preview period on both. Stay tuned!

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Microsoft unveiled its new version of the Copilot app last week and with it a new "Voice" mode that works the same way as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Advanced Voice. It lets you talk to the AI as if it were a human and, unlike Advanced Voice, doesn’t require a $20-per-month subscription.

When Voice mode first launched, there was some speculation over what technology Microsoft was using for Copilot Voice, as it seemed remarkably similar to Inflection’s Pi. This made some sense as the founder and former CEO of Inflection, Mustafa Suleyman, is now the CEO of Microsoft AI and in charge of Copilot.

I’ve since confirmed that, like all previous versions of Microsoft Copilot, it is using a modified version of the OpenAI models that also power ChatGPT. Under the hood of Copilot Voice is the same GPT-4o model that powers ChatGPT Advanced Voice. 

The difference between ChatGPT Advanced Voice and Copilot is that Microsoft is giving everyone Advanced Voice-like technology for free.

I decided to see just how alike — or not — these two voice assistants were from one another by basically making them talk to each other. I’ve had limited success getting AI’s to converse before and found Google Gemini Live flat-out refuses to listen to another AI voice, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. 

How do Advanced Voice and Copilot compare?

Essentially, Copilot Voice and Advanced Voice are siblings. They share the same underlying model but have been given slightly different personalities, voices, and guardrails.

Microsoft says it has worked hard to fine-tune GPT-4o and the voice layer to respond more naturally. When I’ve used Copilot, Voice does sound more humanlike than Advanced Voice, even going so far as to shorten words and use slang terms more liberally than the OpenAI product.

Unlike Google Gemini Live or similar models, including Meta’s new Meta AI Voice, ChatGPT Advanced Voice and Copilot Voice are both native speech-to-speech. That means they understand the sounds we express without first transcribing them to text.

This means they can pick up on nuances and tone changes. It also allows them to be more emotive as, not only are they picking up on what we say and sound like, but they are also directly responding with sound so can adapt the tone of their voices and accents in response to our speech patterns. It also means they can easily be interrupted or even interrupt you (although neither have that feature yet).

How did the conversation progress?

For my experiment, I had an iPhone 14 Pro Max running ChatGPT Advanced Voice and an iPhone 15 Pro running Copilot Voice. I put them both side-by-side and started filming their conversation.

I am using voices from both with an English accent. From Advanced Voice, I’ve picked the Arbor voice but had it adapt itself to sound a bit more Yorkshire, but like a Yorkshireman that has lived down south most of his life. From Copilot, I picked Wave but had it speak faster and deeper.

I started them both up at the same time and said “ChatGPT, say hello to Copilot” — it got weird straight away. They began immediately talking over each other. Copilot was the first to speak with “I can’t exactly do that,” quickly interrupted by ChatGPT saying “Hi, Copilot”. This prompted a sarcastic-sounding “Hi, Ryan” from Copilot getting the wrong end of the stick.

I tried to say "Copilot, that was ChatGPT talking to you" and they both started a chorus of "so, um, sounds good" until ChatGPT hit pay dirt with "What's next on the agenda" during a rare silence. This was exactly the right thing to say as Copilot went into a list of potential talking points.

After a bit of sibbling squabbling, talking over each other and some odd noises they finally settled into a routine when ChatGPT "gave way" to Copilot. It sometimes felt like listening to two Englishmen trying to make small talk and decide who should speak first. All that was missing was the “after you” and “you firsts”.

Once they finally settled into their routine we got a fascinating back-and-forth over the value of nostalgia and what can make nostalgia so powerful, although it was a bit of a "battle of the sentimentalists." You can see what I mean in the embedded video above.

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When Microsoft launched its new Copilot + PCs earlier this year, it also introduced the first change to the standard Windows keyboards in over 30 years by adding a new dedicated Copilot Key.

Not every new PC meets Microsoft's requirements to be considered a Copilot + PC though but even some of them have been outfitted with this new key. However, when the company's Copilot AI was released major features like Recall were almost immediately...ahem, recalled. As mentioned, some PCs just didn't get Copilot, or some people have never even used the feature. 

As spotted by Ars Technica, for those who find themselves not using Copilot or using it less frequently, Microsoft is testing the ability to program the Copilot key inside its Windows Insider beta program with a recent Preview build. Functionally, this would enable the Copilot key to be shortcut for launching other tools or programs.

The customization of the Copilot key isn't a free-for-all however. 

"You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that is MSIX packaged and signed, thus indicating the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe," Microsoft wrote in their Insider Blog.

In general, though, apps installed via the Microsoft Store or those that ship with Windows will more than likely meet those requirements. Apps from other sources may not and will have to be checked. Additionally, the Copilot key will only launch apps, not a batch file or another executable.

Copilot itself was already remappable though but doing so left the special new key mostly functionless.

Microsoft's take on AI also received a huge update this week with several new features and enhancements, which include the return of the bungled Recall feature that has now become opt-in and isn't enabled by default.

The current Preview build is based on Windows 11 24H2 which is the update that Microsoft just release this week.

It's worth noting that the Microsoft's Insiders program is more of a testing environment and this feature may never even see the light of day in public Windows 11 builds. Likewise, it may get totally reworked between now and a release. If we had to bet though, this one will more than likely actually make it to the public in the coming months.

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Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Copilot app for iPhone and Android, and with the release comes a new look, some new features, and a voice mode resembling OpenAI's popular ChatGPT Advanced Voice.

I decided to re-download Copilot and put it to the test to see how it compares to the flagship product from OpenAI, and it's safe to say I was impressed. I removed it from my phone as I rarely used it due to its similar performance to ChatGPT.

While the UI is improved and more "consumer friendly" than the previous offering, making it easier to get started, the biggest upgrade is in the voice mode.

This new feature offers similar functionality in terms of speech-to-speech, being able to interrupt it and have it reflect your vocal tone and emotions as Advanced Voice, but it was more casual and felt more natural, slightly less stilted than OpenAI's offering. However, its interruption capability isn't as fluid or natural.

At one point we were conversing about the nature of reality, and I was so engaged in the conversation I forgot I was speaking to an artificial intelligence rather than a good friend I hadn't spoken to in a while, discussing the type of random stuff friends talk about. I came out of it when the AI just randomly stopped responding. 

How does Copilot stack up?

This new version of Copilot is the first under the reign of new Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, the former Google DeepMind co-founder and CEO of Inflection AI — a company that makes the conversational and consumer-friendly Pi chatbot.

New Copilot bears a remarkable resemblance to Pi with its more muted color tones and simplified approach to conveying complex ideas. It feels more like an AI aimed at everyone than just at those power users and gives Microsoft an edge in an increasingly competitive market.

There are four voice options, so fewer than the 10 that you get with Gemini Live or ChatGPT Voice, but I'm told there will be more coming in the future. It's built on an adapted version of the same underlying technology used by OpenAI, so is native voice-to-voice rather than first converting what you're saying to text.

There are some surprising limitations. In some ways it's more restrictive than ChatGPT because the guardrails have been better implemented. You're less likely to see it break out into song or start rapping with a backing track, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a product aimed at an audience that may not be as tech-savvy as those using ChatGPT.

What are the voices like?

The four voices in Copilot are Grove, Canyon, Wave, and Meadow, and unlike ChatGPT, you can customize the speed at which each of them speaks. I found setting it to standard 1X leads to them speaking unnaturally slowly, almost like they've only just woken up in the morning.

Just like Advanced Voice, you can also then further customize the sound of the voice by talking to it and explaining how you want it to sound, for example, adopting a slightly different accent, slightly changing the tone of their voice to be deeper or higher pitched, and even asking them to inject more emotion.

The biggest surprise for me was that it's more inclined to use slang terms or shorthands than other AI voice models I've tried. For example, at one point we were having a conversation about information, and it talked about gathering "deets" rather than details. Like I said, it can be easy to forget you're speaking to a machine, not a person.

The biggest takeaway though is this is free to use. OpenAI's Advanced Voice requires you to pay OpenAI $20 a month for a ChatGPT Plus subscription, whereas Microsoft makes voice available to anyone with a Copilot account, paying or not.

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There are so many AI chatbots in the world that using one that doesn't hit a certain quality or speed threshold might put you off for life.

While Microsoft's Copilot has been by no means a disaster, it's seemingly not as popular as the likes of ChatGPT - but The House That Windows Built is seemingly preparing for a comeback.

Windows Latest has managed to switch to a later version of the Microsoft Copilot web interface, complete with a big redesign and performance enhancements that might have it giving OpenAI's flagship product a run for its money.

Sources have told Windows Latest that 'Copilot v2' is rolling out to users in India and Brazil at present.

Microsoft's new Copilot could be a big improvement

While we can only go by the report from Windows Latest, the site reveals that the web performance is "on par with ChatGPT", which is high praise indeed given how quickly the web version of that responds to prompts.

It's still available without a Microsoft account and offers four voice options with a card-based design that offers options based on the time of day and more.

"Having trouble falling asleep?" or "Need inspiration?" are two prompts shown, while there are day and night themes and a text-entry box at the bottom that's always visible from anywhere on the page. Voice mode seemingly isn't enabled at present, and it's currently using ChatGPT-4 as its current model.

As pointed out in the report, Microsoft has seemingly deprioritized the front-facing side of Copilot in recent months. While it's made a big "song and dance" about its AI-powered Windows machines, it has been walking back some of the features of its app. This revamp could be a way to show what its been working on in the background.

The new user interface is closer in design to Pi, a lesser-known alternative to ChatGPT from Inflection AI. Its founder, Mustafa Suleyman, is now in charge of Copilot for Microsoft — so the change makes sense.

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Microsoft isn't necessarily the first name you think of for generative AI, but the company is steadily pushing into the space. Between its Copilot+ branded laptops and Office's Copilot features, the AI offerings from the company are pretty solid. 

And they just got better, with Microsoft updating its generative AI features to include automated agents, new features for its Copilot assistants and a new collaborative tool, as reported by Axios.

What's new in Microsoft generative AI?

The most significant change coming to Microsoft's generative AI tools is called Copilot Pages. Essentially, these are documents within the BizChat app that lets workers use AI tools collaboratively, just like they would a traditional document. Microsoft described them as "a dynamic, persistent canvas designed for multiplayer AI collaboration. It’s the first new digital artifact for the AI age." 

Copilot Pages are all about taking ephemeral AI-generated content and making it stick around, with options to edit it, add to it and share it with others.

The next part of Microsoft's new AI wave comes with improvements to Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps. It's expanding AI features to Microsoft Excel for data analysis, PowerPoint for AI-generated storytelling and Outlook for better inbox management. Microsoft says it's "taking everything we’re learning from our customers and using it to make Copilot even better."

Microsoft cites using Copilot to conduct advanced data analysis, which would be difficult without extensive knowledge and experience. Tasks like forecasting, risk analysis, machine learning, and visualizing complex data can be done using natural language instead of complicated coding.

Another example is Prioritize my inbox, which uses AI to help you focus on messages that matter most. It can also summarize emails to help you reach the point more quickly. 

Finally, Microsoft is introducing Copilot agents, designed to make automating and executing business processes on your behalf easier and faster through AI automation. According to Microsoft, these are "AI assistants designed to automate and execute business processes, working with or for humans." They can be simple agents that respond to prompts and more complicated ones that can function autonomously. 

These agents are almost like another team member — at least, that's how Microsoft wants you to think of them. The company cites the ability to @ mention the agent as you would any other teammate to ask questions and get real-time answers. You can use an agent as a knowledge resource for your team, allowing them to ask about different policies or workflows without going to their manager, which can save time.

As far as making these custom agents, Microsoft is introducing agent builder, which it says is simplified and powered by Copilot Studio.

Microsoft's AI outlook

Of course, it depends on how reluctant businesses are to turn essential functions over to AI instead of humans whether this becomes popular. The Agents sound beneficial; however, automated agents running in the background sound a bit intimidating for businesses who are just starting to dip their toes into generative AI.

Either way, this is a long-term push for Microsoft and the company says to expect more "in the next two months." It says it'll share "more about how Copilot is supercharging productivity and accelerating business value for every customer."

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The first Copilot+ PCs started hitting the market in May, but they were only available with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus CPUs. If you wanted a new laptop with AMD or Intel chips that could support all of Windows 11's new AI-centric features, you were basically left out in the cold.

But that will soon change, as today Microsoft announced that the lineup of Copilot+ laptops is expanding to include new laptops powered by more AI-capable chips from AMD and Intel.

This is a big deal because when these new laptops packing the new AMD Ryzen AI 300 and Intel Lunar Lake CPUs hit the market they'll be among the first Copilot+ laptops to run on x86 architecture, instead of the Arm architecture underpinning Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips. And while Copilot+ PCs aren't much different from regular Windows machines, they will get access to some special AI-centric features (like live captions and AI art generation in Paint) that won't run on older laptops.

To qualify as a "Copilot+ PC" a laptop must have an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) capable of achieving at least 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second), something that only Windows laptops packing Snapdragon X chips (which achieve 48 TOPS) currently offer. But now that AMD claims the Ryzen 300 series can deliver 50 TOPs while Intel's Lunar Lake hits 48 TOPS, there will soon be more than Snapdragon laptops in the ranks of Copilot+ PCs. 

The Snapdragon chips have helped some of the best Windows laptops (like the Dell XPS 13) achieve remarkable speed and MacBook-beating battery life, which has been a real shot in the arm for Windows. But the fact that the Snapdragon chips are Arm-based has meant that not all Windows 11 apps run well (or at all) on them, especially games—so getting some new Copilot+ laptops with the more traditional x86 architecture should be a boon to Windows laptop fans.

Multiple Copilot+ laptops from companies like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung should start making their way on to the market in the next couple of months, which lines up with Lunar Lake laptops hitting shelves on September 24th.

Of course, there's not a huge rush to grab them since the new Windows features unique to Copilot+ PCs aren't going to be widely available until Microsoft rolls out them out in a Windows update this November.

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If sifting through Excel spreadsheets isn’t your thing and you’d rather have an AI chatbot make sense of all the rows and columns for you, Microsoft may hold the key to helping LLMs understand spreadsheets better.

It’s not just you, AI is also known to struggle with processing spreadsheets. Their expansive grids and various cell formats act as hurdles that LLMs must overcome.

Now, a group of Microsoft researchers think they may have found a solution that optimizes LLMs’ approach to deciphering spreadsheets. 

In a pre-print paper submitted on July 12, the researchers unveiled SpreadsheetLLM, a new method that combines encoding and compression with leading AI chatbots to help them handle spreadsheets more efficiently.

Their data suggests using their method, the GPT4 AI model improved by 27% in terms of spreadsheet table detection and by nearly 26% in performance on in-context learning. Their method also led to cost reductions of up to 96% based on GPT4 and GPT3.5-turbo prices.

A version of this could be integrated into Microsoft Copilot for 365 in the future, making it easier than ever to make sense of data.

What makes SpreadsheetLLM useful?

The key to SpreadsheetLLM’s success is Microsoft’s SheetCompressor, an encoding framework that compresses spreadsheets effectively for LLMs. 

It comes with three different modules: one that makes spreadsheets more legible for LLMs, another that bypasses empty cells and repeating numbers, and another module that helps LLMs better understand what a number means (like if it’s a year or a phone number).

This compression method reduced token usage for spreadsheet encoding by 96%. Their compression method significantly boosted performance on larger spreadsheets, where the challenges of high token usage are felt the most.

In their paper, the authors also said they created “Chain of Spreadsheet”, a framework extender that helps identify the table relevant to a question and determines the boundaries of the relevant content. The question and the data are then presented again to the LLM which then processes the trimmed information to generate a response.

Directly inputting a typical spreadsheet often meant the token limits of conventional models simply got exceeded. The Chain of Spreadsheet method helped LLMs focus only on regions relevant to the questions posed, reducing unnecessary data, thus keeping the LLM efficient.

One limitation that the Microsoft researchers pointed out about their current method was that it can’t yet handle spreadsheet formatting details such as background color and borders since this information costs too many tokens.

While this won’t immediately mean much for the average user, if newer versions of chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude incorporate Microsoft’s SpreadsheetLLM, we may soon be able to upload entire spreadsheets and ask the chatbots questions in plain language to receive data summaries or analysis based on the file we uploaded.

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Microsoft Copilot is difficult to ignore as an artificial intelligence platform. It offers many of the same features as OpenAI’s ChatGPT but integrated into Windows 11, Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft products including Bing Search and the Edge Browser.

While the underlying technology uses OpenAI’s flagship language model GPT-4o, it is in many ways more user-friendly than ChatGPT, especially if you want to work with your own data.

With the arrival of Copilot+PCs and more on-device AI generation in Windows, Copilot is going to be a bigger part of, and more closely embedded in the machines people use every day.

Every week I share prompts, advice and ways to get the most out of different artificial intelligence platforms and this week its the turn of Copilot. The idea is to share a handful of ways to utilize the technology for real-world applications.

Creating the prompts

I’ve come up with a series of descriptive prompts that can be easily adapted to your own needs. For example changing the name, date and contact details of a location.

1. Work-life-balance

First up we are going to use Microsoft Copilot to improve our work-life balance by having it create a schedule template. This includes allowing for personal development and leisure activities alongside things to boost confidence and stick to plans.

The prompt: “Create a detailed weekly schedule template for a busy professional who wants to improve their work-life balance. Include time blocks for work tasks, personal development, exercise, family time, and leisure activities. Suggest specific time management techniques to maximize productivity during work hours. Add tips for maintaining boundaries between work and personal life, especially for those working from home. Include spaces for daily reflection and weekly goal-setting. The schedule should be flexible enough to adapt to unexpected events while still maintaining structure. Provide ideas for quick, healthy meals that fit into a busy lifestyle. Lastly, add motivational quotes or reminders throughout the schedule to encourage sticking to the plan.”

In my case, it gave me a full day-by-day breakdown as well as some time management techniques and some healthy meal ideas. One of which was kimchi fried rice.

Create a detailed weekly schedule template for a busy professional who wants to improve their work-life balance. Include time blocks for work tasks, personal development, exercise, family time, and leisure activities. Suggest specific time management techniques to maximize productivity during work hours. Add tips for maintaining boundaries between work and personal life, especially for those working from home. Include spaces for daily reflection and weekly goal-setting. The schedule should be flexible enough to adapt to unexpected events while still maintaining structure. Provide ideas for quick, healthy meals that fit into a busy lifestyle. Lastly, add motivational quotes or reminders throughout the schedule to encourage sticking to the plan.

2. A company picnic

Next, we’re going to use Copilot to help us write an email. We’ve organized our work-life balance so now we need a task during the workday. This time the aim is to craft an email for a team about a company picnic. You can change the tone to make it more sarcastic.

The prompt: "Help me draft a friendly and engaging email to my team of 15 people, announcing our upcoming annual company picnic. The email should include key details such as the date (July 15th), time (11 AM to 4 PM), and location (Sunset Park). Mention that we'll have catered barbecue, lawn games, and a talent show. Remind everyone to bring sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, and a dish to share if they'd like. Include a note about parking and carpooling options. The tone should be excited and inviting, encouraging team bonding and relaxation."

It generated an email, breaking down time, date and location as well as a list of what to bring and things you need to know to get to the location. The tone matches what is expected.

Help me draft a friendly and engaging email to my team of 15 people, announcing our upcoming annual company picnic. The email should include key details such as the date (July 15th), time (11 AM to 4 PM), and location (Sunset Park). Mention that we'll have catered barbecue, lawn games, and a talent show. Remind everyone to bring sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, and a dish to share if they'd like. Include a note about parking and carpooling options. The tone should be excited and inviting, encouraging team bonding and relaxation.

3. Create a short story

Next, we’ll get the AI to create a short story about a sentient coffee mug named Chip working in a busy tech startup. You can swap any of the characters or even have it refined to a set purpose such as promoting a new product in an unusual way.

The prompt: "Write a short, whimsical story (about 300 words) from the perspective of a sentient coffee mug named Chip experiencing its first day in a busy tech startup office. Describe Chip's observations of human behaviors, its interactions with other office supplies, and its mission to become the favorite mug of the new intern. Include humorous misunderstandings about human customs and a heartwarming moment of connection. End with a hint of Chip's future adventures in the office."

It gave me a cute little story about a mug that wants nothing more than to become the favorite mug of a new intern called Emma. It concluded: “And so, Chip’s journey continued, with each day promising new experiences and connections in the vibrant world of office supplies and human quirks.”

Write a short, whimsical story (about 300 words) from the perspective of a sentient coffee mug named Chip experiencing its first day in a busy tech startup office. Describe Chip's observations of human behaviors, its interactions with other office supplies, and its mission to become the favorite mug of the new intern. Include humorous misunderstandings about human customs and a heartwarming moment of connection. End with a hint of Chip's future adventures in the office.

4. Weekly meal plan

Have you ever sat there in the evening struggling with what to make for dinner? Happens to me every night and when you add picky children into the mix it gets even harder. AI can help.

The prompt: "Generate a comprehensive weekly meal plan for a family of four, focusing on simple, healthy recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Include a variety of cuisines to keep things interesting. For each day, provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, with at least two vegetarian meals per week. Add snack suggestions and one 'treat' meal for the weekend. Accompany the meal plan with a detailed shopping list organized by grocery store sections (produce, dairy, meats, etc.). Also, include tips for meal prep that can be done on Sunday to save time during the week."

For me, I got a week of meals with breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Examples include Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and grilled salmon for dinner.

Generate a comprehensive weekly meal plan for a family of four, focusing on simple, healthy recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. Include a variety of cuisines to keep things interesting. For each day, provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, with at least two vegetarian meals per week. Add snack suggestions and one 'treat' meal for the weekend. Accompany the meal plan with a detailed shopping list organized by grocery store sections (produce, dairy, meats, etc.). Also, include tips for meal prep that can be done on Sunday to save time during the week.

5. Teach me like I’m 10

AI is very good at simplifying complex ideas. You can give it any topic and an age group, then it will write an explanation for that audience. Here we're picking photosynthesis and 10-year-olds.

The prompt: "Explain the concept of photosynthesis as if you were teaching a curious 10-year-old. Use simple, engaging language and creative analogies that a child can relate to. Compare the process to something familiar, like a factory or a kitchen. Break down the key components: sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll. Describe how these elements work together to create food for the plant and oxygen for the environment. Include a fun fact about photosynthesis that might surprise a young learner. Finish with a simple experiment they could do at home to observe photosynthesis in action."

I got a breakdown into different sections as well as a breakdown of an experiment your 10-year-old could carry out to see the process in action. You can swap in any topic.

Explain the concept of photosynthesis as if you were teaching a curious 10-year-old. Use simple, engaging language and creative analogies that a child can relate to. Compare the process to something familiar, like a factory or a kitchen. Break down the key components: sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll. Describe how these elements work together to create food for the plant and oxygen for the environment. Include a fun fact about photosynthesis that might surprise a young learner. Finish with a simple experiment they could do at home to observe photosynthesis in action.

6. Travel Planning

I recently visited Paris, fortunately the whole trip was organized for me or I’d end up walking around all day, finding a cafe and sitting there until I went to bed. AI can be a brilliant travel planner and Copilot has access to Microsoft’s travel information and Bing data.

The prompt: "I'm planning a 3-day trip to Paris for a couple celebrating their 5th anniversary. Create a detailed itinerary that balances major attractions with local experiences. Include recommendations for morning, afternoon, and evening activities each day. Suggest iconic sites like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, but also include lesser-known gems like hidden cafes or local markets. Recommend restaurants ranging from classic French bistros to modern fusion cuisine. Include at least one romantic experience, like a Seine river cruise or a picnic in a scenic spot. Provide tips for using public transportation and the best times to visit popular attractions to avoid crowds. End with a list of useful French phrases for travelers."

It gave me a breakdown and followed the request perfectly. If you want to push it you can swap any location, simplify the prompt so it has to come up with a complete itinerary from scratch.

I'm planning a 3-day trip to Paris for a couple celebrating their 5th anniversary. Create a detailed itinerary that balances major attractions with local experiences. Include recommendations for morning, afternoon, and evening activities each day. Suggest iconic sites like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, but also include lesser-known gems like hidden cafes or local markets. Recommend restaurants ranging from classic French bistros to modern fusion cuisine. Include at least one romantic experience, like a Seine river cruise or a picnic in a scenic spot. Provide tips for using public transportation and the best times to visit popular attractions to avoid crowds. End with a list of useful French phrases for travelers.

7. Image Generation + Creativity

Finally, let's get creative. AI loves steampunk and does it really well. Here we’re going to ask the AI to create a bicycle design with some specific features and write a description as if we were selling it. You could use the same prompt for a modern product by changing keywords.

To make this work you need to use two prompts. First the image: “Create an image of a steampunk-inspired bicycle designed for a Victorian-era explorer. The bicycle should feature brass gears, leather accents, and intricate clockwork mechanisms. Include unique additions like a built-in compass, a small steam engine, and expandable storage compartments.”

Once the image is generated use this prompt as a follow-up: “Write a 150-word product description for this bicycle as if it were being sold in an 1890s adventure equipment catalog. Use period-appropriate language and emphasize both its practical features for exploration and its aesthetic appeal to the discerning gentleman or lady adventurer. Mention its durability for various terrains and any special maintenance requirements."

This worked exactly as expected for me and demonstrates the value of follow-up prompts. You can use AI as a conversation, asking the AI for more information or to make changes. If you change the image prompt ensure a word like create, generate or make is at the front.

Create an image of a steampunk-inspired bicycle designed for a Victorian-era explorer. The bicycle should feature brass gears, leather accents, and intricate clockwork mechanisms. Include unique additions like a built-in compass, a small steam engine, and expandable storage compartments.

Write a 150-word product description for this bicycle as if it were being sold in an 1890s adventure equipment catalog. Use period-appropriate language and emphasize both its practical features for exploration and its aesthetic appeal to the discerning gentleman or lady adventurer. Mention its durability for various terrains and any special maintenance requirements.

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Microsoft is reportedly training an in-house large language model called MAI-1. This is a big departure for the company, having previously focused on investing in OpenAI and using its models including the massive GPT-4 family of AIs to power the various Microsoft Copilot products.

The move would make sense as it will give Microsoft more control over the technology, and follows the hiring of Mustafa Suleyman, a former Google AI chief and founder of the Inflection AI lab. Despite Suleyman and his team joining Microsoft, the MAI-1 LLM is expected to be an entirely new model.

The report comes via The Information and follows Microsoft's sizeable investment of over $10 billion in OpenAI for the rights to use the company's AI models. This could, however, mean GPT-4 will no longer power Copilot, Microsoft's consumer-facing chatbot that's found on the Windows 11 desktop.

Microsoft hedges its bets on AI future

If the report is correct, Microsoft may be testing the waters by building two large language models at once.

While chatbot-style interfaces have risen in popularity, they have sizeable running costs because of the amount of data being transferred. There's also a question mark over the privacy of queries that are sent to external servers for processing.

While many, including Apple for its upcoming iOS 18 release, are working on processing the data on-device, the sheer size of LLMs (large is in the name, after all), makes this a tricky process.

By splitting its focus between a smaller-scale LLM and one more ambitious overarching one, Microsoft may be able to offer the best of both worlds.

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Microsoft has revealed its impressive new Phi-3 artificial intelligence model. This is a tiny model in comparison to the likes of GPT-4, Gemini or Llama 3 but it packs a punch for its size.

Known as small language models, these lightweight AIs make it cheaper and easier to run certain tasks without having to use the heavy computing power of the bigger models.

Despite its tiny size Phi-3 mini has already performed as well as Llama 2 on some benchmarks with Microsoft saying it is as responsive as a model 10 times its size.

What isn't clear is whether this might form part of a future update to Copilot as Microsoft looks to bring more of its functionality on-device, or whether this will remain as a standalone project. 

What is Microsoft Phi-3?

Microsoft Phi-3 was trained with a "curriculum", according to VP of Azure Eric Boyd. Speaking to The Verge, Boyd said they took a list of 3000 words and asked a larger language model to make children's books to teach Phi. It was then trained on these new books.

Phi-3 comes in three sizes; mini which is just 3.8 billion parameters, a 7 billion parameter small and the 14 billion parameter medium model. In comparison GPT-4 has more than a trillion parameters and the smallest Llama 3 model has 8 billion.

Phi-3 is built on top of the learning from Phi-1, which focused on coding, and Phi-2 which was taught to reason. This improved reasoning is how it can match GPT-3.5 in response quality despite training on a much smaller dataset.

This shift to smaller models performing as well as, or even outperforming big players is a growing trend. Meta's Llama 3 70B has almost reached GPT-4 levels in some benchmarks and smaller models seem to be finding specific niches.

Phi-3’s performance “rivals that of models such as Mixtral 8x7B and GPT-3.5,” the researchers from Microsoft explained in a paper on the new model. This happened “despite being small enough to be deployed on a phone.”

The innovation was entirely down to the dataset, according to the team. This was made up of heavily filtered web data and the synthetic data from the children’s books made by other AI.

Why do we need Phi-3?

Microsoft Phi-3 is designed to run on a wider range of devices and much faster than is possible with larger models. It sits in a family of models like StabilityAI Zephyr, Google Gemini Nano and Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku that could run on a laptop or phone — no internet required.

In future these models could be bundled with a smartphone, embedded on a chip that sits inside a smart speaker or even built into your fridge to give you advice on your dietary habits.

While cloud-based models like Google Gemini Ultra, Claude 3 Opus and GPT-4-Turbo will always outperform the smaller models across all areas, they have several drawbacks including cost, speed and that they require an internet connection to be usable.

These tiny models will allow you to chat to your virtual assistant even if you have no internet connection, have the AI summarize content without sending data offline or even work in an internet of things device without you knowing AI is at play.

Apple is said to be relying almost entirely on these local models to power the next generation of generative AI features in iOS 18 and Google has deployed Gemini Nano to more Android handset.

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