Microsoft's Copilot AI Gets a Voice, Vision, and a 'Hype Man' Persona

Microsoft deleted the over-eager office assistant Clippy some 17 years ago, but the vision for an friendly and optimistic AI helper has apparently found its way out of the Recycle Bin. The company is overhauling Copilot, the text-based artificial intelligence tool bundled with Windows and other software, with the addition of vision, voice, and the ability to solve more complex problems--along with a more "encouraging" personality. "We really are at this amazing kind of transition point," says Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. "AI companions now see what we see, hear what we hear, and speak in the same language that we use to communicate with one another." Copilot has so far met with a mixed response, with some users complaining of lag or vagueness in its responses, but Microsoft is betting that the tool could eventually become an integral part of Windows, Office, and beyond. By incorporating OpenAI's AI algorithms into software that is used by hundreds of millions of people, the company is also at the forefront of testing the potential for AI to boost productivity in office work.