Microsoft’s AI Assistant Gets a Major Upgrade: What’s New in Copilot?

Microsoft is stepping up its AI game with a sweeping set of upgrades to Copilot, its AI assistant. As the AI chatbot landscape becomes increasingly competitive, Microsoft has unveiled eight significant new features designed to transform how users interact with its AI companion and position it as a formidable challenger to established players like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity.

These new capabilities are being rolled out gradually over the coming weeks and months, with availability varying based on platform, market, and language. Let’s dive into what’s changing and how these updates might reshape your AI assistant experience.

Eight New Superpowers for Copilot

1. Copilot Memory – Perhaps the most personalized upgrade, this feature allows Copilot to remember your preferences and past interactions. Unlike the typically ephemeral conversations with AI chatbots, Memory creates a more consistent experience where Copilot builds understanding of your needs over time. Microsoft emphasizes that this comes with robust privacy controls, allowing users to manage what information is retained.

2. Copilot Actions – Moving beyond answering questions, Copilot can now function as an AI agent capable of completing tasks on your behalf. Initial partnerships with companies like Booking.com and Expedia will enable users to book hotel rooms or purchase gifts through natural language requests. This represents a significant step toward AI assistants that can interact with real-world services.

3. Copilot Vision – Previously limited in availability, Vision capabilities are expanding to Windows, Android, and iOS. This visual understanding feature can identify objects, analyze screen content, and interpret images across your devices, making Copilot more versatile in responding to visual information.

4. Copilot Pages – Now available to individual users, Pages serves as a hub for organizing thoughts, notes, and research. This workspace allows users to compile and structure information gathered through Copilot interactions, creating a more cohesive research experience.

5. Copilot Podcasts – In an innovative twist, Microsoft is introducing AI-hosted podcasts tailored to user interests. These podcasts feature interactive elements, potentially transforming passive content consumption into a more engaging, personalized experience.

6. Copilot Deep Research – For those requiring in-depth information, this feature compiles comprehensive research on specific topics into well-formatted reports. This moves beyond simple question-answering to deliver structured, thorough explorations of complex subjects.

7. Copilot Shopping – Enhancing the consumer experience, this upgrade offers improved product research and comparison capabilities with price tracking. This positions Copilot as a potential shopping assistant that can help users make more informed purchasing decisions.

8. Copilot Search – Already being tested by some journalists, this feature provides “intelligently curated information” with source citations. Technology journalist David Nield had early access to this feature, which appears designed to compete with research-oriented AI tools like Perplexity.

Catching Up or Breaking New Ground?

Analysis suggests Microsoft is primarily closing gaps with competitors rather than pioneering entirely new capabilities. Many leading AI chatbots already offer similar features to what Microsoft is now introducing. For instance:

• ChatGPT has long offered persistent memory for Plus subscribers
• Google Gemini can already interact with Google services
• Perplexity has made cited research its core offering

However, Microsoft’s advantage lies in its ability to deeply integrate these features across its existing ecosystem. From Windows devices to Microsoft 365 applications, Copilot has touchpoints throughout the computing experience of billions of users worldwide.

What’s particularly notable is how quickly Microsoft is evolving Copilot’s capabilities. In less than eighteen months since its initial launch, Copilot has transformed from a basic chatbot to an increasingly sophisticated AI assistant with specialized capabilities across multiple domains.

The Path Forward

As these features roll out, Microsoft faces several challenges. Ensuring reliable performance, maintaining appropriate content safeguards, and delivering a consistent experience across platforms will be critical. Additionally, Microsoft will need to effectively communicate how these features enhance productivity without overwhelming users with complexity.

For users, the gradual introduction of these capabilities provides an opportunity to experiment with how AI assistance can be incorporated into daily workflows. As Copilot becomes more personalized and capable, it may transition from an occasional helper to an essential productivity partner.

The AI assistant space continues to evolve rapidly, with each major player pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Microsoft’s latest moves demonstrate that the company is committed to ensuring Copilot remains competitive in this quickly changing landscape.

What This Means for the Future

The expansion of Copilot’s capabilities points to a future where AI assistants become increasingly central to our digital lives. As these tools gain the ability to remember past interactions, complete tasks autonomously, and analyze information across modalities, they’re evolving from simple question-answering tools to genuine digital companions.

For Microsoft specifically, these upgrades represent a strategic investment in positioning Copilot as central to its vision of AI-enhanced productivity. By bridging Copilot with its broader ecosystem of products and services, Microsoft is laying groundwork for an integrated experience where AI assistance is available throughout the user’s digital journey.

What remains to be seen is how quickly users will adopt these more advanced capabilities and whether they’ll truly enhance productivity or simply add complexity. The coming months will reveal whether Microsoft’s vision for AI assistance resonates with users and delivers tangible value.

Footnotes:

[1] David Nield’s test of Copilot Search feature