Microsoft is revolutionizing the user experience in Windows 11 through the integration of a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature called Copilot. Announced at Microsoft's AI and Surface event 2023, Copilot is set to transform how users interact with their devices, making it a compelling update to the Windows operating system.
Copilot: Your Everyday AI Companion
Copilot, deemed as "your everyday AI companion," is an AI-powered tool integrated within Windows 11. It aims to assist users in various tasks across different applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Edge, and even your smartphone.
Whether you need to write a summary of a book in Word or remove the background from an image, Copilot is designed to help. For instance, when reading long emails, you can highlight the text to summon Copilot and ask questions related to the email content.
Word
When it comes to document creation and editing in Microsoft Word, Copilot is there to help. It can assist users in writing summaries, creating tables, and even rewriting paragraphs. For example, if you need to summarise a book, Copilot can aid you in crafting a concise yet comprehensive summary. Additionally, when dealing with lengthy emails, you can highlight the text and ask Copilot questions related to the email content.
PowerPoint
In PowerPoint, Copilot takes on the role of an intelligent assistant, helping users craft impressive presentations. It can suggest design layouts, generate text for slides, and offer tips on how to create engaging content. If you're unsure about a particular feature, simply ask Copilot, and it will provide a step-by-step guide on how to use it.
Edge
Microsoft's Edge browser also benefits from Copilot integration. The AI tool can suggest websites based on your browsing history, answer questions about the content you're viewing, and even read out articles for you. It also offers language translation services, making it easier for users to browse content in different languages.
Copilot Integration and Accessibility
The accessibility of Copilot is another key feature. It will be available on the Windows 11 desktop taskbar, making it instantly accessible with one click. Users can also voice-activate Copilot, providing a hands-free option for assistance.
Copilot can connect to your phone, allowing it to sift through your text messages to find necessary information. For example, you could ask it when your next flight is, and it would locate the relevant details from your texts.
Enterprise Features
On the enterprise side, Microsoft's suite of Office products will see enhanced AI features. Copilot can access corporate data to help summarize meetings or create data-based charts. It can even cross-reference information online. The AI tool can convert a summary made from a long work document into a PowerPoint presentation, complete with images and presenter notes.
Outlook users can also benefit from Copilot's capabilities to draft emails with varying levels of formality, from professional to casual. Interestingly, it's even possible to compose a work email in the form of a poem.
Microsoft has assured users that data used by Copilot for enterprise will be secure and won't be used to train its AI models.
Copilot and Online Shopping
Microsoft has also integrated Copilot into its web browser, Edge. This integration introduces several features aimed at enhancing the online shopping experience. Similar to Google Lens, Copilot can use pictures from your phone to find similar products online.
Microsoft's Evolution in AI
Microsoft's advancements in AI are largely due to its investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, earlier this year. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot capable of generating human-like responses, has been instrumental in enhancing AI capabilities, including those in Bing.
Despite concerns about job loss and misinformation spread by AI, Microsoft is betting on AI as a transformative technology. With the integration of Copilot in Windows 11, Microsoft is certainly upping the ante in the AI race against Apple and Google.
The next major Windows 11 update, featuring Copilot, is scheduled for release on September 26.
