Microsoft hopes that laptop users will become so accustomed to its AI chatbot that it will remember everything you do on your computer and assist in determining your next course of action.
In response to increased competition from major IT rivals, the software giant unveiled an enhanced version of Copilot, its AI helper, on Monday. This technology can create photos, produce documents, and function as a lifelike personal assistant at home or at work.
The focus of the announcements made prior to Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle was how to incorporate AI capabilities into the Windows operating system, which is a product that Microsoft already has millions of users of.
The AI assistant will be able to “access virtually what you have seen or done on your PC in a way that feels like having photographic memory” according to one of the new capabilities, Windows Recall. Microsoft pledges to safeguard users’ privacy by allowing them to select the content they do not wish to have tracked.
The conference comes after significant AI announcements made by Microsoft’s close business partner OpenAI, which developed the huge language models used in Microsoft’s Copilot, and rival Google last week.
Google recently unveiled a revamped search engine that will now display AI-generated summaries above website links at the top of the results page. Astra, a still-in-development AI assistant, will also be on display. Astra will be able to “see” and converse about objects captured by a smartphone’s camera.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, debuted a revised iteration of its chatbot last week, showcasing an AI voice assistant with human-like traits that can joke about what someone is wearing and even make an effort to gauge their emotional state. OpenAI removed the voice from its collection on Monday because it bore a striking resemblance to Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of an AI character in the science fiction film “Her.”
Despite Microsoft’s billion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the startup has also released a new desktop ChatGPT version specifically for Mac devices.
In June, Apple will have its own yearly developers conference. At the firm’s annual shareholder meeting in February, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, hinted that the company has been heavily investing in generative AI.
A few of Microsoft’s Monday announcements seemed aimed at undermining Apple’s upcoming plans. Starting on June 18, laptops manufactured by Microsoft partners Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung as well as Microsoft’s Surface line of devices will carry the newly AI-enhanced Windows PCs. However, they will only be available for high-end versions that cost $999.
