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Tech giant Microsoft, on Thursday, October 23, announced its Copilot Fall Release, which is a major update the company believes will bring artificial intelligence (AI) closer to its users. Instead of demanding more screen time, the update helps users focus on what matters the most. The CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman, has termed it as a reset for how consumers think about AI.
“There’s a lot of noise around AI – headlines, hype, fear. We’re betting on optimism in a time of cynicism,” Suleyman said, adding that the company’s goal is simple – technology should serve people, not the other way around.
According to Microsoft, Copilot is an ‘AI companion’ – a tool that assists users to think, plan, and create at the same time as adapting to their personal needs and context. Copilot has been designed to remember what is important and learn from feedback and support real-world social connections rather than isolate users behind screens.
The CEO asserted that Copilot is intended to enhance human judgement and creativity, and not replace them. Groups, which is one of the biggest additions as part of the update, is a shared chat experience where up to 32 people can brainstorm together, with Copilot assisting them to summarise threads, generate ideas, and assign tasks. According to Microsoft, this shift will help measure AI’s social intelligence and how well it helps people stay connected.
When it comes to creativity, with Imagine, users can browse and remix AI-generated images in a community space, enabling co-creation rather than solitary interactions with a chatbot.
As part of the latest update, Copilot also gets a new optional visual identity – Mico, who is a customisable avatar designed to offer warmth during interactions. Mico responds using animations, changes colour based on conversation tone, and can also make voice interactions feel more natural.
Moreover, Microsoft has also expanded conversation styles. With a mode called ‘real talk’ which challenges assumptions while remaining respectful, aiming to build trust over time. On the other hand, long-term memory and better context recall now allow Copilot to remember tasks like anniversaries or ongoing projects. Regardless of these, users remain in control, and they can edit or delete that stored information.
Also, Copilot can now search across personal accounts in natural language using Connectors for services such as OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. However, Microsoft maintains that privacy safeguards remain central.
On Edge, Copilot Mode modifies the browser into a hands-free AI companion that can analyse open tabs, summarise information and perform tasks like bookings. On Windows 11, ‘Hey Copilot’ voice activation and a redesigned home interface make it easier to resume conversations, files, and apps.
Under the hood, new in-house models, including MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-Vision-1, aim to make Copilot more capable and dynamic across devices.
The Copilot Fall Release is rolling out first in the US, followed by the UK and Canada. Microsoft says this update is just the beginning of its vision for human-centred AI—technology that “gets you back to your life” rather than pulling you away from it.
