Windows is the most popular PC operating system in the world and any change to it is normally big news, but Microsoft Copilot is bigger than that. If implemented correctly, Microsoft's centralised AI assistant could change the way you use a PC.
Far from just a suped-up Clippy the paperclip, the folks at Windows Latest have already gotten hands-on with the AI-boosted iteration of Windows. It seems to be a very efficient tool for trawling through the settings and more complicated functions on your PC.
The Windows Latest demo shows Copilot taking the form of a side panel on the screen. The user asks to turn on Dark Mode and then is presented with a shortcut that would enable it in one click, which is far simpler than the traditional method. Admittedly it doesn't work (again this is an early version) but it's not hard to visualise. They then ask a food-related question and are given a response similar to a ChatGPT or Google Bard. They also This is what we all wanted the much-maligned Cortana to be. It is far easy to explain what we're looking for in a prompt than to trawl through settings menus, imagine asking Copilot to "adjust to working at night" and it changes the screen brightness and turns the volume down to avoid waking others.
Copilot will also crucially bring interaction with the Microsoft Office suite, being able to write emails for you and summarise Word documents for example. Windows Latest also confirm you can ask Copilot to open certain office apps for you. It is this kind of functionality over fashion that will cement AI into our lives.
One disappointing bit of news is that Copilot is web-based so will need internet access to function. At least it seems plug-ins are supported with what is called an "action cards" menu that will suggest ways to improve your use of the operating system.
Of course, we should still be sceptical about any information presented as fact by AI as it is still an infant technology. As for when we could see Copilot? It looks like it is still a ways away, but getting closer every time we catch a glimpse.
