At Microsoft Build 2023, the company bills Windows Copilot as the first PC platform with ‘centralized AI assistance to help people easily take action and get things done.’
As anyone paying attention to the tech space would expect, this year’s Microsoft Build developer conference is shot through with AI, thanks in large part to Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI. Redmond is announcing over 50 new products at Build, from Windows Copilot to Bing plug-ins; check out some of the more interesting ones below.
Catch the day one livestream here, featuring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, EVP for Cloud and AI Scott Guthrie, and the ever-engaging (and ever “pumped”) Panos Panay, EVP and Chief Product Officer for Windows and Devices.
Though we’ve come to have low expectations for new Windows features being announced at Build, this year is an exception, with the revelation of Windows Copilot.
Microsoft bills Windows Copilot as the first PC platform with “centralized AI assistance to help people easily take action and get things done.” It’s a sidebar that can answer complex questions, summarize or compose text in any app, or perform system actions like adjusting settings. That last bit is reminiscent of capabilities that Cortana used to possess, which I miss. Now all we need is voice wakeup for Windows Copilot, and we can throw out our Amazon Echos.
In addition to generating personalized, relevant summaries, rewrites, or explanations using AI, Copilot can handle more mundane tasks such as copy/paste, Snap Assist, Snipping Tool, and desktop personalization. Look for Windows Copilot to start rolling out in preview in June.
Microsoft’s Edge web browser will get Microsoft 365 Copilot built-in, along with the ability to segment browsing sessions between work and personal use.
