In a live YouTube stream on 24th October, Microsoft unveiled a wave of new consumer features for Copilot (dubbed fall update) – headlined by the official debut of Mico, a new visual character (avatar) designed to give Copilot a voice (and face).
Mico has been in testing for a while, but from today it’s rolling out (USA first) by default in voice interactions. If you prefer the simpler “bouncing orb” interface, you’ll still have the option to switch it off.
The update today also unveiled updates to Copilot Voice including a feature called “real talk,” which is designed to allow Copilot to push back and challenge assumptions made by the humans interacting with it. This is a first on the market for AI chat. This is designed to ensure Copilot remains accurate rather than just trying to please it’s human counterpart.
First Clippy & Cortana, now Mico
It’s impossible not to draw comparisons here. Clippy – now more than 30 years old – is still remembered (fondly or otherwise) as Microsoft’s first attempt at a digital assistant with personality which lived inside Office. Then we had Cortana, which launched with Windows 10 (and for a short time was poised to compete with Amazon Alexa and even had its own “inkoke” speakers. Cortana promised much but never really landed with consumers users, eventually being retired from Windows 10 and 11 just a couple of years back!
Copilot of course has been around for a couple of years now, in a consumer based version and also an enterprise version known as Microsoft 365 Copilot. Copilot has also had a “voice” for a while but now with Mica it is getting a lot more natural and is also betting a face too, after a few months of testing with Insiders.
Does AI need a voice and a face?
So why is Mico is becoming the face of Copilot? The way it is explained and was showcased today promised a different approach to what we have seen before. There is some physc behind it too in that humans are far more. Likely to engage with something artificial if it appears to us in a way we can be familiar and where expressions can come across in voice voice tone and facial expression.
Mica is about giving Copilot an Identity…
Of course Copilot is true AI (very different to the earlier assistants that were were more trigger based).
Back in July, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman hinted that Copilot would evolve into something with a “permanent identity… a presence… a room that it lives in… and it will age.” Mico is the first visible step in that direction.
One of the other things that starts to bring these assistants more to life is memory. Memory allows Copilot to recall facts about us, what we do, where we work and our preferences to how it responds. It can then adapts and that makes it more contextual, more personal, and (hopefully) more useful and that’s where the Mico face (which will also adapt) comes in….
This optional visual presence listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions, making voice conversations feel more natural. Mico shows support through animation and expressions, creating a friendly and engaging experience.
Microsoft
Mica is in essence the personality and personalisation that makes Copilot yours and not just “the same” as the other assistants!
Mica can chat to your friends too..
On of the other annoucements yesterday was group chat mode. Yes…
Called Copilot Groups, you can now invite your friends, family etc to join a Copilot chat too. This means you can be planning a trip then invite others to join the chat with Mica in this mix too. All chatting together with Mica about your trip..
You can take any chat and share it via a link, email, what’s app, Insta, Snapchat.
To conclude
These new things are not just about features, they are about about brand and identity. Microsoft wants Copilot to feel like a companion, not just a AI chatbot.
Mica is a bold move in an attempt to really make Copilot more human and personal. Copilot is very capable and AI is advancing quickly. The main challenge Microsoft faces is the same as they always do… Getting Copilot / Mica into the hands of consumers and to drive adoption and awareness
Enterprise / commercial users know Copilot but many consumers, teenagers and adults not in tech don’t… They flock to ChatGPT when they could get far far far more value with Copilot.. They just don’t know it!
Q&A
- I heard Mico can look like Clippy?
It can, tap Mico repeatedly and you’ll unlock a nostalgic surprise – Clippy, the iconic (and occasionally cheeky) paperclip assistant from Microsoft Office’s past, makes a cameo appearance. - What’s Copilot Group Chat all about?
Copilot now supports real-time group chats with up to 32 participants. It can summarise conversations, suggest options and add up votes, split tasks and track decisions which is good for group chats or classroom work or projects with bigger groups. - What does “Real Talk” mode do? “Real Talk” is Copilot’s honesty engine. When enabled, it gently challenges misinformation or flawed assumptions during chats – especially useful in sensitive or personal discussions. It’s designed to keep conversations grounded, respectful, and genuinely helpful.