Microsoft Copilot 

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Latest news on Microsoft Copilot, covering Microsoft's AI assistant across Windows, Microsoft 365, GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio, Copilot+ PCs and Bing.

Microsoft Copilot is the umbrella brand for Microsoft's generative AI assistant, woven into Windows, Microsoft 365, Bing, Edge and GitHub under chief executive Satya Nadella's wider AI strategy. Built on large language models developed with OpenAI, it answers questions, drafts text, analyses data and increasingly carries out multi-step tasks on a user's behalf. Millions of consumers use the free Copilot app and website, while a growing number of businesses pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot to bring AI assistance into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. A separate product, GitHub Copilot, helps software developers write and review code, and remains one of the most widely adopted AI coding tools in the industry.

Copilot's expansion has not gone unchallenged. Microsoft has faced criticism over automatic installation of Copilot apps on Windows devices, a dedicated Copilot key on new keyboards, and AI features pinned by default across Windows and Microsoft 365. Privacy advocates and security researchers have raised concerns about Copilot's deep access to Microsoft Graph data, including emails, files and chats, and the US House of Representatives banned congressional staff from using it over fears of data leakage. The Recall feature, which logs snapshots of on-screen activity for later AI search, drew similar scrutiny before Microsoft added stricter privacy controls, and a string of disclosed and patched security vulnerabilities has kept Copilot's enterprise data access under close watch.

For many office workers, Copilot represents AI's most visible entry into daily working life. Supporters say it speeds up drafting, summarising and data analysis, while sceptics question how much value it adds against its cost and whether constant AI prompts in familiar software help or hinder concentration. Microsoft has tried to give the assistant more personality, introducing an animated character called Mico, drawing inevitable comparisons with the Office suite's old Clippy helper. The debate sits within a wider cultural conversation about AI's effect on jobs, learning and the everyday rhythms of work and study.

Copilot's roots trace back to GitHub Copilot, launched in technical preview in June 2021 as one of the first AI tools to generate working code from comments and prompts. Microsoft then introduced Bing Chat in February 2023 within Bing and the Edge browser's sidebar, built on GPT-4 following the company's multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI, before consolidating its various chatbot products under the single Copilot brand from September 2023. Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Pro and Copilot+ PCs, a category of AI-accelerated laptops, followed over the next two years, alongside Copilot Studio for building custom AI agents. Microsoft has continued to invest heavily in developing its own in-house AI models, even as it maintains its OpenAI partnership.

With new features, security findings and competitive moves against ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude landing on an almost weekly basis, Copilot remains one of the fastest-moving stories in technology. Our NewsNow feed on Microsoft Copilot brings together the latest headlines, product updates and analysis from across the web, helping anyone with a stake in AI, productivity software or the Windows and Microsoft 365 ecosystem stay properly informed.