Microsoft Introduces Copilot Labs and New Features
Microsoft has unveiled Copilot Labs, a dedicated environment designed to test its latest artificial intelligence tools prior to their broader release. The company describes this initiative as a window into “work-in-progress” projects, allowing users to engage with features that are still under development.
The inaugural offering from Copilot Labs is dubbed “Think Deeper.” This innovative feature employs a step-by-step approach to tackle more intricate problems compared to the standard Copilot functionality. Think Deeper is akin to OpenAI’s new o1-preview and o1-mini AI models and has already begun rolling out to select Copilot Pro users across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
In a distinct move, Microsoft has also introduced Copilot Vision, which aims to enhance the AI assistant’s capabilities by providing it with a visual understanding of the user’s activities within the Microsoft Edge browser. When activated, Copilot Vision can comprehend the content of the page being viewed and respond to inquiries regarding that content, according to the company.
Microsoft positions Copilot Vision as a means to facilitate more intuitive interactions and task assistance that extends beyond traditional text-based prompts. However, this feature has the potential to raise privacy concerns. To address these issues, Microsoft has made Copilot Vision entirely opt-in, assuring users that no audio, images, text, or conversations captured through Vision will be stored or utilized for training purposes. Additionally, the feature will initially be restricted to a pre-approved list of websites, excluding paywalled and sensitive content.
The rollout of these features is expected to be gradual, as Microsoft emphasizes the importance of balancing innovation with a strong sense of responsibility. The company has expressed its commitment to “listening carefully” to user feedback as it expands access to these new capabilities, although no specific timeline for wider availability has been provided.
Mustafa Suleyman, the chief executive of Microsoft AI, shared insights with Reuters, describing Copilot as an “ever-present confidant” that could potentially learn from users’ interactions across various Microsoft-connected devices and documents, contingent upon user consent. He also noted that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has shown particular interest in Copilot’s ability to read and analyze emails.
However, the introduction of features like Microsoft’s Recall, which maintains a record of user activities on their PC for future reference by the AI, has elicited strong reactions from privacy-conscious users. Concerns remain regarding the implications of having an AI assistant monitor user activities, particularly if such features involve transmitting user data to the cloud for processing.
