US Agency to Microsoft: Get your product naming right, everything is not Copilot; Microsoft responds ….
The
Better Business Bureau
's
National Advertising Division
has called out
Microsoft
for its confusing overuse of "
Copilot
" branding across AI products, recommending the company modify its advertising claims and clarify product functionality differences. Microsoft disagrees with the findings but says it will comply with the watchdog's recommendations.
The NAD reviewed Microsoft's Copilot advertising and found that the company's "universal use of the product description as 'Copilot'" creates consumer confusion, as customers "would not necessarily understand the difference" between various AI tools bearing the same name. The watchdog specifically criticized Microsoft's claim that Copilot works "seamlessly across all your data," noting that
Business Chat
requires manual copying and pasting to achieve the same functionality as Copilot in individual Office applications.
Microsoft's productivity claims under fire
NAD also challenged Microsoft's productivity statistics, recommending the company discontinue or modify claims that "67%, 70%, and 75% of users say they are more productive" after using Copilot for extended periods. The watchdog determined that while the study demonstrates perceived productivity improvements, it doesn't provide objective evidence of actual productivity gains.
The criticism comes amid Microsoft's years-long branding confusion around Copilot products. The company has repeatedly rebranded its AI tools, with Business Chat evolving from a Teams chatbot to Business Chat for Microsoft 365 Copilot, while Bing Chat Enterprise became simply "Copilot" before further rebranding.
What Microsoft has to say
Microsoft's AI at Work chief marketing officer
Jared Spataro
defended the company's approach, stating they "take seriously our responsibility to provide clear, transparent, and accurate information to our customers." He highlighted customer success stories, including Barclays deploying Copilot to 100,000 employees and Dow identifying millions in potential savings.
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company disagrees with NAD's conclusions about advertising implications but will follow the recommendations. This latest scrutiny adds to Microsoft's long history of product naming challenges, with employees previously joking that the company would have called Apple's iPod the "Microsoft I-pod Pro 2005 XP Human Ear Professional Edition with Subscription."
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