Latest news with #MustafaSuleyman
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
With Copilot Mode, Microsoft marks its AI browser intentions
Even though it is early days for 'AI browsers', distinct approaches towards embedding artificial intelligence fundamentals that reshape how users interact with the web, are beginning to take shape. Microsoft has officially thrown its hat in the ring, by announcing a Copilot Mode for its existing Edge web browser, marking a differing concept. This, according to Mustafa Suleyman, who is CEO of Microsoft AI, is 'a big step towards an AI browser'. The AI browser conversation, at this time, is centered around AI company Perplexity's recently launched Comet browser, with upcoming competition expected from OpenAI's rumoured browser, as well as Opera's Neon. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, calls Edge's new Copilot Mode, 'a big step towards an AI browser'. (Official photo) Instead of building a new browser from the ground up, Microsoft is layering the existing Edge browser. 'The future of the web is calmer, more focused, and more genuinely helpful. Today, we're bringing it closer than ever,' says Suleyman. The functionality being pitched as part of the Copilot Mode includes an ability to find context for a user's queries across multiple open tabs, agentic features such as booking reservations, and voice navigation. Also Read: Microsoft's AI can diagnose illnesses faster than most doctors, but it's not replacing them anytime soon For now, Microsoft is marking the Copilot Mode as 'experimental', and is unlocking this functionality for free for users who opt in, albeit for a limited time. It may well be the case that certain functionality, in due course, will move behind a subscription paywall. This is in sharp contrast to Perplexity, which is unlocking early access to Comet for users on the Max subscription, that is priced at $200 (around ₹17,000) per month. Numbers from research firm Statcounter indicate Edge has cornered around 4.97% of the global web browser market share, where Google's Chrome holds a significant lead with 68.32% share, followed by Apple Safari (16.25%). The latter is yet to find success with its Apple Intelligence suite, as the company had envisioned, a year ago. Two roads, same destination? Microsoft has bolted AI functionality to an existing web browser, the primary advantage for consumers being not having to switch to a new browser app, and sync bookmarks, payment methods and more. Building with a popular existing product is something Google can do too, though the company hasn't announced anything on the lines of Microsoft's Copilot Mode, with its Gemini AI as yet. Contextualising Google's cautious approach is a Chrome browser that already allows close integration with not just Gemini, but a variety of AI products including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and even Perplexity's tools — albeit with lesser capability of agentic features, which new-age AI browsers aggressively pitch. The luxury of an existing foundation is something Perplexity and Browser Company didn't have. Comet, and the latter's Dia browsers, were developed from the ground up, which albeit a costly route, does allow them to develop a more focused approach where software and AI work in sync. Dia has marked Browser Company's pivot from a minimalism focused Arc browser, towards AI browsing. Comet, for instance, can put together a shopping cart based on what you tell it, summarise web pages, search and find emails for you based on very specific queries, browse with voice commands and help with shopping (such as finding the fastest shipping options among the listed items) or travel (create walking routes for a place you're visiting). Opera seems to be straddling both approaches, with its yet to be launched Neon browser. It is a new browser that takes little from its siblings, but still is expected to retain a lot of the familiar functionality. Opera is building its agentic functionality, called Do, with the in-house Browser Operator AI agent announced earlier this year, at its foundation. While there may be a fear that Google's careful approach to any changes with Chrome may be leaving space that Perplexity, Browser Company, and now Microsoft may be able to fill, the tech giant is betting on its massive Chrome user base numbers to hold them in good stead for the inevitable AI layering. There is also the aspect of cost, if a Chrome user must switch. Perplexity Max currently costs $200 per month, though company CEO Aravind Srinivas confirms that Comet will soon be available for Pro users as well, which is priced at ₹1,999 per month. Opera hasn't announced pricing for Neon, while Dia remains invite-only for now. It is expected that OpenAI, once their expected AI browser is unveiled, will also be part of their paid subscription plans. All said and done, success of newer AI browsers will depend on their ability to demonstrate clear value and utility over traditional web browsing apps, while balancing functionality with privacy, for users. That cocktail will not be easy to achieve.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Microsoft Copilot has a ‘new face' that can interact with users; here's how to enable it
Microsoft has introduced an experimental feature for its CoPilot AI chatbot . Named Copilot Appearance, this update enables the AI assistant to recognise real-time facial expressions during voice conversations, including smiling, nodding, and raising eyebrows. This visual assistant is currently available in an early preview for users testing Copilot Labs . Microsoft's goal with this addition is to give Copilot a more human-like presence. The Copilot Appearance experiment aligns with Microsoft's broader vision of evolving Copilot from a basic assistant into an AI companion. Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman , has described this feature as giving Copilot its own "digital patina" that can develop over time with the user, aiming for more intuitive and human-like AI interactions. Microsoft Copilot Appearance: How to enable this feature and other details Users interested in trying Copilot Appearance can enable it through the voice settings in the Copilot interface. The feature is currently being tested with a limited group of users in the US, UK, and Canada. If you're not part of this test group, the option may not appear in your settings. At this stage, Copilot Appearance can display expressions such as smiling, nodding, and raising an eyebrow, all while maintaining the same familiar voice. The experiment is currently limited to the web version, and Microsoft hasn't announced any plans to expand it to Windows or mobile platforms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Back Pain Treatments That Might Surprise You! Back Pain Treatment | Search Ads Undo The feature includes real-time expressions such as smiles, nods, and surprised looks, all synced with Copilot's speech engine to reflect tone and pace. It also remembers earlier parts of your conversation, allowing it to reference previous topics for a more natural flow of conversation. In a recent episode of The Colin & Samir Show, Suleyman discussed how Copilot will eventually have its own "room" to exist in and may develop a kind of "digital patina" over time. "I'm really interested in this idea of digital patina. The things I love in my world are the things that are a little bit worn or rubbed down, and have scuff marks. Unfortunately, in the digital world, we don't have a sense of age,' he noted. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Microsoft introduces expressive new face for Copilot; here's how to enable it
Microsoft has introduced a new experiment called Copilot Appearance that gives its AI assistant a face. The feature is a small visual assistant with real-time facial expressions, such as smiling, nodding and raising eyebrows during voice conversations. It is available in an early preview for users testing Copilot Labs and Microsoft's goal with this is to bring a human-like presence to Copilot. This new experiment is part of Microsoft's wider vision for evolving Copilot from a simple assistant to an AI companion. Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, described this feature as giving Copilot its own 'digital patina' that can age over time along with its user. The primary goal is to make the interaction with AI more human-like than mechanical, which will help users connect with AI more intuitively. Now, for interested users, Copilot Appearance can be enabled from the voice settings of the Copilot interface. It is currently limited to selected users in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The toggle may not appear in the settings if the user is not part of the test group. This update complements other recent enhancements to the Microsoft Copilot to continue to expand the functionality beyond just a text-based interface. Recently, Microsoft introduced Copilot Vision, which lets users analyse photos and even real-time video feeds on their phone. Copilot can also now do tasks on behalf of the users, like booking tickets, making reservations and sending gifts, made possible by partnering with multiple websites to make the task seamless. The new companion from Microsoft is giving Clippy vibes from MS Office 97. That official assistant was not perfect and was disliked a lot because of its irrelevant suggestions. Later, it was completely removed in Office 2007. This companion from Microsoft is the new assistant, which is powerful and intuitive. It grows smarter and gets more context-aware with time.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Microsoft Copilot now has a face: Here's how the AI chatbot looks like
Microsoft is giving Copilot, its generative AI-powered chatbot, a face. Part of the tech giant's new Copilot Appearance experiment, the tech giant says the new feature gives users 'a new, visual way to chat with Copilot.' Available as an early preview in Copilot Labs, the new feature brings real-time facial expressions, adds non-verbal cues and gives Copilot's voice mode a conversational memory. This means that the AI chatbot can now respond to your voice inputs with a smile, nod and other gestures. And while Copilot uses the same voice as you have asked it to, the experiment currently seems to be limited to the web version of the AI chatbot, as Microsoft is yet to announce any plans to bring Copilot Appearance to the Windows and mobile app. To use the new feature, all you have to do is enter Voice mode by clicking on the microphone icon, head over to Voice Settings and turn on the toggle named 'Copilot Appearance.' Now, if you ask Copilot a question or just say 'hi', Copilot will react and talk back to you with smiles, gestures and other expressions. Microsoft's AI team, led by Mustafa Suleyman, has been working on making Copilot a personalised conversational AI assistant. In an episode of The Colin & Samir Show that was aired this week, Suleyman said, 'Copilot will certainly have a kind of permanent identity, a presence, and it will have a room that it lives in, and it will age.' Suleyman had previously shared a glimpse of Copilot Appearance earlier this year at Microsoft's 50th Anniversary event. The feature is currently live for select users living in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, but it is still unclear if and when it will be rolling out worldwide. Microsoft has had a history of trying to bring its digital assistants to life. The company's most famous animated assistant was Clippy, which was often criticised for not being helpful and was instead labelled as intrusive by many.
The Verge
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Microsoft's AI CEO thinks Copilot will age and ‘have a room that it lives in'
Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI CEO, has a vision of Copilot that involves it being so highly personalized that 'it will age.' Microsoft has been increasingly pushing Copilot to be a personalized AI assistant, with a big redesign last year that included a conversational voice mode. Now, Suleyman's Microsoft AI team is launching a new Copilot virtual character that will interact in real-time with you. 'Copilot will certainly have a kind of permanent identity, a presence, and it will have a room that it lives in, and it will age,' says Suleyman on an episode of The Colin & Samir Show this week. 'I'm really interested in this idea of digital patina. The things I love in my world are the things that are a little bit worn or rubbed down, and have scuff marks. Unfortunately in the digital world we don't have a sense of age.' Part of this idea of a permanent identity for Copilot is a new Appearance feature that Microsoft has started previewing this week. 'Copilot Appearance is an experiment that gives you a new, visual way to chat with Copilot, powered by real-time expressions, voice, and conversational memory,' says Microsoft. Suleyman gave us an early glimpse at Copilot Appearance during Microsoft's 50th anniversary event a few months ago. It's essentially a virtual character for Copilot, to respond to queries you have — a little like how Cortana used to animate. Copilot Appearance will smile, nod, and even act surprised depending on the conversation. Early access for Copilot Appearance is live now in Microsoft's Copilot Labs, but it will only work for a subset of users in the US, UK, and Canada. Copilot Appearance is the next step in Microsoft's mission to personalize its AI assistant. Suleyman, who helped co-found Google DeepMind, joined Microsoft more than a year ago to lead a new team that handles the company's consumer-facing AI products, like Copilot, Bing, and Edge. Suleyman has quickly turned Copilot into something that closely resembles Pi, the personalized AI chatbot he was working on at Inflection AI. Most of the Inflection AI team joined Microsoft, and Copilot was overhauled months later with its voice and vision redesign. Suleyman also hinted that the Windows desktop might be where Microsoft turns its AI attention next. 'I hate my desktop,' said Suleyman on the podcast episode. 'I look at my screen and I'm like 'shit man I have a billboard in front of me.' It's just so noisy, so neon, and it's all competing for my attention. It just looks ugly.' While Microsoft AI is improving voice and video, Suleyman says he wants a 'quieter, simpler, optimized working environment' and that he's thinking about improving his 'workshop' in the future. That might be a hint at potential changes to the Copilot app on Windows in the future, or even bigger changes with Microsoft's Copilot Plus PCs. Suleyman said he has customized his phone UI so much to avoid distractions that it's basically a black and white theme designed to hide things. 'I use a little rose tint so everything else is noised out, most of the apps are moved to the left and right, and my home screen is really just two or three primary apps,' he said. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Tom Warren Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Microsoft Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
