As Microsoft expands Copilot beyond traditional Windows functionality, the company’s artificial intelligence strategy becomes larger and its vision for the future of Windows itself becomes murkier. Microsoft has consistently provided operating system functionality for Copilot. Copilot may indeed be the basis for the company’s future AI-focused plans, but it’s unlikely to be a positive hit with the more than 1 billion Windows users.
Shortly after the updated Copilot app was released, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company “Create Copilot as a new operating system to run”. It is difficult to understand clearly what he means. Maybe this is just a fad, similar to how Slack positions itself as “Working Operating System”. Alternatively, Microsoft is preparing users for a future where Windows is no longer the dominant platform.
Whatever the plans, the lack of mention of Windows in this announcement is striking. Microsoft was once very keen on bringing artificial intelligence to Windows, but the company is now scaling back such initiatives in favor of making changes to make the operating system more convenient for developers and power users. Microsoft should be more open about its artificial intelligence plans, otherwise it could once again take years for the company to win everything back.
Image source: PCmag, Microsoft
Experts don’t expect the Copilot operating system prototype to completely replace Windows in the near future, but they admit that over time, Copilot may become the basis of some kind of cross-platform solution for working and interacting with devices that use artificial intelligence capabilities.
It’s no surprise that Microsoft is abandoning the Copilot+ PC brand. Although new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices fully meet the previous system requirements and have all the features that once belonged to such devices, they do not receive this certification and label. The company also did not assign Copilot+ PC status to Nvidia RTX Spark-based Surface Laptop Ultra models at the Build conference earlier this year.
Image source: Microsoft
The company’s abandonment of this product line isn’t particularly surprising, especially given the scandal surrounding the recall feature and the generally rather mediocre implementation of the AI features. This shift has been accompanied by the gradual reduction of Copilot functionality in Windows. The copilot key can now be reassigned, and the button to call the assistant has disappeared in Notepad. If Copilot and Windows become more independent in the future, this could be good news for Windows users.
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