At its recent event, Microsoft showcased a significant upgrade to its Copilot platform, unveiling a total of nine innovative product announcements. These enhancements include exciting features such as Actions, Memory, Vision, Pages, Shopping, and Copilot Search. This comprehensive update is part of Microsoft's ongoing effort to enhance user experience and functionality within its suite of products.
Many of the features introduced in this upgrade have already been seen in competing AI products like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as well as smaller players including Perplexity and browser-maker Opera. Notably, the Copilot platform has recently integrated two popular features that have garnered attention in the AI community: Deep Research and AI podcasts.
Deep Research is a powerful new tool now included in the Copilot bundle, a feature that many users have eagerly anticipated. This tool aims to provide users with comprehensive, well-drafted, and in-depth reports, moving beyond the vague answers typically associated with chatbots. With Deep Research, users can expect detailed documents that compile information from reliable sources and include all necessary citations, ultimately saving them considerable time and effort in manual research.
“Copilot can find, analyze, and combine information from online sources or large amounts of documents and images,” explains Microsoft. Users can initiate a Deep Research query without needing a Microsoft account, and a Copilot Pro subscription is not a prerequisite. Microsoft generously offers five free Deep Research queries per month, while subscribers enjoy unlimited attempts and priority access.
Another noteworthy addition to the Copilot platform is the AI podcast feature, which first gained attention with Google’s NotebookLM and recently appeared on Gemini. After testing, I found these podcasts to be an impressive tool, effectively transforming mundane information into an engaging listening experience. While Google labels these as audio overviews, Microsoft opts for the simpler term "podcasts."
The concept behind AI podcasts is quite similar across platforms, but Microsoft has added unique functionalities. Unlike the static podcasts created by Google Gemini, Copilot allows users to interact with the content. “While listening, you can continue to talk and interact with Copilot to learn more and keep the conversations going,” the company states, enhancing the user experience further.
With these updates, Microsoft’s Copilot is positioning itself as a competitive player in the AI space, offering features that cater to the evolving needs of users. The introduction of Deep Research and AI podcasts not only enhances its functionality but also aligns with the growing demand for more interactive and informative AI tools. As Microsoft continues to innovate, it will be interesting to see how these features are utilized by users looking for comprehensive solutions in their everyday tasks.
