On the 23rd, Microsoft announced a major update to its artificial intelligence service, Copilot. The centerpiece of this update is a new AI character, Miko. Miko, named after the first letters of "Microsoft Copilot," symbolizes Microsoft's commitment to "human-centered AI.".
Miko responds in real time to the user's words during voice conversations, changing facial expressions and colors. It goes beyond simple voice responses by understanding emotional conversations and expressing appropriate facial expressions. A being capable of empathyIt's designed to feel like a conversation with a cute object, without the technology being at the forefront,“ said Jacob Andreu, corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft. ”If Clippy walked, now it's Miko's turn to run.“.
"We're not building AI to replace human judgment, but AI to augment it," Mustafa Suleiman, CEO of AI, explained in a blog post. He added, "Copilot is now a connection between people and tools, and between people and people, and Miko is its symbolic form.".
This update also adds a learning feature called "Run Live." Miko doesn't simply provide answers; instead, she acts as a "Socratic tutor" that guides the user's thinking. Combining audio and visual cues, this feature helps learners understand concepts on their own, making it ideal for students preparing for exams or learning foreign languages.
Copilot's features have also been expanded. New features include group collaboration for up to 32 people, connectors for Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, and OneDrive, and health advice based on trusted sources like Harvard Health.
Miko is the spiritual successor to Clippy, the assistant character Microsoft introduced to its Office programs in the late 1990s. Following Clippy, which was criticized as cute but intrusive, and the failure of Tay, a chatbot whose service was halted after a day due to ethics controversies, Microsoft is now attempting a new AI experience that combines emotional expression and trustworthiness.
