Grapevine

Microsoft beefs-up its AI assistant with voice, vision

Microsoft on Tuesday doubled down on deploying artificial intelligence to consumers, releasing an updated version of its Copilot chatbot that can hold voice conversations and interpret images.

"Copilot will be there for you, in your corner, by your side and always strongly aligned with your interests," said Mustafa Suleyman, executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft AI in a blog post introducing the upgraded chatbot.

Suleyman was a former leader at AI pioneer Google DeepMind—and was poached by Microsoft in March from his startup to head up its consumer AI division.

Microsoft was an early mover in releasing generative AI technology to everyday users, largely using the models from its $13 billion partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

It has since been caught by Google and soon Apple, which are using their dominance of the global smartphone market to get their own AI tools to consumers.