AI tools are expanding at an alarming rate, and all of the tech giants are looking for a way to leverage them. While Microsoft is no stranger to creating AI tools, the company is now making a big push to dethrone its competitors, including ChatGPT.
As part of its strategy, the company has rebranded Bing Chat to Copilot. But this move is a lot more than just a name change.
What Is Happening to Bing Chat?
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As reported in theFinancial Times, Microsoft is making changes to its AI service, Bing Chat. Beforehand, the service was only accessible through Microsoft’s search engine, Bing.
Now, as the AI assistant expands outside of Bing, Microsoft has announced that Bing Chat will be renamed to “Copilot.” This brings it in line with Microsoft’s other AI tools on its other systems.
Is the Old Bing Chat the Same as the New Copilot?
As studied onMashable, there aren’t many changes that affect regular users. The biggest change is that Copilot now has its own URL:https://copilot.microsoft.com/.
Regular users of Bing Chat will notice that the UI looks a little different. And the renamed service now has better a data privacy plan for Enterprise users. But when compared to the old Bing Chat, Copilot looks and feels pretty much the same.
Why Did Microsoft Change Bing Chat’s Name to Copilot?
At first glance, this may seem like a trivial change on Microsoft’s front. However, this change is but one cog in a larger machine set up by Microsoft, and it plans to use this to take on ChatGPT.
If the name “Copilot” sounds familiar, it’s likely becauseWindows 11 users are already using Copilotas an AI assistant. And, as perXDA Developers, Microsoft will also bring Copilot to Windows 10. This means that Windows users will have Microsoft’s AI assistant at their fingertips by default without needing to download anything extra.
Microsoft’s goal is likely to make Copilot the most convenient AI assistant choice for Windows users. If everything goes as Microsoft wants, users won’t even open their web browsers when they want to talk to an AI. Instead, they’ll bring up Copilot and use it for all of their AI-powered needs.
While this sounds great for Microsoft, the strategy does unfortunately exclude people who aren’t using Windows 10 or 11. As such, the move to rename Bing Chat to Copilot helps bring the brand’s name to people outside of Windows, as you only need a web browser to access it.
Can Copilot Take On ChatGPT?
This move is a smart one from Microsoft. Uniting all of its AI solutions under the Copilot name reduces user confusion and helps establish the brand as one of the major contenders in the AI assistant market.
However, if Microsoft wants Copilot to “stick,” it needs to do two things; make the chatbot worth using, and not go overboard with monetization.
An AI’s usefulness hinges entirely on how well it performs when users give it queries. A company can advertise its AI chatbot as much as it pleases, but if the AI keeps spouting random nonsense or incorrect statements, people will abandon it for one of themany amazing ChatGPT alternatives.
And while it seems convenient that Windows users will have access to an AI tool out-of-the-box, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has added essential apps and services into its operating system. For example, the company added Clipchamp so that Windows users didn’t need to download a third-party video editor… and thenimmediately put off users with aggressive Clipchamp monetization plans.
Given that Microsoft is a company, it will likely look for ways to make money off of Copilot at some point. And if it doesn’t handle the problem with the end user in mind, it runs the risk of spoiling people’s opinion of Copilot before it can even take a solid shot at ChatGPT’s throne.
Is Copilot the Next ChatGPT?
With Microsoft locking in Copilot as its offering in the AI assistant market, there’s nothing more to do than wait and see if it has what it takes to take down ChatGPT. However, Microsoft needs to approach Copilot’s implementation with caution if it doesn’t want people to leave for other AI apps.
