Microsoft is converting its new Copilot from an integrated AI assistant into a web app. This will have consequences, among other things, on functionality.
In May, Microsoft introduced new ‘PC Copilot+’ with, for the first time in thirty years, a new Copilot button on the keyboard. This button is now undergoing a demotion of sorts. Instead of launching an integrated AI assistant, as was the case just a few weeks ago, Microsoft adapted the system. The button now opens a web app version of Copilot.
In a press release posted on its blog, Windows Insider announces that it wants to transform the Copilot experience into an app: ‘This will allow users to benefit from the advantages of a traditional app experience, including the ability to move and resize the screen.’
However, this also means that the web app will not be able to adjust settings in Windows 11 and will not be pinned to the side of the screen, according to technology site The Verge. The argument behind these changes appears to be that an app is ‘more agile’ to develop, according to Microsoft. The question is whether an assistant that mainly searches for information on the internet and cannot, for example, quickly adjust the screen size, is really useful.
