Copilot Appearance: Avatars with visual expressions

Microsoft has announced the availability of Copilot Appearance . Some users in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, who are subscribed to Copilot Labs , can access the feature that adds a "body" to the digital assistant. This is an avatar that automatically changes expression during conversation.

Visual Artificial Intelligence

From the beginning of October 2024, it will be possible to use your voice to interact with Copilot . To mark Microsoft's 50th birthday, several new features were announced that transform the assistant into an AI companion (unlike those based on Grok ). One of the customization options is Copilot Appearance . Essentially, a "body" has been added to the chatbot.

Some users in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, registered with Copilot Labs, can interact with a kind of animated three-dimensional emoji that resembles a drop of water. It's essentially a visual artificial intelligence that reacts based on the content of the conversation. It can speak and change its expression in real time.

With this experiment, we're bringing more nonverbal communication to Copilot, enhancing voice conversations with real-time visual expressions. This first prototype makes it possible to chat, brainstorm, seek advice, or simply have fun with Copilot in a more engaging and expressive way.

Users selected for testing must follow these instructions to enable visual interaction:

1. Access voice mode by clicking the microphone icon on copilot.microsoft.com
2. Open the Voice Settings menu by clicking the gear icon
3. Turn on the settings switch for Copilot Appearance
4. Ask a question or simply say “hi!” and watch Copilot react and speak with smiles, nods, and other expressions.

Before its global release, Microsoft is seeking user feedback. The risk is that Copilot could become addictive and be perceived as a real person (partner, parent, or psychologist ).