Microsoft is currently testing a new AI assistant for Copilot called Mico.
Named after both Microsoft and Copilot, Mico is an amorphous blob that responds to your inquiries while changing shape and colour accordingly. The company says this is all intended to create a virtual companion that feels “expressive, customizable, and warm.”
Right away, such a helper naturally brings to mind Clippy, Microsoft’s old Office Assistant. To that point, Jacob Andreou, Microsoft’s corporate VP of product and growth of AI, joked to The Verge that Clippy walked so Mico could run.” Some who are testing Mico have also discovered you can briefly turn it into Clippy with repeated clicks. (Of course, Clippy felt much more innocuous since he didn’t come during a period in which Microsoft is cannibalizing many of its businesses, especially Xbox, in a rabid pursuit of AI, but alas.)
Microsoft says it’s also planning to add a “Learn Live” mode to Mico that will turn it into “a voice-enabled, Socratic tutor that guides you through concepts instead of just giving answers.” All in all, the company says it wants Mico to show how “AI can be helpful, supportive, and deeply personal.”
Mico is set to launch at some point in Canada, the U.S. and UK. Mico will be enabled by default in Copilot, although there will be an option to turn it off.
