Last Year, Everything was Copilot. This Year, Copilot is Everything. by Jim Wilcox
The story so far: Everything was always Copilot
Microsoft has a long history of attempting to humanize digital agents and assistants and incorporate them into Windows. They’ve been on this trajectory for longer than most folks recall.
One of the earliest examples is Microsoft Bob, introduced in 1995, which provided a non-technical interface to desktop computing operations.
Another example is the Office Assistant, also known as Clippy, which was introduced in 1997. Clippy was an animated paperclip that provided contextual help to users of Microsoft Office.
In 2014, Microsoft introduced Cortana, a digital assistant named after the AI character in the Halo video game series. Cortana was designed to be more conversational and personal than previous digital assistants and was integrated into Windows 10 as a core feature.
Even though Cortana as a brand faded out, the code never died. Microsoft had the foresight to recognize that the underlying technology for Cortana was still evolving. While Cortana’s user experiences disappeared from Windows, they were mostly just hidden from view in the OS, likely simply submerged by a “feature flag”.
In late 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT presented the world with the Artificial Intelligence equivalent of an “iPhone moment”. ChatGPT had that same “a-ha!” experience for the general user for Artificial Intelligence. Suddenly, its value was appreciable to the average user.
It was no surprise that shortly after, by early 2023, Microsoft had quickly re-branded and re-surfaced (no pun intended) the feature previously known as Cortana, now in Copilot branding, and backed by ChatGPT… but not just Copilot in Windows. Copilot was bolted on to lots of products and given agency. From an industry insider’s perspective, the only thing surprising about how quickly Microsoft accomplished this was really that the world seemed surprised by it. Microsoft never stopped working on Cortana, knowing she would be given new brains as soon as the technology advanced sufficiently.
With the emergence of Copilot, the story at Microsoft Build 2023 shifted to being all about how to integrate custom applications with various flavors of Copilot, or even how to create your own special purpose Copilot features.
Build 2024: Copilot is everything.
Microsoft Build’s days are numbered. The opening keynote kicks off the event officially, Day 1 (Tuesday). The send-off is Day 3 (Thursday). There are often activities on “day 0” and “day 4”, but they’re usually pre- and postlude level activities, and not part of general admission.
Day 0: Copilot+ PCs
Build “Day 0” this year uncoincidentally had a separate event occur. Where Build was in Seattle, this “Copilot+PC” event was in Redmond. It was definitively not Build, but an event that set the stage for Microsoft Build, nonetheless.
Microsoft announced a new line of Windows PCs specifically designed for AI processing. In their words, “These Copilot+ PCs promise lightning-fast performance and unparalleled intelligence, all while delivering all-day battery life”. This development puts the spotlight on Copilot’s central role in enhancing work efficiency and productivity. It’s in the name.
While Build is all about software, this “Copilot+ PC” event was all about announcing a new category of hardware, so it makes sense that it was not part of Build.
Windows Copilot Runtime
Last year, Copilot was a standout feature. All of Microsoft’s most strategic offerings had a Copilot custom-fit into it to provide AI hosted information with agency within the context of that offering.
Technically Windows Copilot Runtime was not announced at Microsoft Build. To listen to the recording of the Copilot+ PC event on Day 0, it was officially announced then.
This year, calling it “more robust” is an understatement. The Book of News mentions Copilot over 100 times across its 35 pages, emphasizing its significance in the developer ecosystem. Developers can now leverage Copilot’s enhanced capabilities to streamline their workflows, write better code, and collaborate seamlessly.
Through the Windows Copilot Runtime, Copilot is no longer a bolt-on value-add to Windows.
Here are some details about Windows Copilot Runtime:
Windows Copilot Runtime is a new layer of the Windows 11 operating system itself that enables developers to access and use over 40 AI models hosted by Microsoft. These models cover a range of domains, such as natural language processing, computer vision, speech recognition, and machine learning.
Windows Copilot Runtime simplifies the development process by providing a unified API for all the AI models, regardless of their underlying frameworks or architectures. Developers can easily integrate these models into their applications without worrying about compatibility issues or performance bottlenecks.
Windows Copilot Runtime also leverages the hardware capabilities of the Copilot+ PCs, which are specially designed to optimize AI workloads. These PCs feature powerful processors, NPUs, and memory that can handle complex computations and large data sets. They also support neural network acceleration and edge computing, which enable faster and more efficient AI inference.
Windows Copilot Runtime changes the relationship with the operating system and Artificial Intelligence. Where previously Windows “has an” artificial intelligence, Windows now “is an” artificial intelligence.
Copilot, the ChatGPT based technology now IS your PCs OS, and all the features we developers build are bolt-on value-adds to it.
Agency for Developers
Copilot isn’t just about code suggestions anymore. It’s about empowering developers with a suite of tools that make their lives easier. Intelligent code completion, collaborative debugging and the rest have become indispensable capabilities for developers worldwide. Whether you’re building web apps, mobile apps, or AI models, Copilot generally has your back… but what about asking Copilot to do something more?
Through Copilot Studio now has agents in an Early Access Program. This means developers can build Copilot based bots that can automate functionality at the command of end-users.
Cost-Efficient and User-Friendly Cloud Solutions
Copilot extends beyond the desktop. It integrates seamlessly with Azure services, making cloud development more accessible. With Copilot’s guidance, developers can optimize costs, scale applications efficiently, and deploy with confidence. Among its many potential capabilities, it’s a strategic partner in the cloud journey.
Conclusion: Copilot’s Evolution
Copilot’s journey from last year’s star feature to this year’s platform reflects Microsoft’s commitment to AI-powered innovation. Over the coming years, these tools that they are building will rebuild them, and probably us with them. As we discover and embrace these revolutionary AI times, Copilot is the forefront of the user experience in ways that even ChatGPT may be forgotten for. Last year, everything was Copilot. Ready or not, this year, Copilot is everything.