Microsoft has a new Clippy, an AI friend called Mico. At the company’s Copilot fall release press event on Thursday, the company introduced a variety of new features and updates for its AI chatbot, but it was the official introduction of the AI chatbot’s “face,” an expressive avatar blob named Mico, that gave an impression of how the tech giant intends to bring AI to consumers.
The company explains that Mico (which takes its name from “Microsoft Copilot”) aims to provide consumers with a “warm” and “customizable” visual presence that “listens, reacts, and changes color to reflect your interactions.”
When you think of talking AI helpers, you wouldn’t be wrong if Microsoft’s infamous productivity assistant Clippy immediately comes to mind. Microsoft also seems to have decided to go with a reference to the long-time companion, with an Easter egg that turns Miko into Clippy if you tap her too many times.
This feature is enabled by default when using Copilot’s voice mode, but users can disable it if desired. Initially available in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Microsoft says it will be able to save memories of conversations and learn from feedback.
The “Learn Live” mode for US users allows Copilot to become your tutor, guiding you through concepts rather than just providing answers. The company says it has also made improvements in areas such as health-related questions and detailed surveys.
“When we build this, we’re not looking for engagement or optimizing screen time. We’re building AI that brings you back to life. It deepens human connection. It earns trust,” Mustafa Suleiman, CEO of Microsoft AI, said in the announcement.
Microsoft isn’t the only chatbot maker to anthropomorphize AI. For example, market leader ChatGPT also offers a visual experience with a variety of audio options. Meanwhile, xAI’s Grok has turned its AI into a racy AI companion. Across app stores, AI companion apps have already attracted millions of users, showing there is some consumer demand for AI characters.
However, it remains to be seen whether consumers will respond to Mico’s floating clumps.
The company said it is also working to evolve Copilot’s personality and tone with the introduction of a new mode called “Real Talk.” This allows the AI to reflect your conversational style, but it won’t be as clumsy as other AI assistants. Instead, Microsoft says it feels like something “based on a unique perspective” and can push back on your ideas, challenge you, and encourage you to see things from a different perspective.
Finding the balance between helpful conversational AI and AI that leads users down rabbit holes has proven difficult. Several incidents of AI chatbot psychosis have been reported, where AI users become reinforced with delusional beliefs through conversations with chatbots.
Copilot’s fall update introduces a number of other new features to Microsoft’s AI, including the ability to include friends in Copilot AI’s chats, support for long-term memory, connectors to link productivity apps like email and cloud storage, and expanded AI integration in Microsoft Edge, the browser.
The company said it is working to evolve Edge into an AI browser that can display tabs, summarize and compare information, and perform actions such as booking hotels and filling out forms. This will allow Edge to compete with other AI browsers, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas, Perplexity’s Comet and Dia, as well as market leader Chrome, which has integrated Gemini AI.
