Microsoft is marking its 50th anniversary by significantly upgrading its AI-powered Copilot chatbot, introducing a range of new features and capabilities that aim to make it more useful and personalized for users. The revamped Copilot can now take action on "most websites," enabling it to book tickets, reserve restaurants, and more, making it a more agentic tool similar to OpenAI's Operator.

One of the most notable upgrades is Copilot's ability to remember specific things about users, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT. This allows the bot to offer tailored solutions, proactive suggestions, and reminders based on individual preferences. Users can, however, opt out of this feature or delete individual "memories" if they choose to do so. Microsoft emphasizes that users remain in control of the information Copilot remembers about them.

In addition to its new memory capabilities, Copilot can now analyze real-time video from users' phones, answering questions in the context of what it "sees." This feature is available on Android and iOS devices, and will soon be rolled out on Windows for members of the Windows Insiders program. The revamped Copilot app can also view what's on a user's desktop screen to search, change settings, organize files, and more.

Copilot has also gained the ability to generate "podcasts" similar to Google's NotebookLM, creating a back-and-forth dialogue between two synthetic hosts based on a website, study, or other source. Users can interrupt the hosts at any point to ask a question, and they'll acknowledge it and respond. Furthermore, Copilot's new Pages function draws inspiration from ChatGPT Canvas and Anthropic's Claude Artifacts tool, allowing users to consolidate notes and research into a canvas that Copilot can help organize and turn into a document.

The upgraded Copilot also features a Deep Research function, which finds, analyzes, and combines information from online sources, documents, and images to answer more complex queries, similar to ChatGPT deep research and Gemini's Deep Research. Additionally, Copilot can now track online deals for users, notifying them when prices drop and presenting them with a link to buy.

Microsoft has partnered with several companies, including 1-800-Flowers.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, OpenTable, Priceline, Tripadvisor, Skyscanner, Viator, and Vrbo, to enable day-one compatibility for Copilot's web task automation feature. However, it remains unclear how well Copilot performs various chores, as Microsoft did not provide detailed information on the capability's limitations or areas where human intervention may be necessary.

The upgrades come as Microsoft is reportedly considering a revamp of Copilot, which has historically been powered by AI models from OpenAI. Copilot has often lagged behind rivals ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, which have continued to roll out new features at a rapid pace in recent months. With these new upgrades, Microsoft aims to close the gap and make Copilot a more competitive and useful AI chatbot.

As Copilot continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how users respond to its new features and capabilities. With its improved memory and personalized capabilities, Copilot has the potential to become a more integral part of users' daily lives. However, it also raises concerns about privacy and the potential risks associated with a chatbot remembering intimate details about users. As the AI landscape continues to shift, it's essential to consider the implications of these advancements and ensure that they are developed with users' best interests in mind.