We've used the term "assistant" rather loosely over the past few years. In part, that's due to the aspirational marketing of companies like Google and its "Google Assistant," which has provided answers to spoken questions and not much more. And we will tolerate those machines anticipating some of our preferences: autofilling commands, suggesting movies, and even automatically ordering refills as we run out of ink or milk. Knowing that we typically order orange chicken over chow mein? OK, fine.
Copilot wants to know all about you
Microsoft's, um, thinking different. It wants to proactively offer you reminders and suggestions. How? By assigning a Copilot a "memory": your nephew's birthday and what gifts he might like, the foods you enjoy, and what movies you like. It all sounds very much like an advertising profile, and that's probably what it is.
And if Microsoft's Copilot starts to recognize you as a person, Microsoft hopes you might begin to think of Copilot as a unique individual, too.
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