Microsoft announced an overhaul of its Copilot service for web users, featuring a fresh design and enhanced image-editing capabilities. The tech giant reported that the platform has already produced over five billion images.
With its updated look, the Copilot platform now provides a sleeker design that Microsoft claims improves user interaction for chatting. Notably, the revamped interface introduces a carousel of prompt suggestions to inspire users.
The improvements in Copilot also extend to its image generation capabilities, according to Microsoft. Users have the capability to not only craft images but also modify them in real-time, allowing for actions like object highlighting, background blurring, or the application of various effects, including pixel art, to their creations.
Copilot originally launched with free image generation and these upgrades continue to be free to this day, similar to Google Bard but unlike ChatGPT. But for paid users, Microsoft has added more features such as easy adjustments to an image’s aspect ratio within the chat menu, letting users select between portrait and landscape formats. Microsoft is set to further enrich the platform by incorporating “Designer GPT” into Copilot, broadening the spectrum of image customization possibilities for users.
In disclosures from Microsoft, it’s revealed that users have participated in five billion chats and produced five billion images since the platform’s inception roughly a year ago. Notably, this surge has contributed to the “sustained growth” observed in both the Microsoft Edge browser and Bing search engine.
However, despite Microsoft’s concerted efforts, Google maintains an iron grip on the search engine landscape. This dominance persists, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella conceding during legal proceedings that the company had overestimated Bing Chat’s potential as a challenger to established search engines.
Microsoft’s strategic moves, highlighted by the subtle redesign of Copilot and a high-profile Super Bowl ad, underscore the company’s ongoing commitment to advancing generative AI, with Copilot products taking center stage. However, the ad’s narrative pivots towards productivity and creativity rather than internet search.
In recent developments, Microsoft has forged multiple partnerships with news organizations, signaling a concerted effort to integrate generative AI into newsrooms. This initiative aims to aid journalists in tasks such as research, source identification, translation, and more, showcasing the expanding utility of AI in diverse professional settings.
