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from the no-matter-how-many-bullets-you-put-in-it-keeps-coming-back dept.
Copilot now has its own virtual character for its voice mode:
It's been nearly 30 years since Microsoft's Office assistant, Clippy, first graced our screens as an annoying paperclip. After the Groucho-browed interruptions of Clippy came to an end in 2001 with Office XP, Microsoft tried to revive the spirit of an assistant with Cortana on Windows Phone. The technology still wasn't quite there a decade ago, but now Microsoft is ready to try again with Mico, a new character for Copilot's voice mode.
"Clippy walked so that we could run," jokes Jacob Andreou, corporate VP of product and growth at Microsoft AI, in an interview with The Verge. Microsoft has been testing Mico (rhymes with "pico") for a few months now, as a virtual character that responds with real-time expressions when you talk to it. Mico is now being turned on by default in Copilot's voice mode, where you'll also have the option to turn the bouncing orb off.
"You can see it, it reacts as you speak to it, and if you talk about something sad you'll see its facial expressions react almost immediately," explains Andreou. "All the technology fades into the background, and you just start talking to this cute orb and build this connection with it."
Mico will only be available in the US at launch, and this new Copilot virtual character will also rely on a new memory feature inside Copilot to be able to surface facts it has learned about you and the things you're working on.
Microsoft is also adding a Learn Live mode to Mico that will turn the character into a Socratic tutor that "guides you through concepts instead of just giving answers." It even uses interactive whiteboards and visual cues, and looks like it's targeted at students preparing for finals or anyone trying to practice a new language.
[...] Mico also forms a key part of Microsoft's new initiative to get people to talk to their computers. The software maker is running ads on TV marketing the latest Windows 11 PCs as "the computer you can talk to." Microsoft tried to convince people to use Cortana on Windows 10 PCs a decade ago, and that effort ended in the Cortana app being shut down on Windows 11 a couple of years ago.
(Score: 5, Funny) by corey on Saturday October 25 2025, @11:21PM (6 children)
This actually reminds me of Star Trek IV The Return Home. Where they go back in time and in a scene, Scotty tries to talk to the computer, which doesn’t work so he picks up turn mouse and talks into that.
Honestly, this is another time where Microsoft invents something to foist onto users, without it being something they actually want or requested. I predict it’ll be a flop, like clippy, because most users are trying to get something done (work, writing, web browsing, video editing etc), and to have some talking orb bullshit is going to annoy just about everyone. Even if it’s cute and reacts.
> "You can see it, it reacts as you speak to it, and if you talk about something sad you'll see its facial expressions react almost immediately," explains Andreou. "All the technology fades into the background, and you just start talking to this cute orb and build this connection with it."
How does this align with what I said above re people using their PCs for a functional purpose? None.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by lonehighway on Sunday October 26 2025, @04:20PM (2 children)
The thing that cracked me up in that scene was when talking to the mouse didn’t work he started typing 90 WPM on a QWERTY keyboard which he would have never seen in his life. Not to mention the software was unlikely to recognize whatever complex formula he was typing.
(Score: 2) by corey on Sunday October 26 2025, @07:47PM
True. That’s the point where I think, well, it’s just a movie. 😀 Most movies seem to be in an alternate reality which doesn’t have Windows, where computers are way more useful and quick to interact with.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by acid andy on Sunday October 26 2025, @08:07PM
Yeah it's still completely awesome though! That movie is a lot of fun.
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Sunday October 26 2025, @08:04PM (2 children)
Yep I thought of that too. This is at least the third time Star Trek IV and V have been mentioned in the comments in the past three months. I really must rewatch all the films soon.
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Ingar on Monday October 27 2025, @06:55AM (1 child)
There's no need to watch Star Trek V.
Love is a three-edged sword: heart, soul, and reality.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Monday October 27 2025, @10:36AM
We discussed [soylentnews.org] that here [soylentnews.org] and decided it is not all that bad and has some interesting ideas.
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.