The US technology company Microsoft has announced that it will equip its AI software Copilot with a range of new features. The so-called "Copilot" will not only provide summaries of current news in the future but will also be able to engage in conversations with people. An additional feature called "Copilot Vision" enables the AI to answer questions about the content currently displayed on a website.

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"This new functionality will initially be available only on selected websites. Microsoft emphasized that the data would not be permanently stored and also not used for training their AI models. The company had previously received criticism for a feature that created screen recordings to enable users to more quickly retrieve content. Privacy advocates had raised security concerns about this.

The expansions of Copilot are part of Microsoft's strategy to strengthen its position in competition with other technology giants like Google, Apple, Meta, and various AI startups. The software company had early on secured an advantage in the integration of AI technologies through a billion-dollar partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI.

While Apple and Google, due to their dominance in the smartphone market, can directly integrate AI features into their operating systems, Microsoft focuses on a closer intertwining of the software with its Windows PC platform. Thus, Copilot runs on mobile devices in a separate app, while the AI features are more deeply integrated into the Windows operating system on PCs.

Mustafa Suleyman, a prominent AI developer who recently moved from Inflection AI to Microsoft, explained the vision of a "AI companion for everyone" at the presentation of the new features. This digital assistant is not only supposed to help with everyday tasks such as scheduling appointments or taking notes during a doctor's visit, but also to provide advisory support for complex life decisions in the future. However, it will take years before such comprehensive support becomes a reality, Suleyman said.

The announcements from Microsoft could hardly boost the investors: The Microsoft stock listed on NASDAQ fell by 2.21 percent to $420.69. Market observers attribute the decline to concerns about rising costs in developing new AI features and the intense competition in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

With the new Copilot features, however, Microsoft emphasizes its claim to remain a leading provider in the growing AI sector and to convince users of an AI-supported future.