July 26 - Technology media outlet NeoWin published a blog post yesterday, July 25, reporting thatMicrosoftLaunched Copilot Appearance, which gives AI chatbots a visual character with expressions, reactions, and emotions.
Note: Microsoft is only inviting users in the U.S., U.K., and Canada to try the test, and promises to expand to other countries and regions around the world as soon as possible.
Copilot already has regular conversational capabilities, but previously lacked any visual cues or non-verbal communication, leaving users with only abstract animations on their screens. And now with Copilot Appearance, Microsoft is enhancing the voice dialog experience with real-time visual expressions.
Unfortunately, Copilot Appearance isn't Clippy 2.0. for now it's an abstract Blob shape that can take on different shapes, express emotions, and nod in agreement. The concept is similar to the Grok AI companion offered by xAI, which costs $300 per month, but Microsoft's approach is more low-key and conventional.
On the official Copilot Labs website, Microsoft describes Copilot Appearance as "an experiment to incorporate more visual, interactive experiences into Copilot".