Less than a year on, Microsoft tells Mico to pipe down
Copilot's gurning blob is leaving Voice for a new career in education
Less than a year after introducing the anthropomorphic assistant, Microsoft has decided to pull the plug on Mico. The company announced that its consumer and work Copilot applications would merge, and as part of this move, Mico would be transferred from Copilot Voice to Learn Live, a voice-based study mode. Mico was introduced to help make Microsoft AI more personable and expressive.
However, the company believes that Mico has more potential in Learn Live, where it can engage in tutoring sessions and learn more through interaction. Microsoft is phasing out Mico from Copilot Voice, but users can still interact with Copilot. The character will no longer be the face of Copilot Voice, sparing users from Mico's animated expressions.
Mico is the latest in a long line of anthropomorphic assistants from Microsoft, including Clippy, Cortana, and Microsoft Bob. However, Mico did not last as long as its predecessors, with Microsoft deciding to retire the character from the spotlight within a year of its introduction.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Less than a year on, Microsoft tells Mico to pipe down theregister.com
