I’m old enough to remember the browser wars of the 1990s, when Microsoft and Netscape clashed for dominance with Internet Explorer and Navigator. Microsoft ultimately triumphed, largely by bundling IE for free with every Windows PC. Fast forward to 2024 and AI is the new battlefront. Will history repeat itself with Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot?

We’re familiar with AI assistants like Siri and Alexa helping us with everyday tasks – setting alarms, controlling smart homes, playing music and answering questions. But a new breed of AI called “generative AI” is emerging. Trained on massive amounts of data, these “Large Language Models” (LLMs) can tackle diverse tasks:

• Creative writing: From stories to poems to scripts, they can unleash your inner bard. They’ll rewrite your text in a different style and proofread it too.
• Informative answers: Don’t struggle through dense articles; get the gist in seconds.
• Search revolutionised: No more wading through mountains of links; key information is presented in concise summaries.
• Idea generation: SMART motivational goals, subjects for your blog or even recipes for supper; they’re never short of a suggestion.
• Image generation: let your imagination run wild!

OpenAI’s ChatGPT paved the way for this revolution. Its success spurred others to join the race, some building upon OpenAI’s LLM, with others, like Google’s Bard (renamed Gemini in February 2024), developing their own. Each has its strengths and weaknesses so it’s worth experimenting. Visit tech.co to find your favourite and learn how to create great text and image prompts on LinkedIn and TechRepublic. I mostly use you.com, perplexity.ai and Google’s Gemini. And for images – because it’s free and easy – yes, I use Copilot.

Back to the beginning

This brings me back to the beginning. As in the browser wars, Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to establish Copilot’s dominance. Notice the new icon on your Windows 11 taskbar? That’s the gateway to the Copilot sidebar which offers all the features of competitor AIs, including image generation, in one easy interface.

But Microsoft doesn’t stop there. In January, they announced that “a new Copilot key will ship on a variety of new PCs and laptops” (The Verge). Microsoft’s ambitions for Copilot go beyond a standalone assistant. “Microsoft wants Copilot to be at the heart of your Windows experience.” It “will be able to communicate across all of Microsoft’s applications, tapping into your files, Microsoft 365 activity and your phone’s text conversations.” (Tom’s Guide). Privacy concerns, naturally, abound.

Microsoft still fights the browser wars: surprise, surprise, all links in the Copilot sidebar open in Microsoft Edge, not in your default browser. Only time will tell if history repeats itself in the AI wars, but one thing’s for sure: the battle for AI supremacy is heating up and Microsoft is going all out to win that too.

Some of my Copilot creations

Slide 1

The author – on Mars!

A photorealistic picture of a woman sitting at a computer writing an article. She is annoyed and drowning in information. On the screen are lots of windows open. Behind her is a robot pointing a finger at the screen. The woman is blonde. There is a cup of coffee in a red mug on her desk. The view out of the window is of Mars. There is also a penguin skiing down a mountain outside the window.

Slide 1

French pavement café

A watercolour of a french pavement cafe. There is a woman sitting at the table drinking rose wine and reading a book. On the table is a vase of lavender.

Slide 1

Wild and wacky AI art

A yacht on a stormy sea. The sky is vermillion. Leaping from the waves is a tiger. On a nearby island, a penguin is having a barbecue.

Slide 1

Smart otter

An otter playing chess on Saturn in anime style

Slide 1

Beach house

A girl sitting on the porch of a beach cottage. There is a fire in the background and she is drinking a glass of prosecco.

Slide 1

Beach house with a cat

A girl sitting on the porch of a beach cottage. There is a fire in the background and she is drinking a glass of prosecco. Add a cat to the picture.

Slide 1

Underwater football (anime)

Two boys playing football in a forest under the ocean (anime).

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Underwater football (cartoon)

Two boys playing football in a forest under the ocean (cartoon style).

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Martian skiing

A penguin skiing on Mars.

Slide 1

Childhood imagination

A blue and green creature that lives under the sea.

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Mont St Michel

Mont St Michel in the snow. The buildings are covered in sparkling frost and there is an ethereal feeling in the air. It is night and there are stars in the sky.

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Dali forest

A stream running through a forest. There are stars in the sky and frost on the ground. Style of Dali.

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Old Winchester

Winchester in the year 1700. Style of Hogarth.

Note how the AI has, with no prompting, incorporated Winchester Cathedral and St Catherine’s Hill.

Slide 1

Chocolate cake

A huge chocolate cake.

Microsoft Designer

It’s now June – just a few months since I wrote this article – and I need give you a quick update.

Despite Microsoft Edge still advertising Copilot’s image creation, you’ll find if you try it that it no longer works. That’s because, with no fanfare, Microsoft have moved the image creation into Microsoft Designer.