- By Prateek Levi
- Sat, 26 Jul 2025 05:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Microsoft is bringing a more human touch to its AI assistant, Copilot, by giving it a face—literally. As part of a new experimental feature called Copilot Appearance, users can now interact with the chatbot in a more visual, expressive way. The update, currently available in Copilot Labs as an early preview, introduces real-time facial expressions and gestures to the AI’s voice mode.
Instead of the traditional static chatbot experience, Copilot can now smile, nod, and gesture in response to your voice commands. It’s designed to create a more natural and lifelike interaction between users and Microsoft’s AI.
How It Works
To try it out, users need to enter Voice mode by clicking the microphone icon in Copilot. From there, they can access Voice Settings and toggle on “Copilot Appearance.” Once activated, Copilot will begin reacting visually to your voice input, whether you're asking a question or simply saying “hi.”
While Copilot will still speak in the voice you’ve chosen, it now also adds non-verbal cues and conversational memory, making the experience feel less robotic and more like chatting with a digital companion.
Where You Can Try It
As of now, this feature appears to be exclusive to the web version of Copilot. Microsoft hasn’t announced any immediate plans to bring Copilot Appearance to its Windows or mobile apps.
Availability is also limited geographically—only users in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada currently have access to the preview. A global rollout has not yet been confirmed.
Microsoft’s Vision for Copilot
Microsoft has been actively reshaping Copilot to feel more personal and human over time. Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, shared more about this direction during a recent appearance on The Colin & Samir Show, saying:
“Copilot will certainly have a kind of permanent identity, a presence, and it will have a room that it lives in, and it will age.”
Suleyman had also briefly showcased Copilot Appearance earlier this year during Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary event, offering an early glimpse of what was to come.
From Clippy to Copilot
This isn’t Microsoft’s first attempt at giving its digital assistants a personality. Long-time users might remember Clippy, the animated paperclip assistant that was once a staple of Microsoft Office. While Clippy was widely known, it was often viewed as annoying or unhelpful—something Microsoft seems keen to move past with this new generation of AI.
ALSO READ: Google Opal: AI-Powered Vibe-Coding Tool For Web App Creation
With Copilot Appearance, Microsoft appears to be merging the efficiency of generative AI with a more emotionally intelligent user experience, setting the stage for a more interactive and engaging assistant that feels less like a bot and more like a companion.