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Microsoft is testing out a feature for their Copilot AI assistant that gives it a more human presence during conversations: Portraits. The feature will be tested in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada via Copilot Labs.

What Are Portraits in Microsoft Copilot?

Portraits let users choose from 40 AI-generated avatars that can:

- Respond in real time with facial expressions and head movements

- Lip sync to match spoken responses

- Pair with different voices for a more natural, lifelike interaction

The avatars are powered by Microsoft’s VASA-1 technology, which generates realistic facial animations from a single image—without relying on complex 3D modelling.

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Why Microsoft Is Adding Portraits

According to Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, Portraits were developed after user feedback revealed people preferred engaging with an avatar with facial features instead of being presented only a voice response system. Microsoft intentionally designed its portraits not as photorealistic avatars and instead sought a balance between immersion and safety when creating its Portraits.

How Portraits Differ From Past Copilot Features

This isn’t Microsoft’s first attempt to make Copilot more approachable. In July, the company launched Copilot Appearances, which used cartoon-like blob avatars. Portraits take this a step further by offering more human-like, expressive characters, making interactions feel closer to a real conversation.

Safety and Availability

Microsoft is rolling out Portraits cautiously:

- Available only to a subset of adult users

- Daily usage limits in place

- On-screen reminders clearly indicate users are chatting with AI

Competing AI Avatars

As competition clamors to add similar features, Microsoft appears to be taking a cautious approach with their experiments - similar ones have already been undertaken by rival companies X (formerly Twitter) in creating 3D avatars for its Grok chatbot which have drawn mixed responses; their experiments focused on controlled use cases with built-in safety guidelines have drawn similar mixed reviews as those conducted by X.

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The Bigger Picture

Microsoft is taking steps to make AI more relatable and engaging while taking into account user preferences for human-like interactions through Portraits, with hopes that this feature could become part of Copilot as they expand their AI ecosystem.