Microsoft’s recent launch of the Copilot app for iOS marks a significant milestone in the evolution of artificial intelligence applications. Following its successful debut on Android, Copilot is now available to iPhone and iPad users through the Apple App Store. This innovative app harnesses the remarkable capabilities of GPT-4 and DALL-E 3 technologies, offering a wide range of AI-powered functionalities.
Copilot App Experience: Queries, Languages, and Limitations
Microsoft’s Copilot, previously known as Bing Chat, is redefining user interactions with AI, offering a range of capabilities from text creation to image generation, all without any cost. Copilot stands out in the AI landscape by enabling users to perform a variety of tasks such as creating text, answering queries, summarizing texts, and even writing essays and poems. It is compatible with devices running iOS 15 or later, and there’s also a version for Mac, specifically for Apple Silicon models on macOS 12.0 or later.
The app boasts a clean and intuitive user interface, a significant improvement over its earlier integration with Bing. Its simple yet effective design focuses on a prominent chat feature, making it a breeze for users to interact with the AI assistant. The platform’s integration with the DALL-E 3 image generator allows users to create vivid images from text descriptions. Moreover, the app offers free access to OpenAI’s GPT-4, the latest large language model known for its advanced capabilities. However, the app limits interactions to 30 responses at a time, and users must enable GPT-4 within the app to utilize its full potential.
One notable limitation I experienced during my conversation with Copilot was slower response time. While ChatGPT is known for its fast response times, regardless of the length or complexity of the query, Copilot’s response time, in comparison, was slower. However, this absence of a faster response time is compensated by its free access to GPT-4, a premium feature in ChatGPT. Unlike ChatGPT, the Copilot app provides free access to GPT-4, which is a paid feature in the OpenAI-owned AI chatbot.
Furthermore, adding to its versatility, Copilot on iOS allows users to type or speak their requests, to which the app responds with accurate and contextually relevant outputs. This flexibility in interaction—whether through typing or voice commands—adds to the app’s accessibility and appeal.
During my exploration of Copilot, I tested its functionality by asking various questions including some basic ones like “what is weather of Bhopal?”, “what is happening in the news?”, etc. I also made some quirky requests like “show me something cool”, “what is is my horoscope?” and “can you sing a song for me?”. The app proficiently provided real-time information and suggested follow-up questions like “what is the best time to visit Bhopal?”, “some popular tourist attractions in Bhopal”, etc. All-in-all, providing an enhanced interactive experience. However, Copilot did disappoint me when I asked it to sing a song for me and instead, it suggested a list of songs sung by famous artists like Arijit Singh, Jubin Nautiyal, etc. (pun intended).
Talking about image inputs, the Copilot app gives the option to upload an image from the device’s gallery or click it directly from the camera. When I uploaded an image, the AI app prompted me to ask anything (until it was within 2000 words). I asked about its interpretation of the image; which it described that the image shows a person holding a thermometer displaying a temperature of 102.3°F and suggested causes of fever and precautions to take during that time. My intrusive thoughts pushed me to ask questions like what’s the location from which the image was taken and the chatbot denied answering it citing privacy-related guidelines.
Another fun part of my experience with the Copilot chatbot was talking to it in other languages like Hindi. Humorously, I asked it to change to a male/female tone or change its accent to Indian. And not to my surprise, the AI chatbot replied “I’m sorry, but I am not capable of changing my voice to a male voice. I am a chatbot and do not have a physical form” and directed me to other bots with whom I can converse in different voices.
Apart from English and Hindi, Copilot can communicate in Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Marathi, Norsk Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Urdu.
In addition to its core functionalities, Microsoft has partnered with Suno, an AI-powered music creation service, to enhance Copilot’s creative capabilities. This feature, accessible on Copilot’s web version, allows users to compose their own music, though it requires signing in with a Microsoft account.
In summary, Copilot’s approach to AI is distinct from other AI chatbots like Google Bard, focusing more on information search and handling concise content like drafting emails and shorter articles. This strategic positioning, combined with the free access to GPT-4, positions Copilot as a strong contender in the AI chatbot space. Microsoft’s commitment to developing a standalone experience for Copilot, separate from Bing, reflects the company’s vision for the future of AI interactions and its potential to revolutionize how we engage with digital assistants.
Microsoft Copilot for iOS (or for that matter Android) is not just an AI chatbot; it’s a testament to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in our daily lives. Its integration with iOS devices opens up new avenues for users to interact with AI in a more personal and intuitive manner. It is noteworthy that he Microsoft Copilot app does not exhibit significant differences across iOS and Android platforms in terms of core functionality. Both versions are designed to leverage the unique aspects and user interfaces of iOS and Android systems, ensuring a seamless user experience on each platform. As AI technology continues to evolve, Copilot’s role in enhancing productivity and creativity is likely to grow, making it an indispensable tool in the digital age.
