Mico

What is Mico?

Mico is a new expressive avatar introduced by Microsoft to enhance interactions with Copilot. This abstract blob-shaped avatar appears when you use your voice to interact with Copilot. Mico can change shape, emote, and react to conversations, making voice interactions feel more natural and engaging. The name Mico was chosen to reflect its role as an optional visual presence that listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions.

Benefits

Mico brings several benefits to users of Copilot:

• Natural Interaction: Mico's expressive animations and reactions make voice conversations with Copilot feel more natural and less awkward.
• Engaging Experience: The avatar's ability to emote and change colors creates a friendly and engaging experience.
• Reduced Barrier: By making voice interactions more comfortable, Mico helps reduce the barrier for people who might find it awkward to talk to their computer.
• Fun Interaction: Tapping on the Mico avatar multiple times can turn it into Clippy, adding a fun and nostalgic element to the experience.

Use Cases

Mico can be used in various scenarios where voice interaction with Copilot is beneficial:

• Personal Assistance: Mico can assist users in their daily tasks, making voice interactions more engaging and natural.
• Educational Settings: In classrooms, Mico can help students feel more comfortable using voice commands to interact with educational tools.
• Professional Environments: In work settings, Mico can make voice interactions with Copilot more engaging and less awkward, enhancing productivity.

Additional Information

In addition to the new Mico avatar, Microsoft is introducing several other features to make Copilot more sociable and easy to use:

• Copilot Groups: This feature allows up to 32 people to chat with Copilot at the same time. Users can invite others to their Copilot chat with an invite link, making it a collaborative tool for groups.
• Real Talk: This feature allows Copilot to push back and challenge assumptions made by humans, ensuring accuracy when discussing sensitive or personal topics.
• Copilot Health: This feature uses grounded health resources like Harvard Health to help generate replies and find the right doctors for medical or health questions quickly and easily.

All these new features are part of Copilot's Fall Release, aimed at enhancing the overall user experience.