Copilot gets GPT-4o update. Plus, 5 AI features that may blow you away

Microsoft steps it up a notch with Copilot.
 By 
Kimberly Gedeon
 on 
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Copilot being using on an image
Microsoft claims that the updated ChatGPT will quicken your workflow. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Before Build 2024, Microsoft unleashed a new set of Surface devices — Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 — with new capabilities from Copilot, an AI chatbot. As a cherry on top, the Redmond-based tech giant announced that GPT-4o is poised to underpin Copilot.

Which advantages will this Microsoft and OpenAI partnership bring to Copilot? Well, for one, at the Surface event on May 20, Microsoft boasted that users will have the opportunity to "share their screen" with Copilot. In one example, a man had Copilot watch him play Minecraft — and it give him tips, too.

Demo of Copilot guiding user on how to play Minecraft
Demo of Copilot guiding user on how to play Minecraft Credit: Microsoft

Copilot with GPT-4o will "soon be available," according to Microsoft, but even without GPT-4o's underlying influence, there are still some Copilot updates that will catch your eye.

1. Edit a photo without opening an app

Showing off Copilot's capabilities on a Surface device, Microsoft boasted that, with the AI chatbot, one can edit photo without needing to open an app.

Copilot demo with photos showing dog photo
Credit: Microsoft

In the demo, Microsoft boasted that you can click on a photo, and with Copilot integration, ask it to remove the background with a simple click.

2. Email and text notifications get summaries

You know those notifications you get on your desktop, whether it's a text or email?

Copilot demo with notifications
Credit: Microsoft

Well, with Copilot being your AI PC companion, it can give you a quick summary of those messages, so you can determine whether they're worth an urgent response.

3. Access anything you've ever seen on your PC with 'Recall'

Using the NPU that is packed inside the new Surface devices, the new AI-powered Recall feature lets users find anything that ever appeared on their screen by using natural language.

Recall demo at the Surface event on May 20
Credit: Microsoft

For example, let's say you were shopping for a new dress, and suddenly, you got sidetracked and forgot to bookmark your favorite one. With Recall, you can type something like "blue dress" and retrieve the webpage you failed to save in seconds.

4. Sketch with you

The Surface event briefly touched upon how Copilot can sketch with you. In the demo below, you can see a user sketching their own version of a house in the middle of nowhere.

Surface event demonstrated sketching with Copilot
Credit: Microsoft

Copilot can seemingly turn your humble sketch into a masterpiece. There is a sliding bar that lets you increase the "creativity" of your sketch and change the style of it, too (e.g., oil painting).

5. Live translation

Live translation demo for Copilot
Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft also boasted that Copilot has the ability to run real-time translation on videos, allowing users to translate a number of languages into English — with captions in tow.

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Topics Microsoft

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Kimberly Gedeon
East Coast Tech Editor

Kimberly Gedeon, at Mashable since 2023, is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She's drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it's a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.

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