Microsoft reveals rebranding and the release of its new AI features in its upcoming Copilot event on September 16th

Microsoft has been fairly quiet on the Microsoft Copilot front, especially after Microsoft pulled the brakes on its Copilot AI following the backlash that the company has gotten for its AI program. Microsoft previously said that it will slow down the integration of new experience for Copilot in windows to refine the user experience before pushing the product out again.

Now Microsoft is finally ready to announce the new phase of their Copilot innovation on the 16th of September. The event will be hosted by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella alongside Microsoft VP of AI Jared Spataro.

Major rebranding of Copilot to integrate 365 tools

Microsoft hasn't explicitly described what the Wave 2 Copilot event is going to be, but according to insider scoop, the event could be a major rebranding of Copilot in the most Microsoft way possible. For example, Copilot will be rebranded as "Copilo as Microsoft 365 Copilot," which would be befitting when Copilot integrates its proprietary apps like Words into Copilot.

Microsoft is likely making this move to keep Copilot competitive, and it's expected they'll announce the change at the event.

More than Just a Rebrand

Needless to say, rebranding will be a significant theme of the event. But fans can also expect Microsoft to unveil some of its new AI features that it has installed for Microsoft 365 tools.

Some have speculated that with the introduction of the new AI features, the company would be able to justify to its user the $30 per user per month subscription plan of its office apps and beyond. Just like Microsoft, Canva also performed the same trick; using the new AI features to justify its massive price hike.

Unfortunately, Canva failed in its quest to convince its customer. So I think it would also be interesting if Microsoft had a chance to do a better job at convincing their customers to subscribe to their plans.

The goal is likely to attract more businesses to its $30 per user per month subscription plan for the Copilot AI features integrated into Office apps and beyond. Although these AI tools were made available earlier this year, there’s ongoing debate among businesses about whether the steep monthly cost is justified.

Additionally, we might see announcements related to Copilot Pro, Microsoft's consumer-focused AI subscription, which costs $20 per month. Copilot Pro offers similar features to the business subscription but has received few updates since its launch. In fact, Microsoft removed the GPT Builder feature from Copilot Pro in June, raising questions about its future feature set.

Putting their controversy to rest?

Another interesting thing to look out for in this event is the controversial recall feature. The feature has been flamed by users for constantly taking photos and records of what the users are doing on their laptop.

Shortly after the release of the feature, it was recalled due to the hit it was getting. As it turns out, Microsoft says that it would be releasing the recall feature again in October. So I would be curious if Microsoft had any new updates or improvements on the feature or would they even get it right this time.

Microsoft also released another AI feature called Intelligent Media Search, which has the same functionality and purpose as the recall feature, whilst they both might be slightly different. I think users can also look forward to updates on that feature as well.

Event Details

Microsoft's Copilot event will take place on Monday, September 16th, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, and The Verge will provide live coverage, keeping you updated with all the latest announcements on Microsoft's AI assistant.