Is Copilot’s New Emoji-Style Avatar the Modern-Day Clippy? Microsoft Trials Copilot Appearance Feature.

As an elder millennial, I remember Clippy well. I don’t recall Microsoft Office’s animated paperclip fondly, but I will always hold onto those memories. The rarely helpful assistant would rise to offer suggestions while you worked in Microsoft Word, often slowing down the experience significantly. (At least, that’s how I remember Clippy.)

Now, Microsoft is exploring a new virtual assistant. While it may not be Clippy 2.0, the new Copilot Appearance experiment from Copilot Labs certainly gives off a nostalgic vibe. According to Microsoft, “Copilot Appearance is an experiment that gives you a new, visual way to chat with Copilot, powered by real-time expressions, voice, and conversational memory.”

Copilot, Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered AI assistant, is now available on various Windows laptops and products. With this new feature, you can give Copilot a delightful appearance — a marshmallow, emoji-like face.

Credit: Microsoft

Copilot users participating in the test can engage with the colorful face and watch it respond in real-time. Although AI chatbots have surged in popularity since the advent of ChatGPT, the typical experience remains primarily text and voice-based. There are AI avatars, like xAI’s new anime characters, that react to prompts, but this technology has lagged behind in accessibility until now.

Copilot Appearance could be a meaningful step toward making this technology more approachable. However, as anyone who has seen the movie *Her* is aware, anthropomorphizing AI chatbots has its complexities. By presenting an undeniably charming avatar, Microsoft may contribute to a broader acceptance of this trend, with both its advantages and challenges. Importantly, the new face for Copilot does not yet have a name, but that may not deter creativity in nicknaming. Clippy’s official title was Clippit, but that is a memory few hold.

### How to activate Copilot Appearance
Currently, Copilot Appearance is available to select users in the United States, the UK, and Canada, as part of the Copilot Labs program. According to Microsoft, accessing this feature is simple:
1. Enter Voice mode
2. Navigate to the “Voice settings” menu
3. Toggle on Copilot Appearance

Should you not see an option for Copilot Appearance, it may mean you don’t have access to this enlightened new feature.

### Topics
– Artificial Intelligence
– Microsoft