Zune, Windows Phone, Microsoft Band; there are eras of Microsoft that the firm promised to be devoted platforms only to be dismantled just a few years later. And while efforts are still present from the firm on select products, the firm still makes the same promises. In gaming it’s no different. Previously, we saw this with a HoloLens Pokémon Go demo back in 2021, however, this has yet to be officially realized since then.

Currently, Microsoft’s biggest push is towards artificial intelligence. It’s hard to miss this new endeavor with applications like ChatGPT all over social media. And with Microsoft investing billions into this project, there are even plans to integrate it into Xbox. The Verge reported that it is planning to release a Chatbot for consumers on console at some point.

Now in a new Microsoft Surface Copilot + PC Event, Microsoft showcased using Copilot AI while playing Minecraft (thanks, @richontech). According to Windows Central, it is expected that more Xbox games across console & PC could face the same support. The outlet even reveals an image for Sea of Thieves with Copilot. 

In the presentation, the demonstrator asked Copilot AI how to craft a sword. As a response, the AI responded noting the current items in the inventory and listed all possible ingredients necessary to make a sword in-game. Atop of assisting users, Microsoft was reported to also emphasize on privacy; namely that user data is to remain ‘on-device’ unless agreed to be tooled to train the AI’s language model.

Arguably, the biggest concern from the presentations how effective this will be if executed by Microsoft. Although a helpful tool for those in a knot when playing, there’s a greater issue potentially down the road. In that, it is suggested that how-to tutorials & content creators could be overshadowed by Copilot if it receives the support for widespread integration.

What are your thoughts for Copilot in gaming?