Summary
- Microsoft is adding Copilot recommendations to Windows 11’s Start menu.
- The company is trying to push Copilot as its next big subscription service.
- Microsoft is heavily promoting Copilot across its Windows user base.
When Microsoft first started rolling out Copilot, it felt like the AI assistant was everywhere. However, as time goes on, the Redmond giant finds new and inventive ways to show us Copilot in the hopes that we’ll use it. For a while, the Start menu was a safe haven away from Microsoft’s LLM; unfortunately, it seems that an upcoming update will change that.
PhantomOfEarth made this discovery on X, who has been rifling through the recent insider builds for Windows 11 and showing us what Microsoft is cooking under the hood. Some of it is good; for instance, Phantom spotted an update to the Snipping Tool and additions to File Explorer’s Home page.
But it’s not all good news. Phantom came to us with the grave news that the Start menu has finally fallen to the encroaching, unstoppable tide of Copilot. Microsoft is working on an update where it will subtly ask you to use Copilot in the Start menu:
In the screenshots PhantomOfEarth provides, the Start menu asks you to try out Copilot to write a first draft, explore a topic, ask a work-related question, and…write a first draft again. Yes, it seems the recommendation asks you if you want to write a first draft in two different ways, which is pretty odd.
Microsoft’s Copilot is the company’s next big thing, and it wants you to subscribe to it
Unfortunately, it’s not exactly surprising to see this, given that Microsoft has gone all-in on Copilot. The company has recently seen a ton of layoffs despite boasting about billions in profit, and one person claims the layoffs are due to the company’s fixation with AI. However, Microsoft has sunk a ton of time and money into its venture, so it’s eyeing its Windows user base as potential Copilot Pro subscribers to help it spread out the costs.
From a purely anecdotal point of view, I haven’t seen many people praise Copilot; it’s usually ChatGPT that gets all the glory. However, that’s likely not going to deter Microsoft. If you’re going to stick with Windows for the time being, be ready for Copilot ads, recommendations, and tools coming your way in the future as the company tries to prove its worth to you in the hopes you’ll subscribe for more features. As for me, I’m ducking out of this one.