Busy gamers will soon have yet another way to ignore Copilot, as Microsoft's push for features and tools powered by generative AI isn't showing any signs of slowing down, as the company Microsoft unveiled Copilot for Gaming today.
This new iteration of Copilot is explicitly geared towards Xbox players, focusing on creating an AI assistant accessible on mobile devices that claims to understand a player's needs.
Some examples given in "proof of concept" demonstrations for how Copilot for Gaming could be helpful to a player include having the player ask the chatbot to begin installing a game, or asking what was the last thing a player did in-game.
Other demonstrations include having Copilot for Gaming recommend a playable hero for someone to choose while playing Overwatch 2, or providing advice to a player starting their adventure in Minecraft.
Speaking on an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Fatima Kardar, Corporate Vice President of Gaming AI at Microsoft, noted that the team wants the experience to avoid being "intrusive" and that player feedback will be important in refining Copilot for Gaming.
Kardar also mentions that the team is looking into "what it means" to refer back to content that others have put out.
While Microsoft eventually intends to have Copilot for Gaming available across all parts of the Xbox ecosystem, it's rolling out slowly for now. It will first launch as a part of the Xbox mobile app, and members of the Xbox Insider Program will be able to test Copilot for Gaming through the app, starting at some point in April 2025.
I don't want to talk to my phone while I'm gaming
I get that different people play games differently, but little about this appeals to me. Sure, voice commands could provide some active assistance, but does someone need a chatbot telling them what character to pick in a game like Overwatch?
No matter if I'm by myself or chatting with friends, I don't want to yell at a screen (especially a second, smaller one) to get additional functionality or enjoyment out of what I'm playing.
Even with that aside, it's impossible for me to look at this and not see concerns with how Copilot for Gaming will reference existing work.
This is hardly a new problem, but brands that create step-by-step guides and feature explanations for games (including our team here at Windows Central) are already dealing with problems from AI-generated results erroneously repackaging and summarizing hand-written content.
Companies aren't going to stop exploring AI any time soon. Just recently, a now-removed video showed PlayStation experimenting with an AI-powered version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West.
We'll have to wait and see how Copilot for Gaming pans out. At the very least, players will soon be able to provide feedback to Microsoft directly.
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