Microsoft reincarnates Clippy for the AI age with Copilot Mico

You may have tried to forget Clippy, but Microsoft is still hanging doggedly on to the idea of character-based assistants. Having thrown everything at its AI assistant Copilot, the company is now giving it a friendly face – Mico.

As part of what it refers to as the Copilot Fall Release, Microsoft is trying to soften its artificial intelligence powered digital assistant and, by extension, people’s attitudes to it. This is the company moving towards making AI more personal, useful, and human-centered, and there is a lot of attention given to relationship.

Mico – a contraction of Microsoft Copilot – is designed to be an approachable, friendly, and relatable character. It gives a face, something more tangible, to the rather abstract and nebulous idea of a digital assistant, much like Clippy did all those years ago. This time round, however, there is a definite drive to make the avatar lovable rather than an object of ridicule.

Or, as Microsoft puts it:

The new Mico character – its name a nod to Microsoft Copilot – is expressive, customizable, and warm. This optional visual presence listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions, making voice conversations feel more natural. Mico shows support through animation and expressions, creating a friendly and engaging experience.

As well as the character, Microsoft is trying to make Copilot more personal and more adaptable to your needs and style. The company talks about it as though the tool is a supportive friend, coworker or parent:

Copilot is designed to be empathetic and supportive, not sycophantic. It will push back on you sometimes, but always respectfully. This is AI that listens. That learns. That earns your trust. 

You can see what Mico looks like in the image at the top of the page, but in the following video you can also get an idea of the kind of personality and character that Microsoft has tried to inject into it:

Microsoft is also updating the models used to power Copilot:

Separately, explore conversation styles like real talk, which offers a collaborative model that challenges assumptions with care, adapts to your vibe, and helps conversations spark growth and connection. 

Mico is optional, so if the avatar is not to your liking, you can continue to use Copilot without its presence. For now it is only available in the US; while this is not going to remain the case forever, Microsoft has not yet shared much specific information about when it plans to bring it to other regions. Canada and the UK are in line to get access "beyond the next few weeks”, but this is a bit vague, and there is no information about other countries.

The Copilot Fall Release includes quite a lot of other additions and changes. Microsoft says:

Copilot now has long term memory, helping you keep track of your thoughts and to-do list, almost like a second brain. With Memory & Personalization, you can ask Copilot to remember important information like training for a marathon or an anniversary, then recall it during future interactions. We’re also beginning to roll out the ability to reference past conversations, making it easier to pick up where you left off and reducing the need to repeat yourself. You’re always in control, with the ability to edit, update, or delete memories at any time.  

With connectors, Copilot brings more of your content within reach. By linking services like OneDrive, Outlook, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, Copilot makes it easy to search and find what you need across multiple accounts using natural language. You can locate documents, emails and calendar events. Privacy is built in with explicit consent required before any data access, and you remain in control of what’s connected and searchable. 

And with our Proactive Actions preview, currently rolling out in Deep Research, Copilot can surface timely insights and suggest next steps based on your recent activity or research threads. This helps you stay ahead without starting from scratch. It’s another way Copilot moves from reactive answers to proactive support, keeping your work moving forward effortlessly.

More details are available here.