- Microsoft recently updated its AI Copilot for consumers.
- It was is the first major release from Microsoft's new consumer AI org, under Mustafa Suleyman.
- Some employees and users have criticized the product refresh.
Microsoft updated a Copilot tool for consumers earlier this month. It was the first major product release from Mustafa Suleyman's new Microsoft AI group, and it's had a mixed reception so far.
Suleyman, who joined Microsoft from DeepMind earlier this year, described the Copilot refresh as the first step toward an AI companion that will "support you, teach you, and help you."
Some employees and users are saying the new version is worse than the previous incarnation, which was built before Suleyman arrived.
"Absolutely ruined," one person wrote on a private message board for Microsoft employees that's run by Blind. This platform requires staff to provide an official verified company email before being allowed to join.
"The new Copilot is a step backward," another person wrote in the Microsoft group on Blind, according to screenshots reviewed by Business Insider. "The new Copilot update is bad," another wrote.
App Store reviews
These comments are supported by public reviews of the Copilot app on Apple's App Store. Until this latest update, the product had largely favorable reviews, with an average of 4.8 stars out of 5 based on more than 100,000 ratings. But since the Oct. 1 refresh, the reviews have taken a negative turn, garnering more than 250 one-star reviews this month. That compares to only about 20 one-star ratings in September before the update.
"It was so good before updating to this version," one reviewer wrote. Another said the Copilot app is "dumbed down and less functional."
"Why release such an amazing app and then update it to what it is now?" a third reviewer wrote in the App Store.
High expectations
Microsoft hired Suleyman in March to oversee consumer AI products such as the Bing search engine and the Copilot AI chatbot. As the cofounder of AI pioneer DeepMind, there were high expectations for Suleyman's contributions.
This is just one of many projects he's working on, and some of the issues may be somewhat out of his control. New product updates can also suffer from early teething problems that can sometimes be ironed out later. Some users also react negatively when an app they've gotten used to suddenly changes.
"The new Copilot consumer app represents a fundamental shift, evolving from a transactional tool to a companion experience that is more conversational, where it's there to support you, guide you and help you solve less defined problems," Divya Kumar, general manager of Copilot and AI marketing, said in a statement to BI.
"We will add new features and functionality as we continue to listen to and address our customers' feedback," she added.
Multiple Copilots
On the Microsoft employee message board on Blind, some people compared the updated Copilot app for consumers to a different Copilot tool that's designed for corporate customers.
Microsoft has many versions of its Copilots. There are so many that one Microsoft executive told BI the company is struggling to educate customers on the differences between the tools.
For instance, Suleyman's consumer Copilot app is separate from an AI Copilot tool that Microsoft offers as part of its M365 suite of business software.
"The web tab M365 Copilot is way better," one of the people in the Microsoft Blind group wrote. "The M365 one is far superior," another person said.
"The productivity experiences people love are still available to use at work with Copilot in Microsoft 365," Kumar wrote in her statement to BI.
User feedback
In the public App Store reviews, users complained about several specific issues that have arisen since the consumer AI Copilot app was updated Oct. 1.
Some users wrote that the app freezes or is slow to respond. Others said the outputs seemed "dumber," with less information than the previous version. Real-time information, such as sports scores and local recommendations are missing now, or the app just says "Sorry, I can't help you with that" more often, according to the reviews.
Users also complained about the inability to delete old conversations. Some also disliked changes to the app's image feature, which previously generated four images per request and now only generates one.
A positive review
One positive review complimented the app's new user interface for being "designed for general users."
"Today, you are seeing the first careful steps in this direction with an emphasis on creating a simpler, calmer experience and giving everyone access to new Voice capabilities that unlock a new way of communicating with AI that's much more natural, and more fun," Kumar, the Microsoft general manager, said her statement.
More than one user appeared unimpressed with a move toward the Copilot becoming an "AI companion." This was an approach that Suleyman led at his previous startup, Inflection AI.
"It tries to be my friend when I need it to be a tool," one user wrote.
"I don't need an AI friend," another wrote. "I need a tool."
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