Microsoft is finally putting all its Copilot pieces in one app, and an August launch puts it on a collision course with ChatGPT just in time for back-to-school season. This consolidation into a single app with different skills and functions morphed into one is the best approach, in my opinion. Anthropic (with Claude and Claude Code) and OpenAI (with ChatGPT and Codex) have both done this recently.
Avoiding a confusing and splintered experience now, I feel, is paramount for the larger AI companies. If you want adoption, don’t make it confusing to the end user. Tech is confusing enough. Know your audience as well. I don’t necessarily agree that “chat is dead.” Chat has its place with mainstream audiences. The more technical the audience, the more agentic and coding or CLI-based AI interactions make sense (although I do all of my vibe coding via typing a prompt).
Microsoft has been struggling to stay “in the game” from an AI perspective. They do have the luxury of Microsoft Office/Office 365 and that huge installed user base. It’s a perfect opportunity to embed Copilot deeper into the mix. I just hope that it is done gracefully and in a way that helps and not hinders.