Greetings from NYC. When I was in Bangkok a few weeks ago, I was a guest on my friend Ronen Mense's podcast, The Epicenter. . They named our episode AI or Die! I'm not sure that's an actual choice, but it was a fun conversation.
In the news: Microsoft updated its Copilot AI across web, mobile, and desktop platforms, introducing a user-friendly interface and new features like Copilot Voice, which enables conversational interaction with the AI assistant. Additionally, Copilot can be accessed via WhatsApp, offering an alternative to Meta's AI assistant.
Microsoft also launched Copilot Labs for Copilot Pro subscribers, introducing experimental features like Copilot Vision (which allows AI to interact with what users view in Edge) and Think Deeper (which enhances the AI's capability to tackle complex problems). These features are opt-in and designed to ensure user data privacy, with Microsoft committing to delete all session data upon completion.
In response to past security concerns – notably with the Recall feature – Microsoft's Corporate VP Windows, Pavan Davuluri, said, "We have gone above and beyond to create [user] confidence by establishing new security standards for Recall." Acknowledging that they have trust issues is a nice first step, but Redmond's friends are not alone. We (all of us) are going to have to decide how much of our data we are willing to share/give to our AI assistants in our modern-day deal with the data devil.
The rollout of these features is staggered, with Copilot Voice and Daily available today in select English-speaking countries. Copilot Vision and Think Deeper will be available to limited Copilot Pro subscribers in the coming days. Copilot Daily is currently operational only in the US and UK.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
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