Microsoft Copilot vs. ChatGPT: The Battle for AI-Powered Chatbot Dominance
Generative AI has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with big players like OpenAI and Microsoft investing heavily in this technology. As a result, AI-powered chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT have gained significant attention.
Microsoft has been actively integrating AI into its products and services, and their latest addition is the Copilot system, aimed at enhancing the user experience. Microsoft Copilot, which was previously known as Bing Chat, utilizes the same technology as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Although both chatbots are quite similar overall, there are subtle differences between them.
One notable difference is that ChatGPT comes with more powerful integrations and plugins compared to Microsoft Copilot. Additionally, Microsoft Copilot imposes a cap that limits chat messages to 4,000 characters. Despite these variances, Microsoft recently launched the Copilot app for iOS and Android users, and it is available for free.
The Copilot app incorporates the advanced DALL-E 3 technology and OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. Interestingly, ChatGPT also utilizes the same language model. This strategic move by Microsoft begs the question of whether they are trying to entice ChatGPT users to transition to Microsoft Copilot.
Microsoft offers users access to a wide range of features that are also available in OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, the key distinction is that Microsoft provides these features free of charge, while OpenAI has placed most of ChatGPT’s important features behind a $20 subscription.
Based on this information, one would assume that most users would prefer to switch to Microsoft Copilot, as it offers nearly all the features found in ChatGPT without the need for a costly subscription. Surprisingly, this is not the case.
According to a report by App Store intelligence provider Appfigures, the launch of the Copilot app for iOS and Android users has not impacted ChatGPT’s revenue or installs. Appfigures attributes the slow adoption of Microsoft Copilot to poor promotion practices and a subtle launch by Microsoft. They point out that Microsoft failed to use Search Ads to boost the discoverability of the app on the App Store and Google Play Store.
The report states that as of January 5, 2023, a total of 2.1 million users had downloaded the Copilot app, with 59% of the downloads coming from Android users and 41% from iOS users. In contrast, ChatGPT’s downloads have decreased significantly since its initial launch, with only 500,000 downloads in the first few days. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including reports of its diminishing performance, a loss of user interest, and rumors of OpenAI’s financial challenges.
Despite experiencing a dip in downloads, ChatGPT still boasts a larger user base compared to Microsoft Copilot, as its downloads have seemingly stabilized. Appfigures suggests that Microsoft Copilot’s underwhelming launch has not directly impacted the downloads of ChatGPT.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently celebrated ChatGPT’s first anniversary, highlighting its accomplishments, including generating $30 million in revenue from its mobile apps. It remains uncertain what steps Microsoft will take to address the situation.
In August 2023, a report claimed that despite Microsoft’s multi-billion investment in OpenAI’s technology, Bing’s market share remained stagnant. Microsoft refuted the findings, stating that the report’s figures were inaccurate and did not reflect the actual usage. The report also noted a surge in Bing’s usage, reaching 101.7 million during the launch of Microsoft Copilot in February.
This indicates that there is still significant interest among users in AI technology. Perhaps Microsoft has some strategies up its sleeve to revitalize the Copilot app’s performance on mobile devices.
Which chatbot do you prefer, Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
