Microsoft has recently announced a rebranding effort for its AI-powered chatbot, formerly known as Bing Chat. The chatbot will now be called Copilot and aims to compete with OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT. The decision to rebrand came after OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT has a weekly user base of 100 million people.
Colette Stallbaumer, General Manager of Microsoft 365, clarified the shift, stating that Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise will now be known as Copilot. This move follows Microsoft’s earlier decision to adopt the Copilot name for its chatbot within Windows 11, indicating the company’s intention to establish Copilot as the go-to option in the competitive AI assistant market.
With the rebranding, Copilot will be presented as the free version of Microsoft’s AI chatbot, while Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be the paid option. The free Copilot service will remain accessible in Bing and Windows, with its dedicated domain at copilot.microsoft.com, mirroring ChatGPT’s structure.
To access Copilot, business accounts will require an Entra ID, while consumers will need a Microsoft Account. Currently, Microsoft Copilot is officially supported only on Microsoft Edge or Chrome, and on Windows or macOS.
Microsoft initially introduced Bing Chat earlier this year as an AI-powered copilot for the web, but the rebranding marks a departure from Bing as the main entry point for Microsoft’s AI initiatives. Despite this, Microsoft emphasizes that Bing remains an integral part of Copilot and continues to be a leader in the search industry.
The decision to shift away from Bing may raise questions about the success of Microsoft’s initial push for AI search. StatCounter reported that Google still maintains over 91 percent market share, despite Microsoft’s efforts. However, the evolution of Copilot and its competition with ChatGPT could potentially reshape Microsoft’s position in the AI landscape.
Overall, Microsoft’s rebranding of Bing Chat to Copilot reflects the company’s ambition to establish itself as a prominent player in the AI assistant market, while also acknowledging the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. With this strategic move, Microsoft aims to offer both consumers and businesses a comprehensive AI assistant experience with Copilot.
