Microsoft to Integrate Copilot AI into Xbox App and Games Soon

As part of Microsoft's continuous push to integrate artificial intelligence across its products, the company is set to enhance your Xbox gaming experience with its AI Copilot. This innovative feature aims to provide gaming advice, help you recall your last gaming session, and carry out various other tasks to enrich your playtime.

Microsoft has announced that Copilot for gaming will soon be available for testing among Xbox Insiders through the Xbox mobile app. For those unfamiliar, Copilot is Microsoft's AI chatbot that succeeded Cortana in 2023 and is currently integrated into Windows. At its launch, the gaming version of Copilot will offer several features, including the ability to install games on your Xbox remotely—a function you can already perform with a single button press in the app. Additionally, you can inquire about your gaming history, achievements, library, or get recommendations on what to play next. You'll have the convenience of interacting with Copilot for Gaming directly on the Xbox app during your gameplay, receiving responses similar to those provided by Copilot on Windows.

One of the most significant features highlighted by Microsoft at launch is the use of Copilot as a gaming assistant. You can currently ask Copilot gaming-related questions on your PC, such as strategies to defeat a boss or solve a puzzle, and it will pull answers from Bing, referencing various online guides, websites, wikis, and forums. Soon, this functionality will extend to the Xbox app, enabling you to seek advice during your gaming sessions.

"Our goal is to have Copilot for Gaming source the most accurate game knowledge — so we are working with game studios to make sure the information Copilot surfaces reflects their vision, and Copilot will refer players back to the original source of the information," Microsoft stated.

Microsoft isn't stopping at these initial features. In a press briefing, spokespeople discussed potential future applications for Copilot in video games. These include serving as a walkthrough assistant to clarify basic game functions, remembering item locations within games, or suggesting new items to find. Additionally, Copilot could act as a strategic advisor in competitive games, offering real-time tips to counter opponents' moves or explaining gameplay dynamics post-engagement. While these are currently just ideas, Microsoft is clearly committed to deeply integrating Copilot into the Xbox gaming experience. They also confirmed plans to collaborate with both first-party and third-party studios to enhance game integration.

Regarding user privacy, I asked Microsoft about the opt-in or opt-out nature of Copilot gaming and data usage for its training. Microsoft confirmed that during the mobile preview, Xbox Insiders can choose how and when they interact with Copilot for Gaming, including its access to conversation history and actions it performs on their behalf. However, the possibility of Copilot becoming mandatory in the future was not ruled out. A spokesperson emphasized Microsoft's commitment to transparency regarding data collection, usage, and user choices about sharing personal data.

It's also worth noting that Copilot's application extends beyond player-focused use. Microsoft will discuss plans for developers to utilize Copilot in a session at the upcoming Game Developers Conference.