Microsoft kills off unsuccessful AI features while merging its separate Copilot apps

Two years ago, Microsoft described AI arsenic a “generational shift” successful exertion that it wanted to lead. Today, the institution is merging its Copilot-branded user and concern apps, and ditching a fig of unsuccessful AI features.

As initially reported by GeekWire and elaborate successful Microsoft’s enactment documentation, the tech elephantine volition harvester the functionality of its consumer-facing Copilot app and the much business-oriented Microsoft 365 Copilot app.

The determination is some an acknowledgement that idiosyncratic and nonrecreational uses of AI often overlap, and that Microsoft’s anterior strategy was excessively analyzable to marque Copilot a viable rival to the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

It besides follows a broader consolidation successful the AI app abstraction that has seen Claude merging Cowork into Chat; OpenAI merging its agentic diagnostic Operator into ChatGPT; and Google adding specialized capabilities to its Gemini app, similar the operation of heavy probe and web browsing.

According to Microsoft, consumers volition suffer entree to Group Chats, AI-generated podcasts successful Copilot, Copilot Labs experimental features, and Deep Research, by August 18, 2026. For paying nonrecreational users, Researcher volition connection a replacement for the latter, astatine least.

The institution volition besides ditch its goofy animated quality for Copilot, named Mico, a floating blob that felt similar an AI-ified mentation of Clippy. Other features whitethorn temporarily vanish during the transition, Microsoft warns, and files generated by the standalone Copilot app volition beryllium migrated to OneDrive.

While the institution says the extremity is to marque Copilot a “simpler, much cohesive experience,” it’s besides an admittance that Copilot has mislaid its way. In July, The Information reported that Microsoft EVP Jacob Andreou, who oversees Copilot, said successful an interior memo that the app needed to gain “the close to exist” successful its customers’ lives, which required moving connected from features that didn’t work.