Friends not facts - Microsoft outlines plan to compete on personality

When you think of using ChatGPT to plan a day out, you probably imagine something like this common example in Paris.

It works well enough — and for those already familiar with AI tools, there’s nothing particularly new. But for those of us watching more closely, we know where the next obvious improvements will come from:

• Curation – Is this really the best plan for a day, given the guest’s goals? Could a human planner have balanced things better?
• Logical routing – Factoring in walking time and how people actually move through space and time.
• Opening times & live availability – No more suggesting closed shops or fully booked attractions.
• Personalisation – What does this guest need? Are they vegetarian? Do they struggle with hills?

Now Microsoft has thrown a new capability into the mix: friendship.

Quoting Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman talking with Alex Kantrowitz (Big Technology):

With Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI all working to build the same style of AI — one that is contextually aware, assistive, and high-EQ — the differentiator, Suleyman said, will be how it relates to users. So, with its new updates, Microsoft is working to establish its Copilot as the most personable AI companion, and it wants to push forward in this regard quickly.

“We're going to be different by leaning into the personality and the tone very, very fast,” Suleyman said. “We want it to feel like you're talking to someone who you know really well.”

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman: Our AI Will Differentiate Via Personality

Suleyman touts new memory, assistive, and research capabilities as Microsoft pushes forward in the crowded personalized AI assistant space.

Big TechnologyAlex Kantrowitz

Isn't this what human tour guides are valued for—their ability to adapt, personalise, and bring places to life?