Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot faces an uphill battle against OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has reached 900 million downloads compared to Copilot’s 79 million. Bloomberg reporter Matt Day highlights the software giant’s challenges in capturing consumer attention despite spending tens of billions on artificial intelligence infrastructure.
CEO Satya Nadella told employees in May that Microsoft aims to get hundreds of millions of users for its AI products. The company offers three Copilot versions: a coding assistant, workplace tools for Office applications, and a personal assistant for consumers.
Microsoft hired Mustafa Suleyman 15 months ago to lead consumer AI efforts. Suleyman, who co-founded AI startups DeepMind and Inflection, rebuilt the consumer Copilot from scratch. However, the transition proved rocky, with users losing features and experiencing persistent bugs.
The Copilot app shows promise in some areas but struggles with basic functions. It can serve as a shopping guide but often provides dead links or incorrect information. Unlike older assistant Cortana, current Copilot cannot perform simple Windows tasks like adjusting volume or opening Outlook.
Copilot’s monthly active users grew 76 percent between April and June to 23 million, according to Sensor Tower. However, its growth rate still trails major competitors including Google Gemini and other AI assistants.
Microsoft executives remain confident they can eventually capture market share, particularly among younger users who treat AI tools as conversational partners rather than search replacements.