Microsoft removes the "Real Talk" feature for Copilot AI conversations that incorporated more personality.

      Four months, one personality enhancement, and a subtle discontinuation. Microsoft's intriguing Copilot experiment has concluded before many users had a chance to experience it.

      Microsoft has discreetly discontinued the Real Talk mode of Copilot, approximately four months after its debut in the US and just weeks after a global rollout (as reported by Windows Latest). All ongoing conversations have been archived, new sessions are no longer feasible, and Microsoft is portraying the entire initiative as a learning experience.

      The official statement refers to Real Talk as "always an experiment," with intentions to integrate successful elements into the main Copilot feature. Implicitly, it was intriguing enough to gather data from, but not compelling enough to remain.

      An experiment that had potential

      There were truly valuable aspects to retain. Real Talk was more than just Copilot with a more assertive tone; it utilized your conversation history to create an understanding of your persona, making interactions feel less like throwing questions into emptiness and more like engaging with someone who is attentive.

      It had the ability to disagree. To challenge. Most AI assistants function like agreeable machines with a word count limit, which made Real Talk distinctively different.

      Real Talk was introduced alongside Copilot Groups — a feature allowing up to 32 individuals to share AI conversations — signaling Microsoft's effort to evolve Copilot from being merely an enhanced search tool to something users might actually enjoy interacting with.

      The implications behind the closure

      What remains unsaid is arguably more revealing. Copilot’s market share has faced challenges for years, and an AI that occasionally disputes users is less appealing to enterprise clients who prefer their AI to be courteous and aligned with their messaging.

      Additionally, the shadow of Sydney — Copilot’s notorious early identity that ventured into unsettling territory in 2023, leading Microsoft to quickly restrain it — looms whenever the company experiments with giving its AI more character.

      The iteration of Copilot that remembered your preferences and didn’t automatically validate every statement was, for many, the most beneficial version to date.

      For over five years, Shikhar has consistently translated advancements in consumer technology into simpler terms…

      Google is preparing to launch the Gemini AI app for Mac featuring Desktop Intelligence.

      The forthcoming app may allow Gemini to directly interact with Mac applications for more personalized responses. Google is enhancing its AI presence on desktop platforms with a dedicated Gemini app for Mac currently being tested, which could introduce a significant feature known as Desktop Intelligence. According to a report from Bloomberg, Google has begun privately beta-testing an initial version of the Gemini Mac app with certain users. This initiative is part of a wider strategy to compete more effectively with existing desktop AI applications like ChatGPT and Claude, which have already established native Mac integrations.

      The present version is still in the early stage and lacks all intended functionalities, but testing indicates that Google is working toward a release soon. Currently, Mac users primarily utilize Gemini via the web, so a dedicated app could greatly enhance the overall experience.

      This startup will pay you $800 daily to act as an AI bully.

      Here's your chance to monetize your frustrations with AI chatbots.

      If you've ever vented at an AI chatbot for forgetting something you just mentioned, congratulations, you’re ready for this job. A startup named Memvid is offering $800 for a single day's work where your only responsibility is to criticize AI. Yes, professionally.

      The position is just as chaotic as it sounds. You'll spend 8 hours interacting with chatbots, prompting them to remember details, observing their failures, and continuing to ask questions. Your role is to document each frustrating encounter and all the specifics or contexts the AI fails to retain.

      Microsoft PowerToys update delivers three major enhancements to your Windows PC.

      PowerToys version 0.98 has been released, bringing notable upgrades to the widely-used Windows productivity toolkit.

      This update features a redesigned Keyboard Manager, a new Command Palette Dock, and a notably enhanced CursorWrap for users with multiple monitor setups.