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Next month, Microsoft will be testing out its new AI coach called ‘Copilot.’ The assistant will be able to guide players through game installations, tutorials, and even provide extra strategy advice.
AI continues to make waves and cause industry disruption.
We recently wrote about how Activision is doubling down on the use of automated artwork in game advertisements and asset designs, leading to a backlash from gamers across the board.
This time, Microsoft has announced it will be using AI to provide players with a ‘gaming coach’ that can act as a guide, resource manager or even a strategic expert.
Titled ‘Copilot for Gaming,’ this new feature will be rolled out to Xbox testers next month and will be available initially through the Xbox mobile app. It is designed to operate on a second screen as a companion to your console or PC setup.
Copilot will be able to accompany players through games, bringing up tips and guides where appropriate and curating information in the most usable way possible. This is all in theory, of course, as often these kind of features tend to work only half as well as intended. Sony’s inaccurate game card feature comes to mind, for example.
During a press briefing, production manager for gaming AI Sonali Yadav, demonstrated various different situations where Copilot could be used. One saw the AI tool give an Overwatch player feedback based on their performance, with recommendations for different hero types to use based on their playstyle.
Another saw Copilot used in Minecraft to tell a player how to make certain objects and even indicate where specific resources could be found in the game world. Given that every world that is generated in Minecraft is unique, this is an impressive feature – Copilot can scan the environment in real time and provide individualised information.
Copilot for Gaming 🎮 Soon you’ll be able to turn to it for everything from game setup, to tips for finally beating a tough level, wherever you play on Xbox. There when you need it, out of the way when you don’t. Can’t wait to try it! https://t.co/cxZG7R6cxc pic.twitter.com/21Zg0yob4A
— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) March 13, 2025
However, as nifty as these new tools seem, it’s worth pointing out that many of these demonstrations are still in the proof-of-concept stage. Microsoft has a habit of scrapping ideas long before they’re ever ready for mainstream consumption, so we shouldn’t jump the gun just yet.
Remember that Minecraft HoloLens AR demonstration from years ago? That never became a reality. Or the almost entirely fabricated ‘Project Milo’ for the Xbox Kinect in 2009? All essentially fiction.
Still, Copilot seems a little more feasible than some of Microsoft’s previous projects. We know that AI tools are popular and a mainstay at this stage, and we’ve largely moved beyond the experimental phase that plagued flops like the Metaverse and virtual reality goggles.
The success of Copilot will likely depend more on whether the public actually use it. Microsoft previously had an AI assistant called ‘Cortana’ that was shut down in 2023 likely due to stiff competition. It also used to make the Windows Phone that was discontinued for similar reasons.
