What you need to know
- Microsoft announced that Copilot has arrived in Telegram through a beta.
- The AI lets users enjoy a "conversational" experience through text-based queries only with the ability to ask follow-up questions.
- Copilot in Telegram can be accessed through a one-on-one chat, where users can talk about sports, games, movies, food, and more.
Microsoft is giving Telegram an AI boost and touting it as your "everyday companion."
Microsoft announced that its AI chatbot, Copilot, has arrived on Telegram today (May 29). Similar to the AI experience users would get through Windows, Copilot in Telegram is powered by OpenAI's GPT and Bing Search. The company states that the AI uses "natural language to provide responses on a range of topics."
Such topics include gaming and sports. For the former, users can ask Copilot in Telegram about the latest game releases and walkthroughs. For sports, the AI can quickly grab scores, schedules, "and more" for those curious about the NFL, NBA, and the NHL, among others.
Other topics Copilot can work with are traveling, fitness, food, music, romance, movies, and brain teasers to pass the time.
Microsoft states that Copilot's initial beta period in Telegram limits the AI to text-based prompts.
Users can get started by hopping into the Telegram app on desktop or mobile. Searching for "CopilotOfficialBot" in the app will produce the AI's chat thread. Simply pose your question or give the AI some instructions and let it do the rest. Microsoft adds that users can also deliver a follow-up question to the AI after it's delivered a response to your query.
Copilot's arrival on Telegram is free, meaning users on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS can get started today (May 29). When using Copilot, those concerned about their privacy and security can check out Microsoft's "comprehensive" approach.
Microsoft dropped its Copilot app for Android onto the Play Store early in January. Utilizing OpenAI's GPT-4 model, all users can ask the bot questions or ask it to write content for them. Moreover, the app features DALL-E 3, a model designed to handle a user's text-to-image generation requests. Microsoft classified this as the "imaginative" side of Copilot.
There's also an "Image Creator," which gives users the tools to make social media items, logo designs, illustrations for books, and more. With Copilot starting out as a beta in Telegram, and only accepting text-based prompts, perhaps there's a future where we see DALL-E 3's influence in the popular messaging app.
Elsewhere, an update for Copilot in February enabled the AI to be used as a user's default assistant on Android. Users can swipe diagonally from the corner of their device or long-press their power button to produce it. However, it's not entirely seamless as instead of experiencing a floating UI, keeping you where you are, users are thrown into the main Copilot app.
