Microsoft is undertaking a major rebranding effort for the artificial intelligence-based features introduced in recent versions of Windows. The company is once again targeting Apple's business model, although the circumstances are much different than in the past. Copilot's chatbot service, Windows Recall, and other AI-related features will soon be simply called "Windows Intelligence."
Based on references contained in a recently surfaced Group Policy Object Editor (AppPrivacy.adml) template file, Windows Intelligence may be the umbrella name Microsoft has chosen to unify the many AI features currently integrated into PC operating systems.
Although trademarking generic terms is not a viable way to do business, the first company to inject "smart" marketing elements into its products was Apple. Cupertino debuted the Apple Intelligence service in October with new chatbot-based features (preview) on iOS, iPadOS and macOS platforms.
If Windows Intelligence's claims are true, Microsoft may soon decide to abandon the Copilot name that it has used for more than a year. The name Windows Intelligence feels like a blatant imitation of Apple's marketing decisions, and of course the main purpose is to group all the artificial intelligence-based options in Windows under this new brand.
Microsoft has used the word "smart" before, but at the time the company was talking about security upgrades, not artificial intelligence capabilities. Microsoft's rebranding efforts have already been criticized on the X platform, with Windows users accusing Microsoft of copying everything Apple does and "killing" the operating system.
Branding and trademark decisions aside, Microsoft is more willing to invest billions of dollars in its artificial intelligence initiatives for the foreseeable future. Big tech companies are expected to invest $200 billion in artificial intelligence development by the end of this year, but Wall Street investors are already expressing concerns about this unprecedented bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
Microsoft is passionate about artificial intelligence, but there's still a lot of work to be done before the new features become an integral part of the Windows ecosystem. Windows Recall is a controversial feature that records everything a user does on their computer by taking screenshots. The feature, currently back in preview form as part of the Windows 1124H2 update, requires secure access via Windows Hello and includes a new filter to (hopefully) keep sensitive information out of its intrusive AI technology.