Relax, Xbox Owners: Copilot’s Not Invading Your Game Console

If you play games on an Xbox console and you don’t like Microsoft’s AI, you can breathe a little easier: Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, announced Tuesday that Copilot is no longer coming to the company’s consoles.

In an X post, the executive said the division needs to move faster, “deepen our connection with community, and address friction for both players and developers.” 

Toward that goal, Sharma said, “You’ll see us begin to retire features that don’t align with where we’re headed. We will begin winding down Copilot on mobile and will stop development of Copilot on console.”

Last year, Microsoft was so optimistic about its Copilot AI plans that it announced it was bringing the artificial intelligence technology to all its gaming platforms across PC, mobile devices (including Xbox portable consoles like the ROG Ally X) and Xbox game consoles. Among other things, the AI was meant to help gamers find gameplay tips or walkthroughs.

Despite the investments Microsoft has made in its Copilot AI tech, it has not been warmly welcomed by gamers or PC users. The company has had to scale back on some of its Copilot plans for Windows, even as it has tried to get people excited about new AI features in its flagship products, such as Microsoft 365, that it expects customers will pay more to access.

Sharma took over Microsoft’s gaming business in February and has been trying to revive a flagging brand, starting with a price cut to its Game Pass service. 

Another X post from Sharma suggests the company’s AI gaming efforts may involve using AI behind the scenes or as a recommendation engine.

“We are refocusing our AI efforts to (solve) player problems like enhancing real-time graphics, improving discovery and deepening personalization,” she wrote in late April.