Today, Copilot is gaining a new capability that will allow it to take action on certain tasks by itself on your behalf. Microsoft calls this new capability Copilot Actions, and it works just by asking Copilot to do stuff for you.
The company says Copilot Actions will work across a wide array of websites and services, and will be excellent at booking things like tickets for movies or concerts, dinner reservations, and even flights or hotels. It can also buy gifts for you or a loved one, if you ask for it.
“Copilot Actions will work with most websites across the web, and we’re particularly excited to highlight our launch partners: 1-800-Flowers.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak, OpenTable, Priceline, Tripadvisor, Skyscanner, Viator and Vrbo” says Microsoft.
The feature is designed to work direcly within the Copilot interface, so ideally you won’t even need to go to the website in question that Copilot is booking with. The assistant will do it all for you directly within the chat interface, giving you options throughout the process when available.
Of course, it will likely take time for end users to feel comfortable with an AI assistant booking things on their behalf, especially when money is required to make a booking or purchase. But the user will always have the final say, and Copilot will never just go and book or buy something without confirmation from you first.
Back in February, Amazon announced a similar feature for Alexa+, letting the assistant browse the web (or Amazon) to buy things for you based on your request. Copilot will be more capable, as ideally, it will work with any website or service.
Copilot Actions was announced during Microsoft’s big 50th anniversary Copilot event, alongside a number of other features such as Copilot Vision, which will let Copilot see and interact with your desktop and apps. Copilot Memory will also enable Copilot to learn about your likes and dislikes.
