As part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into virtually every aspect of its services, the company is set to introduce its AI Copilot into the Xbox gaming experience. This new feature, known as Copilot for Gaming, aims to provide players with personalized gaming advice, help them track their progress, and perform various other tasks to enhance their gaming sessions.

The rollout of Copilot for Gaming will begin with Xbox Insiders, who will have the opportunity to test the feature through the Xbox mobile app in the near future. Copilot, which replaced Cortana in 2023, is already integrated into Windows and will now extend its capabilities to the gaming world. At launch, the gaming version of Copilot will offer several key features, including the ability to install games on your Xbox remotely, access your play history, track achievements, manage your game library, and receive recommendations for what to play next. Additionally, players can interact with Copilot directly on the Xbox app during gameplay, receiving real-time answers similar to its functionality on Windows.

One of the standout features of Copilot for Gaming is its role as a gaming assistant. Players can ask questions about game mechanics, strategies for defeating bosses, or solving puzzles, and Copilot will source answers from various online resources such as guides, websites, wikis, and forums. Microsoft is collaborating with game studios to ensure that the information provided by Copilot is accurate and reflects the game developers' intentions, with the AI referring players back to the original sources of the information.

Microsoft has ambitious plans for Copilot beyond its initial features. In a press briefing, spokespeople hinted at potential future uses, including acting as a walkthrough assistant to explain game functions, tracking in-game items, and offering real-time strategy suggestions during competitive play. These ideas, while still in the conceptual stage, underscore Microsoft's commitment to deeply integrating Copilot into the Xbox gaming ecosystem. The company also confirmed that it will work with both first-party and third-party studios to integrate Copilot into their games.

Regarding privacy and user control, Xbox Insiders can opt out of using Copilot during the preview phase. However, Microsoft left open the possibility that Copilot might become mandatory in the future. A spokesperson stated that during the mobile preview, players will have control over how they interact with Copilot, including its access to their conversation history and what actions it can perform on their behalf. Microsoft emphasized its commitment to transparency about data collection, usage, and user choices regarding personal data.

Beyond player-focused applications, Microsoft will also discuss plans for developer use of Copilot at the upcoming Game Developers Conference, highlighting its broader vision for the AI's integration into the gaming industry.