Regardless of your feelings towards Microsoft’s Copilot artificial intelligence, it appears that its presence will soon be inevitable as reports suggest it has been quietly making its way into messaging platforms, specifically Telegram. Microsoft seems to have discreetly introduced Copilot on the messaging app, giving Telegram users the chance to interact with it firsthand.Â
As per Windows Latest, this move is a part of a new Microsoft project called ‘copilot-for-social’, aimed at bringing generative AI to social media apps. The Copilot bot is currently operational on Telegram in the US and UK (potentially in other regions as well). It can be accessed for free, though it necessitates your phone number for activation.
To locate the bot, simply search ‘@CopilotOfficialBot’ in Telegram’s search bar, initiating a new message thread where Copilot will introduce its capabilities. Note that there is a daily limit of 30 queries, but since no separate account is needed, and it’s entirely free, the setup is quite convenient.Â
Copilot operates similarly to its usage on a PC. This AI can also function on Telegram’s desktop, mobile, and web versions.Â
Wonderful, I strongly dislike itÂ
It seems that the requirement to verify your phone number for Copilot on Telegram is to prevent individuals within the EU from accessing it (likely due to data privacy regulations and stringent laws in that region). EU users will likely have the opportunity to test it out in the future, but for now, they will have to wait.
While Copilot may excite some users, others may have reservations about an AI having access to their messaging app, possibly raising trust concerns among certain Telegram users. This scenario brings back memories of Snapchat’s short-lived AI chatbot experiment, which faded away quickly after its introduction.
The prevalence of generative AI chatbots appears to be increasing, making it challenging to avoid them, with Telegram likely being just the beginning of Copilot’s mobile integration efforts. Microsoft might also pursue integration with WhatsApp, Messenger, and other platforms, a prospect that some may find overwhelming.Â
Hopefully, Microsoft maintains Copilot’s non-intrusive approach seen on Telegram, where users must actively seek it out instead of having the AI imposed on their messages by default.
