Microsoft has huge plans for its Copilot AI assistant. 2023 was undoubtedly the year of Copilot, and Microsoft has gone on record to say that it wants Copilot to be as influential as the invention of the Windows Start button that can not only work as a chatbot but also help you manage your system. Unfortunately, its functionality doesn't surpass that of a regular ChatGPT-based chatbot right now. While Microsoft hasn't said it'll outright replace the Start button with Copilot, it does hope that people will use it to open apps, manage their PCs, and use it to find answers to questions. It has added it to the Windows taskbar in current preview builds to showcase how useful it hopes it'll be.

This is a lofty goal, as users hold the Start button in high regard. And while I respect Microsoft's drive to bring AI to Windows, I don't think Copilot will become as influential as the Start button. Not only that, but I believe Microsoft would be better off not trying to push Copilot as the primary way people will use their PCs.

The Start menu is already a reliable workhorse

It lets you perform complex tasks easily

When you open up the Start menu, what are you trying to achieve? For me, it's because I want to get into the Windows settings or run a command using the built-in Windows Search feature. I use the Start button whenever I want to do something because it gives me the tools I need for any task, and if something goes wrong, it's usually because I misused those tools somehow. I can even enhance and customize it with apps like Start11.

With Copilot, there's always the chance that it will misinterpret what I want to do. It's the difference between doing a task yourself and delegating it to somebody else. While I can see myself asking Copilot to perform simple tasks like adjusting the system volume, opening an app, or creating a new Word document with a specific name, the Start menu will still overshadow it as my main workhorse for more complicated tasks so I get exactly what I need.

We've seen Microsoft try this before, and it wasn't great

Copilot isn't the first time Microsoft has tried to change how we use our PC

Do you remember the last time Microsoft added a feature in hopes that it would become the new way we interacted with our PCs? It was named "Cortana," and it was an assistant similar to Alexa on an Amazon Echo device that could help you perform tasks after you told it what to do. You could either type to Cortana or speak using your voice, much like how Copilot works now. Similar to Copilot, Microsoft also tried to get Cortana onto as many of its systems as possible; there was even a version of Cortana for the Xbox.

The problem is that nobody really gelled with Cortana. People gave it a try, saw what it could do, thought it was kind of OK, then disabled it and continued using the Start menu. I don't think people will suddenly warm to Copilot just because it promises to be a smarter Cortana. And for those who do keep it enabled, I don't see people using it to navigate their PC like they do with the Start menu.

People have privacy concerns with Copilot

Not everyone is keen to give up their information to AI

If Microsoft really wants Copilot to become the AI version of the Start button, it needs to convince people that Copilot won't log everything they say. Because Copilot needs an internet connection to work, people will rightfully be concerned about where their data will go once they give it a command. It's hard to tell what's happening behind the scenes and what kind of information Microsoft will store when you use Copilot.

When faced with either using an always-online service to manage your PC or just doing whatever you want yourself through the PC's settings, the privacy-minded person will always take the latter option. I wouldn't be surprised if the first thing they do when they install Windows is to find a way to disable or uninstall Copilot altogether. For these people, the idea of navigating a PC through online-based AI is a nightmare, and Microsoft shouldn't push them to use Copilot.

Copilot is great, but it doesn't need to be the next Start button

Microsoft's drive to get people to use Copilot is very admirable. It gave the service a free booster shot with GPT-4 Turbo and DALL-E functionality and ensured that you can access Copilot while browsing the web or writing a document. You can even now access it via an app on Android or iOS. And while I understand Microsoft's excitement about revolutionizing how we use our Windows PCs, trying to make Copilot a pivotal part of our computer workflow is a waste of time and effort. Microsoft should focus on improving the service and allowing people to naturally flock to it instead of gunning to make it "the next Start button" on Windows.