"Everyone Creates a Versatile Assistant"... AI Plugin Released
Striving to Capture Both Ecosystem Scalability and Security
Microsoft (MS), which ignited the generative artificial intelligence (AI) race, has begun to expand its ecosystem in earnest. It has built an environment where anyone can create an all-purpose AI assistant using the PC operating system Windows and the cloud platform Azure. This move brings more AI services into MS’s ecosystem. Following the prediction of MS founder Bill Gates that Google and Amazon will disappear, MS’s strategy is to absorb all internet services like a black hole. Gates foresees that AI assistants will be able to handle everything in the future, and the company that realizes this will become the top enterprise of the future.
On the 23rd (local time), MS held its annual developer conference, MS Build, at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA, and announced that it will add plugin functionality to Windows Copilot. Copilot means co-pilot, an AI assistant that helps the human pilot with tasks. It applies generative AI to productivity software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to assist with tasks like document creation.
With the addition of plugins, Copilot becomes an all-purpose assistant. Just like plugging a code into an outlet, specific internet-based services can be connected to Copilot. OpenAI, which collaborates with MS, launched the 'ChatGPT Plugin' in March to integrate ChatGPT with external apps, and this functionality has now been extended to Copilot.
Windows Copilot is integrated into the Windows taskbar. Pressing the Copilot button opens a right sidebar where users can interact with the ChatGPT-based Copilot and request necessary tasks. For example, through the Expedia plugin, an online travel agency, users can prepare business trips within the company budget. With the Spotify plugin, a music streaming service, users can ask to play music suitable for the situation. This eliminates the need to search through search engines or visit travel and music sites as is currently required.
Additionally, MS has enabled interoperability among Copilot, ChatGPT, and the cloud (Azure OpenAI) through plugins. This means developers can create services in natural language on the cloud and attach them to ChatGPT or Copilot.
At the keynote speech of the annual developer conference 'MS Build' that opened on the 23rd, Satya Nadella, CEO of MS, emphasized the role of developers in the AI era. [Photo by MS]
The reason for emphasizing plugins is scalability. The strategy is to bring more AI services into MS’s ecosystem and seize leadership in the AI ecosystem. This aligns with the direction suggested by founder Bill Gates. At an investor event hosted by Goldman Sachs on the 22nd, Gates said, "The best company of the future will be the one that creates personalized assistants," and predicted, "With AI assistants, the need to visit search sites or Amazon will disappear."
MS also emphasized security, which has been pointed out as an obstacle to ecosystem expansion. Currently, major companies like Samsung and Apple ban the use of AI tools due to concerns about confidential information leaks. MS stated that plugins can reduce the risk of data leakage. Plugins act as a boundary between AI systems and user data, just like unplugging a code when necessary. Using the Copilot Semantic Index, a tool currently available only to some users, services can be developed or used by utilizing only accessible data. Kevin Scott, MS Chief Technology Officer (CTO), said, "We are providing developers with everything they need to build their own copilots," adding, "This kind of ecosystem will set a new standard for how all software operates."
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