Microsoft Mico Explained: The animated AI companion bringing Copilot to life

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Microsoft is introducing Mico (pronounced MEE'koh), a new animated AI companion aimed at making interactions with Copilot more human and emotionally responsive. Announced during the Fall 2025 Copilot Sessions in Los Angeles, Mico provides users with a visually expressive AI that reacts in real time to voice and chat inputs, giving Copilot a friendlier, more intuitive presence.

Mico appears as a customizable, blob-like or flame-like character that changes colour, expression, and movement based on the conversation. This allows users to perceive emotional cues during interactions. For instance, the avatar can display sadness, excitement, or enthusiasm, depending on the tone of the discussion. Users can interact with Mico across laptops and mobile apps, making AI assistance feel more personable than traditional text-only interfaces.

Microsoft emphasises trust and control with Mico. Jacob Andreou, corporate vice president of product and growth for Microsoft AI, described it as a companion that “earns your trust” through consistent and transparent behaviour. “When you talk about something sad, you can see Mico’s face change. You can see it dance around and move as it gets excited with you,” he said. The goal is to create an AI presence that feels emotionally intelligent, supportive, and approachable.

The assistant incorporates adaptive memory and conversational design to enhance usability. Its features are intended to help users navigate tasks, learn new functions, and engage with Copilot more efficiently. By providing visual cues and emotional feedback, Mico reduces friction in user interactions while improving comprehension and engagement.

Mico also draws inspiration from Microsoft’s past AI efforts, such as Clippy and Cortana, but aims to avoid the intrusive or unhelpful qualities that made previous assistants unpopular. By focusing on supportive and context-aware behaviour, Microsoft seeks to deliver a companion that is informative, safe, and enjoyable to use.

For Windows users, Mico transforms how AI is experienced on the desktop. Voice and chat interactions become multimodal, providing both visual and textual feedback. Users who prefer humanised assistance gain an intuitive partner for completing tasks, while advanced users benefit from contextual signals that help them understand Copilot’s state or intent without reading lengthy text responses.

Mico is entirely optional. Users can enable or disable the avatar and customise its adaptive memory and behaviour to suit their preferences. Currently, Mico is available only in the United States, with broader availability expected in the future.