Windows 11 may be getting ads for Copilot Pro, or this possibility is currently being explored in testing, it seems.
Copilot Pro, for those who missed it, was recently revealed as Microsoft’s powerful version of the AI assistant that you have to pay for (via a monthly subscription). And if you haven’t heard of it yet, you might soon via the Settings panel in Windows 11.
PhantomOfEarth on It gives a brief explanation of what the service is, alongside links for more information (or to subscribe locally).
It appears that a Copilot Pro subscription card will be added to the Settings homepage, as well as a section for Copilot Pro in Account Settings that will show billing information. Hidden in the latest Dev and Beta builds. pic.twitter.com/XRS3gRlSfJFebruary 2, 2024
Note that the leaker had to dig to discover the Copilot Pro ad, and it only showed up after messing with a configuration tool (in Dev and Beta builds). However, two other Windows 11 testers in the beta channel have responded saying that they have this Copilot Pro card present without doing anything.
In other words, if we take these reports at face value, it appears that this Copilot Pro ad is being rolled out to some testers in some way on a limited basis. In any case, it is certainly present in the background of Windows 11 (Beta and Dev) and can be enabled.
Analytics: Add more ads
So the theory is that this will be more widely visible to testers, before rolling out to everyone using Windows 11. Of course, ideas can be abandoned in testing, especially if they receive a lot of criticism, so we’ll just have to keep an eye on this space (or rather, the space on the Settings homepage).
Does it seem likely that Microsoft will try to move forward with a Copilot Pro ad? Yes, that’s right, honestly. Microsoft isn’t shy about promoting its own services within its products, that’s for sure. Additionally, AI will become a big part of the Windows 11 experience, as well as other Microsoft products, so monetization will likely be a priority.
So a push to increase the visibility of the paid version of Copilot seems likely, if not inevitable. Better that it’s tucked away in Settings, we think, than somewhere more in your face like the Start menu.
If you’re wondering what benefits Copilot Pro offers: faster performance and responses, along with more customizations and options – but this shouldn’t take anything away from the free version of Copilot (or at least it doesn’t yet). What it does mean is that the very latest upgrades will likely be reserved for the Pro AI, as we initially saw when GPT-4 Turbo came to Copilot Pro and not the standard free Copilot.
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