Mico Gets the Axe: Microsoft Retires Animated AI Companion

Microsoft's latest AI creation, Mico, has been sent packing. The animated artificial intelligence blob was introduced in October of last year as 'your AI companion' and was an optional presence that could listen, react, and change colors based on user interactions.

However, less than a year later, Microsoft is pulling the plug on Mico's core voice experience as part of the merger of the Copilot consumer and business apps. But don't worry, Mico will still live on in some of Copilot's education features.

This move marks the latest casualty of Microsoft's AI experiments. The company has been here before with characters like Bob, Clippy, and Cortana, which were eventually retired or replaced by newer technology.