Microsoft is doubling down on pushing its CoPilot AI assistant, and the next stop seems to be messaging apps. The company has already released a Telegram bot as part of its “CoPilot for Social” program, which aims to bring the Windows maker’s AI assistant to messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. While there’s no word on whether a WhatsApp bot is in the works, the Telegram bot is available for everyone except the EU on the app.
The Telegram bot works across all Telegram apps on various platforms, including Windows. It is currently in Beta and only works in the US, UK, and Asia. All the bot needs is your phone number to sign you up, and you can start typing your queries into the chatbox to get responses. You can find it on the Telegram app by searching for “@CopilotOfficialBot” or via the bot’s web page.
The bot itself is a rather limited version of the web or Windows CoPilot app. You only get 30 messages daily and can only use text queries with the bot, meaning no image-generation capabilities exist. While it’s not possible to switch between the three modes (Creative, Precise, and Balanced) that the CoPilot web and PC apps provide, WindowsLatest reports that the bot dynamically switches between GPT4, GPT3.5, and Microsoft’s in-house models.
Outside of basic functionality, the bot also has the following commands:
- /ideas: helps the user understand what questions can be asked from CoPilot for Telegram.
- /share: lets the user share the bot with a friend.
- /restart: restarts the current conversation.
Microsoft claims that it needs your phone number for security reasons when you sign up to use the bot. The company also claims not to store your number, only requiring it for a “one-time verification,” as pointed out in an alert message you get when first using the bot.
Interestingly, if the bot detects you’re using a European phone number, it blocks your access. This can indicate that the Telegram bot for CoPilot doesn’t comply with GDPR rules and that Microsoft is using the bot to collect data while forcing users to give up their phone numbers to verify their accounts’ locations.
Candid.Technology has also observed a rising number of fake bots using similar Telegram handles to impersonate the bot. If you want to use the bot, check to ensure you’re using the correct handle and look out for the verification mark before interacting with the bot. Alternatively, you can add the bot via the aforementioned link.
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