Microsoft Brings Back Clippy, Now Powered by AI

Microsoft has unveiled Mico, a new virtual character for its Microsoft Copilot voice assistant, positioning it as a modern successor to the iconic but maligned Office assistant Clippy.

Mico—pronounced “MEE-koh”—is designed as a friendly, animated orb that exhibits real-time facial reactions during voice interactions.

“You can see it, it reacts as you speak to it,” said Jacob Andreou, Corporate VP of Product and Growth for Microsoft AI. “If you talk about something sad you’ll see its facial expressions react almost immediately.”

The feature will launch first in the U.S., enabled by default in Copilot’s voice mode, with global rollout planned thereafter.

As part of Microsoft’s push to make voice interaction more natural and intuitive, Mico draws upon Copilot’s new memory and personalisation capabilities—letting the assistant remember user’s preferences and context.

The initiative reflects Microsoft’s attempt to strike a balance: giving AI a personality without turning it into an intrusive companion. The company hopes Mico will succeed where Clippy frustrated users by being overly eager and intrusive.

By combining expressive visuals, advanced AI, and a nod to brand nostalgia, Microsoft aims to re-imagine human-computer interaction for the next era of AI assistants.