Microsoft's AI push gathers pace with Copilot super app plans

Microsoft is reportedly developing a super app for its AI assistant, Copilot, that would bring multiple AI-powered tools under one roof. The unified platform is expected to let users access a range of AI services through a single interface, positioning Microsoft in more direct competition with AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic in the enterprise space.

According to reports, the app will integrate the Copilot chatbot, GitHub Copilot for coding, Copilot Cowork, and the Autopilot system. The concept is similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT Work app, which combines ChatGPT with its coding assistant, Codex, into one workspace.

"Copilot is evolving rapidly from chat to Cowork to autopilots,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in the company’s earnings call this week. “And this quarter, we are bringing these Copilot experiences together, including Code, in one super app spanning both consumer and commercial experiences. This is a major step forward, and I look forward to sharing more soon.”

Many in the AI industry see super apps as the next logical step in the evolution of AI chatbots and other consumer-facing platforms.

OpenAI, for its part, has been signalling its plans for a ChatGPT super app for nearly a year. Reports suggest the chatbot is set for its most significant transformation since launch, evolving into a platform that brings multiple AI-powered services under one roof. Earlier this month, the company reportedly showcased an internal version of the revamped app to employees, drawing comparisons with Anthropic's Claude Cowork, which has since been integrated into the Claude chatbot. The push towards super apps extends beyond AI as well, with Elon Musk aiming to turn X into an "everything app," while companies such as Uber and Airbnb are also exploring similar all-in-one ecosystems.

The proposed super app was just one of several developments that impressed investors on Wednesday. Microsoft reported revenue growth that exceeded analysts’ expectations, driven by record performance in its cloud business. The strong results helped ease concerns that the company’s massive investments in AI were not translating into meaningful returns. At the same time, Microsoft indicated that Copilot continues to gain traction, with more users adopting the AI assistant.

"The number of conversations per user nearly doubled year over year,” Nadella said. “Average weekly engagement is on par with Outlook and Teams, and the time from deployment to what we think of as high usage, meaning monthly active usage about 80% across a customer’s user base, has fallen from months to just days over the past year.”

Microsoft CFO Amy Hood also announced that the company has revised the estimated useful lifespan of its data centres and office buildings from 15 years to 25 years. The accounting change significantly alters how Microsoft will report future earnings. As a result, future data centre leases will now be treated as operating leases rather than finance leases, meaning they will no longer be included under capital expenditure (CapEx) in upcoming financial reports.

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