Imagine you’re binge-watching a playlist of shows and movies on your sleek new smart TV when you realize you need to quickly look something up, say, the pronunciation of “quokka” or translating a phrase spoken in a foreign language. Heading over to your phone isn’t the future anymore—because now your TV might have what you need, directly built into it. Yep, Microsoft’s Copilot, its AI assistant, is gearing up to join the big screen experience, and it’s about to change your TV-watching game. At CES 2025, both LG and Samsung announced that Microsoft’s Copilot will be integrated into the AI sections of their new smart TV models. But before celebrating this as a game-changer, let’s look at the facts, implications, and what this actually means for you, the viewer.
Here’s a summary of what Copilot might be capable of on TVs:
While it’s true that Microsoft’s generative AI tools are powerful and have proven their mettle in productivity environments (Copilot has been transformative in Office 365 applications), the use case for TVs raises eyebrows. Let’s break down the reasons:
However, whether consumers will wholeheartedly embrace the TV as their new personal assistant remains ambiguous. With phones, tablets, smart speakers, and wearables already dominating the quick-query space, the TV will need to offer exceptional performance to carve out its AI niche.
Source: The Verge LG and Samsung are adding Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to their TVs
AI Meets the Couch: What’s Happening with Copilot on TVs?
Here’s the gist: LG and Samsung are including Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant on selected 2025 smart TVs, accessible via an AI-dedicated section in their user interfaces. This isn’t about embedding complex, new circuitry or software stacks directly into the hardware of the TV—it’s a fairly simpler implementation by way of a web app. Yes, the Copilot you’ll see on these TVs is a web-based application tied to Microsoft’s overarching AI assistant ecosystem.- LG’s Take on AI Integration:
LG is rebranding its remote controls as “AI Remotes” and setting up dedicated sections in its TV menus for artificial intelligence. While details remain murky, LG seems to be creating a feature that enables users to query Copilot for information. For instance, think of using it to dive deeper into a topic discussed on-screen without leaving the comfort of your couch. LG calls it a tool for “efficiently finding and organizing complex information using contextual cues.” Sound promising? Sure, if they can live up to that mouthful of marketing jargon. - Samsung’s Vision for AI Features:
Samsung calls their 2025 suite of AI-powered tools the “Vision AI” platform. Here, Copilot takes center stage alongside tools like AI-pushed content recommendations, AI adaptive sound, and some eye-catching features like food recognition directly from the TV screen. Want to pull up recipe suggestions based on the show you’re watching? Samsung aims to have you covered. But beyond all the bells and whistles of Vision AI, Copilot’s specific role largely remains shrouded in buzzwords rather than substance—at least so far.
What Does Microsoft Copilot on TVs Actually Do?
Now, before you start imagining Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S. plastered onto your living room screen, let’s break this down. Copilot, at its core, is a generative AI tool launched by Microsoft as part of their efforts to cater to the everyday tech user with assistants tied to productivity software like Word, Excel, and Outlook. On TVs, it’s repurposed as a personal assistant-like feature focusing on contextual queries and recommendations.Here’s a summary of what Copilot might be capable of on TVs:
- Content Discovery: Imagine you’re mid-show and wondering, “What’s that actor’s name?” Copilot can potentially dig this info up for you on-screen without opening a separate app or pulling out your phone.
- Contextual Information: Whether it's looking up scientific facts during a nature documentary or querying sports stats mid-game, Copilot on TV might refine your ability to instantly access information related to the content you’re consuming.
- Personalization: Samsung specifically hints at leveraging Copilot for personalized service, meaning it could recommend shows and movies based on your viewing patterns, much like existing algorithms from Netflix or Prime Video—but on steroids.
Is This a Gimmick or a Revolution?
Here’s a question for the ages: Is Copilot on TVs solving a real problem or is this another corporate grab onto the runaway “AI hype train”?While it’s true that Microsoft’s generative AI tools are powerful and have proven their mettle in productivity environments (Copilot has been transformative in Office 365 applications), the use case for TVs raises eyebrows. Let’s break down the reasons:
- Accessibility Concerns: If you need to dive into AI-enhanced queries about your content (think “Tell me more about X historical figure from this documentary”), would you realistically prefer asking your TV’s remote AI, or, say, your smartphone sitting on the coffee table? While LG and Samsung want to make this seamless, functionality will need to match the speed and clarity offered by current devices like Alexa or Google Assistant.
- Limited Use Cases: Unlike a PC—where Copilot might assist in drafting emails, complex calculations, or organizing tasks—a TV usage context narrows Copilot’s breadth of action. How often does a viewer actually pause their entertainment to ask detailed questions?
- Privacy Worries: Embedding AI features that pull contextual cues from live TV or apps raises different concerns. How much data will Copilot (and by extension, Microsoft, LG, and Samsung) collect about your preferences, behaviors, and habits while you’re watching TV? And how will that data be anonymized?
Competing Technologies in the Smart TV World
Samsung and LG might be the frontrunners here with Microsoft’s AI assistant, but they’re not alone in breathing AI-powered life into televisions. Rival brands such as Sony, TCL, and even Hisense have consistently improved their versions of AI-driven tools like Google TV’s built-in Assistant or Alexa integrations. So, what sets Copilot apart?- Generative AI Edge: While existing TV "assistants" largely act as voice-powered search tools, Microsoft’s Copilot taps into a far deeper well of language model intelligence, similar to how ChatGPT functions. In theory, this could let it generate summaries, extrapolate complex data, or even provide context-sensitive recommendations more effectively than existing platforms.
- Partnership Power: With LG and Samsung leading global TV sales year after year, Microsoft’s move places them in the living rooms of millions with opening access to a user-friendly generative AI platform. That’s a massive user base with opportunities for synergy with other Microsoft products.
Looking Ahead: Will TVs Finally Be Smart? Or Still… Dumb?
Microsoft’s attempt to push Copilot into this domain may have a broader game in mind than just smart TVs. With the increasing interconnectedness of devices in smart homes, TVs are being viewed less as individual gadgets and more as central hubs bridging other smart hardware. Copilot could easily integrate with Microsoft 365 services (think shared calendars, emails, and tasks displayed on-screen or alerts for meetings).However, whether consumers will wholeheartedly embrace the TV as their new personal assistant remains ambiguous. With phones, tablets, smart speakers, and wearables already dominating the quick-query space, the TV will need to offer exceptional performance to carve out its AI niche.
What Do You Think?
Is Microsoft’s move to bring Copilot to your TV an exciting leap forward for how we interact with technology? Or is this another quasi-useful feature that looks good on CES announcement stages but fizzles out in actual households? Drop your thoughts. Is your couch ready to play assistant, or will your phone remain the king of convenience? Let us know in the WindowsForum.com thread below!Source: The Verge LG and Samsung are adding Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to their TVs