Microsoft has added a new audio mode to Copilot, powered by its MAI-Voice-1 model. Users can choose from three modes: Emotive Mode for expressive, free-form delivery; Story Mode for storytelling with multiple voices; and Scripted Mode for exact, word-for-word playback. The tool features a wide range of voices and styles, from Shakespearean performances to sports commentary, and is available in Copilot Labs.
Video: Microsoft
Microsoft recently introduced MAI-1 as its first major language model and signed a deal with Anthropic to integrate its models into Office. Both moves signal that Microsoft is aiming for more independence from OpenAI.
At a weekend hackathon in San Francisco, more than 100 programmers faced off to see if they could outcode AI tools. The "Man vs. Machine" event randomly split 37 teams into "human" and "AI-assisted" groups. Winners took home $12,500 in prize money plus API credits from OpenAI and Anthropic. The hackathon was co-organized by research group METR, which previously found that AI coding tools can slow down experienced developers by 19 percent. In the finals, both sides were evenly matched—three teams without AI and three teams using AI assistance. The winning project: a code review tool with heatmaps, built with AI support. Second place went to a writing tool for authors, developed without any AI.
