内容来源：https://lifehacker.com/tech/microsoft-combining-copilot-ai-apps?utm_medium=RSS

内容总结：

微软本周宣布将整合旗下两款AI产品“Copilot”与“Microsoft 365 Copilot”，统一为一款应用，以解决长期存在的产品线混乱问题。此前，面向普通消费者的Copilot与面向办公场景的Microsoft 365 Copilot相互独立，用户需分别使用不同应用，体验割裂且易混淆。此次合并后，无论个人使用还是办公场景，用户均可通过单一应用访问微软AI服务，聊天记录与内容将随账号自动迁移。

新应用在界面和功能上有所调整。Microsoft 365 Copilot用户只需更新现有应用，切换后可见导航微调、新图标及直接访问Copilot聊天的入口；个人版Copilot用户则在桌面端需迁移至新应用，移动端通过更新即可切换，聊天与内容数据自动同步。

值得注意的是，微软同步宣布终止三项旧版Copilot功能：播客（Podcasts）、深度研究（Deep Research）和群聊消息（Group Chat），上述功能将于8月18日停用。群聊中的文字及图片需在截止日前导出，过期将无法访问；播客功能停止后，已生成内容也无法再使用，需提前备份。深度研究报告在8月18日后仍可查看，但仅Microsoft 365 Premium订阅用户可继续使用该功能。

替代方案方面，谷歌“Gemini Notebook”（原NotebookLM）可生成AI播客，其他主流AI平台也普遍提供深度研究功能。微软并非唯一精简AI服务的厂商，OpenAI今年早些时候也关停了视频生成工具Sora及短命的AI浏览器ChatGPT Atlas。分析认为，微软此举意在集中资源，此前其已从Windows系统中移除部分“冗余”Copilot功能，此次整合是其AI战略进一步聚焦的信号。

中文翻译：

微软的Copilot有些混乱。与ChatGPT、Gemini或Claude不同，微软的AI服务并非一个统一的产品。相反，有面向消费者的AI“Copilot”，直接与上述AI应用竞争；还有“Microsoft 365 Copilot”，即微软办公套件中用于专业场景的AI。除非你完全沉浸在微软的AI文化中，否则对Copilot感到困惑，以及哪些功能和套餐属于哪个版本的AI，都是情有可原的。幸运的是，你无需再困惑下去了。

本周，微软宣布计划将Copilot和Microsoft Copilot 365平台合并为一个单一应用。如果你像使用ChatGPT或Gemini那样使用Copilot，你将使用这个应用。如果你在Word和Excel中配合Copilot用于工作或学习，你也会使用这个应用。基本上，无论你出于什么原因使用微软的AI，这都将是你的首选应用。对于只使用一个版本Copilot的用户来说，这似乎影响不大，但如果你不得不在Copilot和Microsoft Copilot 365之间来回切换，你就会理解避免屏幕上同时出现两个不同Copilot应用的即时好处，正如The Verge所强调的那样。

微软统一后的Copilot应用有什么新变化？

由于Copilot和Microsoft Copilot 365是两种不同的体验，你在新版Copilot应用中看到的变化将取决于你当前使用的应用。Microsoft Copilot 365用户只需更新现有应用即可，微软表示用户在切换时可以期待一些小幅的导航调整。此外还有新的应用图标，以及从新应用直接访问Copilot聊天的入口。

使用个人账户使用微软AI的Copilot用户似乎是变化最多的群体。你预计需要在桌面上迁移到新应用，而移动用户则可以通过应用更新来切换。无论哪种方式，微软表示你的聊天记录和内容都会随你一起迁移。如果你同时使用两个应用，你所有的聊天记录和内容将合并到新应用中，不过每项内容仍与你创建它们时所用的特定账户绑定。

微软正在放弃哪些Copilot功能？

也许最大的消息是哪些功能不会延续到新应用中。微软表示，作为此次过渡的一部分，它将弃用三项旧版Copilot功能：播客（Podcasts）、深度研究（Deep Research）和群组聊天消息（Group Chat messages）。微软将于8月18日终止这三项功能，所以你没有太多时间继续使用它们了。

如果你使用Copilot的群组聊天功能，请务必在该截止日期之前复制聊天中的任何消息或图片，因为8月18日之后聊天记录将无法再访问。播客也是如此：你将无法生成新播客，截止日期后也无法访问已生成的播客，所以请提前导出。你使用深度研究生成的任何报告在8月18日之后仍可访问，但除非你是Microsoft 365 Premium订阅用户，否则将无法使用该功能。

你不必费力就能找到这些功能的替代品。谷歌的“Gemini Notebook”（原NotebookLM）可以为你生成AI播客，而几乎所有其他主流AI平台都提供自己的深度研究功能。话说回来，微软并不是唯一在退役功能的公司：OpenAI今年早些时候关闭了其AI视频生成器Sora，以及其短命的AI浏览器ChatGPT Atlas。微软似乎特别专注于整合其AI产品，因为该公司还一直在从Windows中移除“不必要的”Copilot功能。

英文来源：

Microsoft Copilot is a little messy. Unlike ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, the company's AI service isn't one universal product. Instead, there's "Copilot," the AI for consumers, directly competing with the aforementioned AI apps; and "Microsoft 365 Copilot," the AI for professional use in Microsoft's work suite. Unless you're totally immersed in Microsoft's AI culture, you might be understandably confused about Copilot, and what features and plans belong to which version of the AI. Luckily, you don't need to be confused any longer.
This week, Microsoft announced its intentions to merge its Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365 platforms into a single app. If you use Copilot as you would ChatGPT or Gemini, you'll use this app. If you use Copilot with Word and Excel for work or school, you'll use this app. Essentially, if you're using Microsoft's AI for any reason, this will be the app of choice. It might not seem particularly impactful for anyone who uses only one version of Copilot, but if you have to bounce between Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365, you'll understand the immediate benefits of avoiding two different Copilot apps on screen at once, as The Verge highlights.
What's new with Microsoft's unified Copilot app?
As Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365 are two different experiences, the changes you'll see in the new Copilot app will depend on the app you currently use. Microsoft Copilot 365 users should only have to update their existing app, and Microsoft says users can expect minor navigational changes when switching over. There's also a new app icon, as well as direct access to Copilot chat from the new app.
Copilot users who use Microsoft's AI with their personal account seem to have the most changes to look out for. You should expect to move over to the new app on desktop, but mobile users should be able to switch via an app update. Either way, Microsoft says your chats and content will move over with you. If you use both apps, all your chats and content will merge into the new app, though each will be tied to the specific account you created them with.
Which Copilot features are Microsoft abandoning?
Perhaps the biggest news here is what isn't carrying over to the new app. Microsoft says it's ditching three legacy Copilot features as part of this transition: Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat messages. Microsoft will discontinue all three on Aug. 18, so you don't have much time to continue using them.
If you use Copilot's Group Chat feature, make sure to copy any messages or images from your chats before that deadline, as chats will no longer be accessible after Aug. 18. The same goes for Podcasts: You won't be able to generate new podcasts, nor will you be able to access your generated podcasts after the deadline, so export them ahead of time. Any reports you made using Deep Research will be accessible after Aug. 18, but you won't be able to use the feature unless you are a Microsoft 365 Premium subscriber.
You don't have to look far to find replacements for these features. Google's "Gemini Notebook" (formerly NotebookLM) can create AI-generated podcasts for you, and just about every other major AI platform offers its own Deep Research feature. That said, Microsoft isn't the only one retiring features: OpenAI shuttered its AI video generator, Sora, earlier this year, as well as ChatGPT Atlas, its short-lived AI browser. It seems Microsoft is particularly focused on consolidating its AI offerings, seeing as the company has also been removing "unnecessary" Copilot features from Windows.