Copilot's New "Memory": Microsoft's AI Strategy Towards Deep Personalization

In the context of the increasing integration of AI into everyday work, the contextual understanding of AI tools has been a key bottleneck in moving them from "toys" to "productivity tools". In July 2025, Microsoft will officially launch the commercial version of its AI tool. Copilot introduced Memory（The (memory) function is designed to solve this core problem. This is not only a feature update, but also a sign that mainstream AI assistants are evolving from a stateless "one-time question and answer" model to a personalized partnership that maintains long-term conversations and understands user preferences.

The shift from "instruction" to "dialogue"

Copilot Memory The core mechanism of the function is to give Copilot The ability to remember user-specified information across a single session and over time. This information is not automatically captured by background monitoring, but is based solely on the user's explicit authorization. When a user uses a command such as "remember ......", theCopilot Specific information, such as personal work habits, key project information, preferred communication tone or document formatting, is stored in a dedicated space that can be accessed, edited and deleted at any time.

This design skillfully balances the power of the feature with the user's privacy concerns. Everything that is memorized is transparently displayed in the settings, and the user has absolute control to turn off the feature and erase all data at any time. This privacy protection mechanism, with user authorization at its core, is the cornerstone of the feature's ability to gain a foothold in the enterprise environment.

Solve duplication of effort and improve workflow consistency

Memory The value of the feature lies in its ability to significantly reduce the cost of repetitive communication in workflows. In practice, this means that users don't have to repeat background information in every request.

For example, in a project management scenario, the user simply tells the Copilot "I'm in charge. Green Roof project with a deadline of June 30," and in any subsequent related tasks (e.g., generating weekly reports, drafting reminder emails), theCopilot This information can be called up automatically. Similarly, once the rule of "maintain a formal tone and limit the number of words to 150" has been set for external customer emails during content creation, subsequent draft emails will automatically follow this specification, ensuring a high degree of consistency in the output.

This capability extends to data analysis and document processing as well. In Excel When analyzing multiple rounds of data in the PowerPoint Middle.Copilot It also remembers the user's preferred "corporate blues" template, which can be applied in different devices and scenarios with a single click, ensuring the unity of the corporate image.

Strategic moats: ecological stickiness and corporate markets

At the strategic level.Memory The feature is a key step in Microsoft's efforts to deepen its AI ecosystem moat. An AI system that "learns" and adapts to a particular user's work patterns is CopilotThe cost of replacement is much higher than that of a generic, stateless AI assistant. When user preferences, project data, and workflows are not compatible with the Copilot The resistance of users to migrate to other platforms will increase significantly after deep bonding.

It's worth noting that this feature is currently only available to those who subscribe to the Business Edition of the Microsoft 365 Copilot is available to users of the Personal Edition, while the Personal Edition Copilot Pro unavailable to users. This clearly demonstrates Microsoft's strategic intent: to prioritize the deployment of the most powerful personalization and productivity features to high-value enterprise customers. This is not only because enterprise users have a stronger willingness to pay, but also because the enterprise scenario's need for data security, controllability, and workflow integration coincides with the Memory functionality at the core of the design. Compared to other AI in the consumer market (e.g. ChatGPT custom commands) broader personalization settings, Microsoft has made it possible by partnering with the Microsoft 365 The deep integration of the suite provides solutions that are better tailored to specific work scenarios.

Memory The launch of the feature allows Copilot Instead of just being a tool that passively responds to commands, it is starting to become a digital partner with a sense of continuity and the ability to proactively provide support. This is a move that may ultimately aim to make Copilot It has become the "default option" that users can't leave in the Microsoft ecosystem.