Microsoft is hard at work on an AI chatbot for Xbox, but don't expect a Copilot-like experience Instead, the new Xbox chatbot will act as a support assistant to solve any problems with the console and even help refund players who have purchased games they no longer need

Is this the most exciting chatbot in a world where OpenAI is building bots that can write songs and entire stories? Not really, but an Xbox chatbot could help automate some of the support processes that have to be done on Microsoft's game consoles

According to sources close to the development cited by The Verge, Microsoft is testing "embodied AI characters" that animate while responding to support queries from Xbox players Not to create a new video game out of thin air, but if something is wrong with the console, it may be easier to ask the AI a question than to endlessly search through support documentation for what you want to know

In an internal Microsoft document seen by The Verge, the company says, "This agent can help you with Xbox support questions This helpful AI does not seem to have a clever name Instead, Microsoft intends to call this AI the "Xbox Support Virtual Agent" The name is as irritating as the bot's overall purpose, but gets the point across well enough

This is not a rumor; Microsoft confirmed to The Verge that the support chatbot exists, but the company did not mention when gamers will be able to interact with the bot on their console of choice

"We are testing an Xbox Support Virtual Agent This is an internal prototype of an animated character that can inquire about Xbox Support topics via voice or text," said Haiyan Zhang, Xbox's general manager of game AI, in a statement

"With this prototype, players can retrieve information from existing Xbox support pages and use natural language to get help on support topics more easily and quickly

The bot will be able to address a variety of issues, from Xbox malfunctions to paid subscription issue resolution assistance However, if the Xbox is not working, it would be difficult to use the console to interact with the bot; after all, there are different levels of breakdowns

According to the report, Microsoft is also considering building AI-powered Copilots for safety and moderation tasks to help make the place more comfortable for players These Copilots could assist with content moderation, enforcement, and appeals processes

Further down the road, Microsoft is working on adding AI-powered assistants to its games