Users keep rejecting Copilot, and now Microsoft is killing its AI themes in Outlook (New) for Windows

windowslatest.com Oct 13, 2026

Users keep rejecting Copilot, and now Microsoft is killing its AI themes in Outlook (New) for Windows

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 13, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Microsoft announced that Copilot‑powered themes in Outlook will be retired worldwide by mid‑late October 2026, affecting Windows, web, and macOS versions. The move follows earlier pullbacks of Copilot features, such as the Snipping Tool and Notepad’s “Writing tools.” Users with Copilot licenses will lose theme selection, though existing themes remain until changed. The decision reflects low adoption and user frustration with Copilot’s integration in Outlook.

💡 Why It Matters

· The retirement signals Microsoft’s shift toward a streamlined AI experience, prioritizing user control over pervasive AI prompts.
· It underscores the company’s willingness to abandon features that fail to deliver clear value.

AI Capsules Microsoft

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Gemini ‘Task’ redesign integrates Spark into the main chat app

Google has merged its Gemini Spark personal agent into the main Gemini chat interface, adding “Chat” and “Task” buttons above the prompt box. The redesign removes Spark from the navigation drawer, introduces a “Scheduled” page, and consolidates all conversations and tasks into a single history. New filters let users sort by status, while Spark branding is downplayed, with settings renamed to “Task settings.” The update, rolled out on Android, requires an AI Pro or Ultra subscription.

💡 By embedding Spark directly into the chat flow, Google streamlines task initiation, reducing friction for users who rely on AI assistance for daily workflows.

eurogamer.net · Oct 12

Dragon Quest co-creator Yuji Horii releases new AI-generated game, and he says…

Dragon Quest co‑creator Yuji Horii released a new text‑based interrogation game that he claims took only about 30 minutes to produce using generative AI. In a recent X post, Horii compared the rapid creation to his solo work on the 1983 title The Portopia Serial Murder Case, noting that AI now handles story, art, and programming. He highlighted earlier AI experiments, such as the Gemini‑powered NPC “Chatty Slimey” in Dragon Quest 10, and hinted at future AI‑driven chatbots for upcoming titles.

💡 The rapid development showcases AI’s potential to streamline creative workflows, challenging traditional labor models in game design. It also signals a shift toward AI‑augmented storytelling, reshaping how developers approach narrative and interactivity.

blogs.microsoft.com · Oct 12

Microsoft to expand Maia chip for the AI era

Microsoft has begun production of its Azure Maia 200 chip, which is now powering production workloads such as Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and Microsoft Foundry. The company plans to launch the next-generation Azure Maia 300 in 2027, targeting long‑context reasoning, low‑latency conversational AI, and multi‑step agentic tasks. Maia 300 promises 40% more tokens per megawatt than leading GPU systems and up to seven times the rack‑scale throughput of Maia 200, enabling more efficient, scalable AI inference across Microsoft’s services.

💡 By shifting to purpose‑built silicon, Microsoft can deliver higher token throughput and lower power consumption for its expanding AI portfolio, positioning itself to meet the growing demand for enterprise‑grade, low‑latency AI services.

microsoft.com · Oct 12

Simulating student learning for better AI tutoring

StudentSim is a research framework that builds personalized AI student simulators from de‑identified learner data to evaluate and refine AI tutoring systems before classroom deployment. The simulators model each student’s independent responses and their changes after receiving tutor guidance, providing two key metrics: behavioral fidelity and guidance responsiveness. Across chess, English writing, and mathematics, StudentSim outperforms leading baselines, offering a scalable feedback signal for AI tutor development while avoiding the cost of live learner studies.

💡 By enabling rapid, realistic testing of tutor strategies, StudentSim accelerates the creation of more effective, individualized AI teaching tools, potentially reducing the time and expense required to bring high‑quality educational technology to market.

techcrunch.com · Oct 12

Meta releases its first frontier model, Muse Wonder

Meta’s Superintelligence Lab unveiled two new frontier models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, marking the company’s first release of large‑scale AI systems. Unlike the earlier lightweight Muse Spark, the Wonder models are designed for higher capability, achieving benchmark scores comparable to Fable 5.1 and GPT‑6 Astra and outperforming rivals on the MemoryBench continual‑learning test. Meta emphasizes “active memory,” claiming the models can retain user information over extended periods. Access is provided via the Meta Model API at $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens, a price point similar to GPT‑6 Sol and Opus 5.5. Trained at the Prometheus data center in Ohio, the launch follows a 2023 restructuring of Meta’s AI division and follows the release of Muse Spark and Muse Agent.

💡 By delivering a model that combines high performance with long‑term memory, Meta aims to differentiate its AI offerings for personal assistants, challenging the dominance of OpenAI and Anthropic in the frontier‑model space.

techcrunch.com · Oct 12

This AI startup says it can generate permit-ready blueprints in minutes

Al Drams founded Blueprints AI in 2025 after realizing generative AI could automate architectural drafting. The Santa Monica startup produces code‑compliant, permit‑ready blueprints from a 2D sketch or PDF in minutes, saving architects 80% of drafting time. Its first‑generation software costs $3,200–$8,500 monthly, while a new second‑generation version, unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt, allows full project design, real‑time updates, and automatic code checks. The company targets professional firms and developers, offering subscription and single‑project pricing.

💡 By slashing drafting hours, Blueprints AI frees architects to focus on creative design, potentially accelerating project timelines and reducing construction costs.