Copilot Terms Claim Microsoft’s AI Is for ‘Entertainment Purposes Only’

Is Copilot a serious productivity tool, or just a party trick? Microsoft’s heavy promotion of its AI is facing criticism because its terms of use say Copilot is for “entertainment purposes only.”

Last fall, the company quietly updated the Copilot Terms of Use to note that “Copilot is for entertainment purposes only. It can make mistakes, and it may not work as intended. Don’t rely on Copilot for important advice. Use Copilot at your own risk.”

The agreement adds: “We do not make any warranty or representation of any kind about Copilot. For example, we can’t promise that any Copilot’s Responses won’t infringe someone else’s rights (like their copyrights, trademarks, or rights of privacy) or defame them. You are solely responsible if you choose to publish or share Copilot’s Responses publicly or with any other person.”

(Credit: Microsoft)

In recent days, the agreement has made the rounds on social media, where it’s facing plenty of criticism since it seems to clash with Microsoft’s marketing, which positions Copilot as a powerful and useful tool for users and businesses.

“It’s not a good sign when a company won’t stand behind the accuracy of their product. If Microsoft doesn’t trust copilot, why should I?” questioned one Reddit user. 

Previous versions of the terms, dating back to 2023, were more vague and said: “The Online Services are for entertainment purposes.”

Another user also noticed that the “entertainment purposes only” phrasing seems to match disclaimers posted on TV programs featuring ghosts or psychics to prevent lawsuits. Indeed, you can find online psychic services that mention the same, noting “readings should be viewed as being for entertainment purposes only and in no way replaces proper legal, financial or medical advice.” Microsoft has already been caught in AI-related lawsuits over ChatGPT data scraping after investing billions in OpenAI.

However, the company is indicating it plans on changing the disclaimer soon. “The ‘entertainment purposes’ phrasing is legacy language from when Copilot originally launched as a search companion service in Bing,” a Microsoft spokesperson told PCMag. “As the product has evolved, that language is no longer reflective of how Copilot is used today and will be altered with our next update.”

In the meantime, Redmond has faced pushback over its focus on AI, with some critics calling the company “Microslop,” a reference to AI slop. Perhaps in response, a Microsoft executive downplayed the company’s AI focus last month while talking up major improvements to future Windows 11 updates.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comment from Microsoft.

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