According to Thurrott.com, Microsoft AI has published its inaugural Copilot Usage Report for 2025, calling it the industry’s largest chatbot usage study to date. The findings are based on a massive dataset of more than 37.5 million anonymized consumer Copilot chats. The key revelation is that health is the number one topic users discuss with the AI, surpassing technology, money, news, and entertainment. The report also notes that usage patterns shift dramatically by time of day, with religion and philosophy spiking in the early morning and travel queries rising during the late afternoon commute. Furthermore, the data shows a significant trend of people seeking personal advice for relationships and life decisions, and it highlights a clear divide in how Copilot is used on desktop versus mobile platforms.
The Intimacy of AI
Here’s the thing that really jumps out: we’re not just asking Copilot for the weather or a quick fact. We’re treating it like a confidant for our most personal concerns. Health being the top topic is a huge deal. It suggests people are going to AI for symptoms, mental health support, or fitness advice, probably because it feels private and judgment-free. And that line from Microsoft about digital tools becoming “trusted companions for life’s everyday questions”? That’s not just marketing fluff. It’s describing a fundamental shift in human-computer interaction. We’re moving beyond the search box and into a conversational relationship with software. But it raises a big question: are we comfortable with this level of intimacy with a corporate-owned AI? The privacy safeguards Microsoft mentions are crucial, but the trust being built here is immense.
Context Is King
The time-of-day data is fascinating. Early morning philosophy searches? Maybe people are pondering life’s big questions with their coffee. Late afternoon travel planning? That’s the classic “dreaming of escape” during the commute home. This shows Copilot isn’t just a tool for isolated tasks; it’s woven into the emotional and logistical rhythm of our days. The shift from programming queries to society and culture topics as the year progressed is also telling. It might reflect a broader user base adopting the tool, moving from early tech adopters to a more general population. Basically, the AI’s purpose is entirely defined by the user’s immediate context—their time, their device, their current worry.
Desktop Vs. Mobile: A Tale of Two AIs
Now, the desktop vs. mobile split is super practical. On desktop, with a big screen and a keyboard, users engage in 20 different topic-intent combos in the top ten. On mobile, it’s only 11. That tells you everything. Desktop is for deeper, more varied work—maybe research, drafting, complex planning. Mobile is for quicker, more transactional hits: a fast answer, a translation, settling a bet with a friend. This isn’t just a fun fact for Microsoft; it’s a critical product roadmap guide. They need to optimize the mobile experience for speed and simplicity, while empowering the desktop version for depth and creativity. It’s almost like they’re managing two different products.
The Trajectory of Trust
So where does this go? This report is a snapshot of a relationship in its early, intense stages. The trajectory is clear: AI is becoming a primary interface for managing not just information, but our well-being and personal lives. The next big hurdle won’t be capability, but sustained trust. Can these systems maintain this trusted companion role as they evolve and as users inevitably encounter errors or limitations? Microsoft has framed this report as a look at “how human its uses have become.” The real test will be how human—and how ethically robust—the AI’s *responses* can become as this usage deepens. One thing’s for sure: the chatbot is no longer a novelty. It’s becoming part of the furniture of daily life, for better or worse.
