Microsoft has begun rolling out a new underlying AI model across Copilot, marking another step in its steady shift away from the Cortana era toward a more capable, always-on assistant embedded across Windows, the web, and mobile.
According to recent reports, Copilot is now distributing GPT-5.2 as a new engine, presented to users under the name Smart Plus. The update is being deployed as a free upgrade and will run in parallel with the existing GPT-5.1-based Smart mode, rather than replacing it outright.
Smart Plus arrives as Copilot’s new “thinking” mode
The most notable change is not just the model itself, but how Microsoft is framing it. Instead of exposing version numbers or technical jargon, Copilot now offers Smart Plus as an option designed specifically for longer and more complex tasks. In contrast, the standard Smart mode remains available for everyday queries and lighter interactions.
In practical terms, Smart Plus is positioned for scenarios that require deeper reasoning, multi-step planning, or sustained context, such as comparative analysis, structured writing, or tasks that involve several dependent instructions. The goal appears to be reducing the burden on users to understand which model to pick, while still offering a clear upgrade path when complexity increases.
This approach aligns with a broader “router” philosophy that has emerged in modern assistants: instead of forcing users to constantly choose between speed and depth, the system defaults to sensible behaviour while still allowing manual control when it matters.
How Smart Plus fits into Copilot’s growing mode system
Microsoft has already introduced multiple Copilot modes in recent months, separating conversational reasoning from web-focused queries and other specialised use cases. Smart Plus stands apart from those thematic modes because it is not about what you are doing, but how deeply the system processes your request.
Early indicators suggest two main benefits:
- More reliable responses on complex prompts involving analysis, planning, or long-form writing.
- Improved consistency on multi-step instructions, an area where earlier models could lose track of constraints or intermediate goals.
Rather than adding yet another button with a narrowly defined purpose, Smart Plus functions as a higher-capacity brain for Copilot when tasks demand it.
GPT-5.2 also expanding inside Microsoft 365
The same model family is already being integrated into Microsoft 365 Copilot, where it is described in two variants: GPT-5.2 Thinking for complex problem-solving and GPT-5.2 Instant for faster, everyday tasks such as drafting, translation, and summaries. This mirrors the consumer-facing split between Smart and Smart Plus, reinforcing Microsoft’s strategy of matching model depth to task complexity.
Microsoft is following a familiar pattern: instead of asking users to “go to AI,” it embeds new capabilities directly into the tools people already use, from Windows to Office apps. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to position GPT-5.2 as its most capable series yet for professional workloads involving long documents, code, and data-heavy tasks.
For users, the change may feel subtle at first. But beneath the simplified labels, Copilot is gaining a more powerful reasoning layer—one that signals Microsoft’s intent to make advanced AI feel less like a feature you select and more like a default part of everyday computing.
