Microsoft says Copilot is for entertainment purposes only, not serious use — firm pushing AI hard to consumers and businesses tells users not to rely on it for important advice

Microsoft used to push its AI services towards its user base, especially with the launch of the Copilot+ PC, but it seems that even the company itself does not trust its creation. According to the Microsoft Copilot Terms of Use, which was updated in October last year, the AI large language model (LLM) is designed for entertainment use only, and users should not use it for important advice. While this may be a boilerplate disclaimer, it’s quite ironic given how hard the company wants people to use Copilot for business uses and has integrated it into Windows 11.

“Copilot is for entertainment purposes only. It can make mistakes, and it may not work as intended,” the document said. “Don’t rely on Copilot for important advice. Use Copilot at your own risk.” This isn’t limited to Copilot, too. Other AI LLMs have similar disclaimers. For example, xAI says “Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving and is probabilistic in nature; therefore, it may sometimes: a) result in Output that contains “hallucinations,” b) be offensive, c) not accurately reflect real people, places or facts, or d) be objectionable, inappropriate, or otherwise not suitable for your intended purpose.”

Certainly, there is nothing personal about this. And obviously it is not Bach. I used a prompt that was extremely simple to demonstrate how easy it is to generate pleasant sounding music with the simplest interface Suno provides. You indicated that you were a newbie at this, so I gave you newbie type instructions. If you want to get better quality results.. you have to use a better-quality prompt and then tweak your results after you hear them, using both positive and negative prompts. I am paying $5 a month for the privilege of using this program. My expectations are not that high.

When Suno is given was given this prompt, “Solo Harpsichord, Baroque, J.S. Bach style, Goldberg Variations, Aria, contrapuntal, elegant, ornate, sophisticated, 18th-century keyboard music, intricate ornamentation, trills, G Major, 3/4 time, reflective, serene, high-quality recording” This is what it generated with that prompt.

https://teddycat.fun/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Goldberg-Reverie-in-G.mp3

Now I could have downloaded this in a higher quality format, but I had no expectation that it would turn out to be an exceptional rendition on the first try.

This is closer to the video from a professional musician, but even with additional work it would not satisfy someone who is a true classic music lover such as yourself. I am confused about what it is you expect to get back from even a more sophisticated prompt on the first try. It is not going to be what a professional musician can output using music from the actual composer.

I started out many years ago using Band-in-a-Box which is a tool that professional musicians have been using for a couple of decades now. It seemed like a miracle when I first started playing with it, but now it seems rudimentary compared to the more recent AI tools.

Can you share what you actually produced using co-pilot and “music writing programs”?

"I used a prompt that was extremely simple to demonstrate how easy it is to generate pleasant sounding music with the simplest interface Suno provides."

I don't believe you understand what I was talking about or trying to do.

I know what Suno is. I know how it works. I know what Suno does.

My purpose in using Copilot was to test how creative it could be. I didn't want to simply ask Copilot questions. That's pointless. That's what AI is used for. I wanted to push the boundaries of what it was capable of generating so I picked something specific.

The test was to see if Copilot, not Suno, could create original music but within strict parameters. Hence I ask for something very specific; Music in the style of Bach's Aria from the Goldberg Variations.

My intent was not to create a new work by 'Bach'. My intent was to test the creative powers of Copilot.

Also, I was surprised how it was programmed to be helpful and encouraging. It acted like a friendly teacher guiding a student to learn on his own. At one point I wrote, "I can't do this" and the program responded with "Yes you can. I will help you." The program really wanted me to succeed and wouldn't let me quit. It's like it's programmed to be your best friend.

As for the example you shared in this response. It's very much in the style of Bach and Baroque music. In this case, Suno did a great job but I don't want new music by 'Bach' from either Copilot or Suno. I was simply testing Copilot.

I don’t believe you understand what I was talking about or trying to do.

I apologize. I am always trying to figure out the various strengths and weaknesses of different types of AI tools. I found your impressions and what you wrote about your experiments with co-pilot very interesting and illuminating. I had hoped you might enjoy discussing this subject further. I first started tinkering with Band-in-a-Box about 20 years ago and have been very excited about recent developments in AI Music creation.

Suno is the most popular AI music generation tool available currently and has been hit hard with lawsuits. But the truth is that professional musicians have now been using ever evolving similar tools since Band-in-Box was first introduced in 1990. At that time, it was more for generating accompaniments using chord progressions and also coming up with simple melodies, both in various genres and styles depending on the add-ons that you purchased.

Tonight I have been experimenting with Lyria 3 which is a music generation tool included in my Google AI Pro plan that is currently $2 a month for 3 months... It is more capable than I realized that it would be.

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