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It may finally be starting to dawn on Microsoft that shoving AI in its loyal customers\u2019 faces at all costs might not be the right move.<\/p>\n
Among gamers, who have watched the AI industry\u2019s run on computer hardware make PC components horrendously unaffordable<\/a> in a matter of a year or two, AI has turned more into a derogatory slur<\/a> than a selling point.<\/p>\n Microsoft\u2019s Xbox CEO Asha Sharma appears to have taken this new reality to heart, announcing in a Tuesday tweet<\/a> that the ailing gaming platform would \u201cbegin winding down\u201d the company\u2019s Copilot AI chatbot on mobile and \u201cdevelopment\u201d on console.<\/p>\n The response was rapturous, to say the least, with netizens jokingly crowning her as the new Xbox savior<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cRest in p**s, Copilot,\u201d one user replied<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody likes that,\u201d one Reddit user wrote<\/a>, referencing a popular video game meme<\/a>. <\/p>\n The overwhelming positive reaction to Sharma\u2019s announcement highlights a massive growing backlash to AI \u2014 and how swinging the other way can make for an easy PR win<\/a>. <\/p>\n Microsoft has plenty of work left to do in that department. It has quickly established itself as a major target<\/a> of this backlash, earning it the pejorative nickname \u201cMicroslop\u201d for stuffing AI features<\/a> into its Windows operating system.<\/p>\n The company first announced<\/a> Xbox Gaming Copilot in September, an AI feature meant to provide gamers with walkthroughs or a way to get past challenging levels, while recommending other games. In March, roughly a month after Sharma joined the company, the Xbox team promised that the feature would be rolling out \u201clater this year,\u201d drawing derision online.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AI will continue to impose itself until morale improves,\u201d one Reddit user joked at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m tired boss,\u201d another lamented<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apart from pausing Copilot development for Xbox, Sharma announced that Microsoft would be reducing recent price hikes<\/a> of Xbox\u2019s flagship Game Pass subscription service, another move indicating that the new exec was actively listening to user complaints. The subscription has skyrocketed in price<\/a> over the last year, alienating countless gamers<\/a> and putting the business into a precarious position.<\/p>\n Despite the latest decision, Microsoft still has clear work to do to undo the damage<\/a> its AI-uber-alles approach has done.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has a long way to go to win back consumer goodwill for most Xbox fans, but it is nice to see her making an effort I guess,\u201d one user wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n