Just a day after my report, references to GPT-5 were spotted inside Microsoft’s Copilot web app, hinting at a new smart mode. I understand that some parts of Microsoft 365 Copilot have been showing a magic mode in recent weeks that’s designed to function the same as the smart mode. It’s likely that magic mode is simply a codename for smart mode, and this magic version still doesn’t mention GPT-5. I suspect that this smart mode is showing up in Copilot early because Microsoft engineers are preparing for the release of GPT-5. Microsoft declined to comment on the GPT-5 references in Copilot, and the company isn’t commenting on its new smart mode, either.