The Barbra Streisand effect was in full swing after tech giant Microsoft attempted to clamp down on the word “Microslop” on a Discord channel dedicated to its AI chatbot Copilot over the weekend.
The onslaught of mockery — characterized by a company spokesperson blaming the Microslop dustup on “spammers attempting to disrupt and overwhelm the space with harmful content not related to Copilot” — was too much, forcing Microsoft to shut down the Discord server altogether.
The pejorative term has become the rallying cry for disenchanted users of the company’s Windows operating system, who argue that Microsoft has gone too far in its attempts to embrace AI at every level.
Meanwhile, company executives have become frustrated with the blowback, with CEO Satya Nadella admitting that “it will be a messy process of discovery, like all technology and product development always is,” during a 2025 year-end roundup.
But given the latest rumors, leaks, and discovered code snippets, the company is far from giving its many disillusioned customers a break. The outlet PCWorld is claiming that its next Windows 12 operating system could be built from the ground up to focus on AI, with Copilot “evolving from an optional assistant to a central control instance,” while “OS-wide integration will replace selective AI functions.” Code fragments also suggest Windows 12 may have a premium subscription tier, giving consumers additional cloud computing power and AI features.
It’s important to note that Microsoft has yet to make any official statements regarding the follow-up to Windows 11. We don’t even know if the company will go with the name Windows 12. Futurism has reached out to the company for comment.
Insider sources also told Windows Central that there were no plans to ship Windows 12 this year, as PCWorld originally suggested. Instead, Microsoft is allegedly focusing its efforts on “fixing Windows 11 and attempting to improve its reputation by addressing top feedback such as reducing AI bloat across the OS,” according to the publication’s Zac Bowden.
Regardless of whether the latest rumors turn out to be true, the reactions highlight how Microsoft’s brand has taken a major hit as it attempts to adopt AI at all costs.
“Man, that’s a lot of things I don’t want at all packed into one operating system,” one Reddit user wrote.
“There is zero demand for this,” another complained.
“I really appreciate them doing this,” one user joked. “For the Linux community, I mean.”
Microsoft’s currently available Windows 11 operating system has already seen plenty of updates in the form of AI chatbot integrations. But as is clear from widespread frustration and hundreds of millions of users sticking with Windows 10, the company’s approach hasn’t always gone smoothly.
Case in point, after stuffing AI into its text editing app Notepad, cybersecurity researchers noticed a major security breach that could’ve allowed malicious actors to execute code remotely on other people’s machines. Fortunately, the bug has since been addressed by Microsoft.
Former and current employees told The Wall Street Journal last month that the company’s confusing branding and lack of cohesion between products are starting to wear on users. A vanishing sliver of enterprise customers have said they prefer Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot over the company’s steep competition, including Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
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