Microsoft's efforts to monetize its huge investments in generative AI are now catching up with consumers.As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the price of the company's 365 service is going up in regions including Australia and parts of Asia due to the inclusion of the company's Copilot AI assistant.

Microsoft is not asking for your permission to integrate its AI assistant Copilot into your life—it’s just doing it. The company recently forced Copilot onto Microsoft 365 users in Australia and parts of Southeast Asia.

In November, Akamai was revealed as the winning bidder for “select assets” in a bankruptcy auction. The deal closed in December, and, Microsoft said in its FAQ about the shutdown, “Microsoft was informed that the Edgio platform will end service on Jan. 15, 2025.”

This is just the latest in a long string of issues for the most recent release of Windows 11. The 24H2 release has been plagued with problems, including broken Auto HDR, busted USB scanners, wonky USB audio, problems with Outlook, major issues with certain Ubisoft games, and various other SNAFUs with specific hardware and software configurations.

Microsoft has clarified that this issue only applies to users who installed the Windows 11 24H2 update using a USB drive or CD