Microsoft Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi speaks at company headquarters in Redmond, Wash., on May 20, 2024. Microsoft unveiled a new category of PC that features generative artificial intelligence tools built into the Windows operating system. Microsoft estimates that over 50 million AI PCs will be sold over the next 12 months, given the appetite for devices powered by ChatGPT-style technology.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
On Tuesday, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10, the operating system it introduced 10 years earlier.
The software company is enticing people to upgrade their PCs with a slate of artificial intelligence features it will test in Windows 11, the successor to Windows 10.
Those who participate in both the Windows Insider Program and the Copilot Labs group for trying AI experiments will gain access to an updated Copilot assistant app in Windows 11 that can use desktop and web applications to complete certain tasks, such as resizing photos, with locally stored files.
Or perhaps a person could tell Copilot to put all available Brian Eno songs into a Spotify playlist and have the assistant push play, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s consumer marketing chief, told reporters in a briefing.
Anthropic, Google and OpenAI have all developed AI models known as computer-use agents that accept people’s directives to perform actions in multiple steps that involve typing and clicking.
Microsoft has brought this technology to corporate workers who build AI agents, and consumers with premium subscriptions can try a computer-use agent called Copilot Actions. Now the software company is planning a variant for Windows 11.
Copilot Actions will be turned off by default. If enabled, it will operate in a contained environment with its own desktop, Microsoft said. People can watch the software working step by step and take over at any point, although they’re free to navigate away and do other things on their PCs as the work happens in the background.
“You may see the agent make mistakes or encounter challenges with complex interfaces, which is why real-world testing of this experience is so critical to help us apply learnings to make this experience more capable and streamlined,” Mehdi wrote in a blog post.
It’s the sort of thing that might help Microsoft get the attention of people who today own Apple’s Mac computers or Chromebooks that run Google’s Chrome OS. In the second quarter, Microsoft generated $4.3 billion in Windows and devices revenue, up just 2.5% from last year.
Windows 11 became available in 2021, bringing the Start button and app icons to the center of the taskbar on the bottom of the screen, instead of the traditional left side. In July, the new operating system became more popular than Windows 10 for the first time, according to data from web analytics software maker Statcounter. Microsoft controlled 72% of operating system market share in September, the data showed.
Microsoft wants to proceed carefully as it rolls out Copilot Actions. During the preview, the feature will only work with common folders such as desktop, documents, downloads or pictures, and people will have to approve the use of data elsewhere on their computers.
Those enrolled in the Windows Insider Program will be first to test an action in the Windows 11 File Explorer that draws on technology from Singaporean startup Manus. People can right-click on a file and click the “Create website with Manus” option.
Windows Insiders will also gain the ability to ask Copilot to analyze what’s onscreen through chat messages. Until now, people could only engage with this Copilot Vision feature by talking aloud.
Finally, Microsoft intends to provide a redesigned shortcut to Copilot directly to the right of the Start button. The new widget will include buttons that activate Copilot Vision or spoken AI conversations with one click. Alternatively, people can summon the assistant by saying, “Hey Copilot.”
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