Windows 11 will soon have a (finally) complete personal assistant

Bing, Edge and now Windows. The push of artificial intelligence within Microsoft products does not seem to stop. The Redmond firm has just announced on the sidelines of Build, its annual developer conference, the integration of AI into Windows. Specifically, Windows 11 should benefit in the coming months from a major update letting in “Copilot”.

Located in the middle of the lower taskbar, the Copilot is a simplified access to the new Chat Bing. With a simple click, a rectangular and vertical window opens, in the form of a conversation. As with Edge, the user can ask questions and the AI ​​responds instantly.

Simplified access to Windows settings

Thanks to the application’s native integration into Windows, the AI ​​can access all of the computer’s settings and Windows tools. In particular, it is possible to directly configure a suitable workflow to focus more effectively on a task. Like Edge’s Copilot, the Windows 11 assistant can access your documents and process text (summarize, reformulate, produce, etc.).

Microsoft’s AI can be interconnected with third-party applications to easily manage orders. Launching music on Spotify from the Copilot therefore becomes possible. The co-pilot “ turns every user into a power user, helping you take action, customize your settings, and connect seamlessly to your favorite apps “, Details Microsoft. For full integration of their app in Copilot, developers are encouraged to use the Windows Bing and ChatGPT plugins.

A preview version deployed in June

More classically, the AI ​​integrated into Microsoft’s operating system offers all the features already present with Bing Chat or ChatGPT. Searching the Internet, writing an email or getting advice from the AI ​​become faster tasks. The new features are expected to roll out in preview in June before a global update in the coming months.

However, several unanswered questions remain. Will Copilot be available without an internet connection? Until now, Microsoft based its AI systems on models adapted from OpenAI and requiring a connection to operate. With Copilot, Microsoft seems to want to center the user experience on the virtual assistant, offline, the interest of the chatbot then quickly appears limited.

Finally, direct access to system files and settings, despite being natively designed by Microsoft developers, opens the door to new security and privacy issues.

Consumer democratization of AI

Rolling out new AI-powered features in Windows allows Microsoft to reach a new audience. With a base of 1.4 billion monthly active users on Windows 10 and 11, the firm wants to anchor a real transition to AI. With the imminent arrival of the Copilot, many users could discover for the first time a technology based on artificial intelligence.

« AI is going to be the biggest driver of innovation for Windows in the years to come. It will change the way you work, modify your interaction models to make them simpler. She will understand so much about what you need “, assured Panos Panay, executive vice president and chief product officer of Microsoft, during an interview with Engadget. Microsoft thus plans to use AI as a real driver of growth.

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