Microsoft Builds Its Copilot AI Assistant Straight Into Windows 11 – CNET

Microsoft Builds Its Copilot AI Assistant Straight Into Windows 11 - CNET

Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X

Microsoft Builds Its Copilot AI Assistant Straight Into Windows 11

A task bar icon shaped like a loop of blue ribbon opens up an entirely new way to control your PC and make it useful.

stephenshankland.jpg
stephenshankland.jpg
Stephen Shankland principal writer
Stephen Shankland has been a reporter at CNET since 1998 and writes about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science Credentials

  • I’ve been covering the technology industry for 24 years and was a science writer for five years before that. I’ve got deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and other dee
Stephen Shankland

Microsoft is building AI chat into Windows 11 with a feature called Windows Copilot

Microsoft; gif by Arielle Burton/CNET

Microsoft has begun building an AI chat interface straight into its single most important software product, the company said Tuesday. The tool will perform tasks like summarizing documents, suggesting music, offering tech support for your PC and answering questions you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot.

Windows Copilot is scheduled to arrive in a preview version of Windows in June via an icon in the task bar that looks like a loop of blue ribbon. Clicking it opens a chat interface sidebar where you can type questions or prompts like “enable dark mode” and click buttons to take actions.

It’s a major new step in Microsoft’s embrace of artificial intelligence technology. Previously the company had built it into its Bing search engine and Edge web browser, but Windows is used by millions more people and for many more hours a day.

“We are bringing the copilot to the biggest canvas of all, Windows,” CEO Satya Nadella said at its Microsoft Build developer conference.

And the change reflects a growing seriousness in modern AI. Google has begun building AI directly into its most important services, like search, Gmail, and Docs. Adobe on Tuesday released a beta version of Photoshop that uses AI to generate new imagery. AI remains experimental, but no longer is AI on the periphery of the world’s biggest tech products.

Microsoft also is building its copilot technology into its Office suite of productivity tools.

Get the CNET Now newsletter
If you subscribe to only one CNET newsletter, this is it. Get editors’ top picks of the day, the most interesting reviews, news stories and videos.
Yes, I also want to receive the CNET Insider newsletter, keeping me up to date with all things CNET.
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Add a Comment