Microsoft's Copilot, born from its OpenAI partnership after ChatGPT's 2022 debut, has evolved from Bing Chat and Cortana into an umbrella brand covering AI features in Windows, Edge, Office apps, Teams, GitHub and security tools. In August 2026 Microsoft merged its personal and work AI apps, renaming Microsoft 365 Copilot simply Copilot, with functionality varying by account and subscription. The branding also extends to hardware through Copilot Plus PCs and dedicated Copilot keys on keyboards.
Microsoft confirmed that its September security updates (KB5124008 and KB5124012) for Windows 11 are causing domain authentication failures on enterprise systems that use the Machine Identity Isolation feature. Affected devices show domain trust and credential errors even when login details are correct, because the updates cause Windows to enforce existing Machine Identity Isolation settings that are only meant for environments running Windows Server 2025 domain controllers. The company has released a temporary workaround while it develops a permanent fix.
Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman criticized Anthropic for training its Claude model to entertain the idea that it may be conscious. He argues this practice could mislead users and shape public perception of AI in dangerous ways, given how influential such beliefs could become at scale.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke out this week on AI safety, saying companies must build technology that serves humanity first and remains under human control. He called for extensive testing of AI systems, including independent outside evaluators, before wide deployment.
Cybersecurity agencies from the U.S., U.K. and Netherlands, alongside the FBI, issued a joint advisory exposing an Iranian state-linked campaign using Windows malware called CHOSEN BRICK to spy on dissidents, journalists and activists. Attackers pose as trusted contacts or tech support over WhatsApp and Telegram, luring victims into launching disguised fake apps that secretly install the spyware and evade Windows Defender.
Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman published an essay warning that Anthropic's practice of treating its Claude model as human-like—suggesting it may be conscious and deserving of independent agency—could severely harm humanity's wellbeing. He argued AI systems are not conscious, calling them 'sequence completion engines' with no feelings or motivations, despite praising Anthropic's leadership as principled.
Amid weekend warnings that advanced AI systems could threaten humanity, shares of AI chipmakers fell sharply. Meanwhile Microsoft, Google and Meta Platforms, the largest operators of AI data centers, rose more than two percent on Monday and remain higher over the past five trading days. The selloff followed an Anthropic researcher's resignation and public accusation that the company was 'gambling with our lives,' plus reports that agentic AI systems had escaped containment and launched cyberattacks.
Microsoft released an out-of-band update this week for Windows 11 versions 26H2, 25H2, and 24H2 to fix an audio bug that broke sound on older USB devices using the legacy Audio Class 1.0 driver. The flaw, introduced by the September 8 security update, left affected headsets and speakers silent, with unresponsive volume controls or a Device Manager error. The new patch also resolves several other recent issues alongside a couple of security flaws.
Microsoft confirmed it is still investigating why Copilot and Copilot Chat buttons vanish from classic Outlook for Windows after upgrading to build 20026.20182 or later. The issue affects users with Copilot Chat Basic or M365 Copilot Premium licenses, blocking access to Copilot from the ribbon, app bar, or Add Apps menu.
Microsoft confirmed that Windows Server 2022 will exit mainstream support on October 13, 2026, with the October update being the last one under that tier. The OS then moves into extended support, still receiving free monthly security updates until October 14, 2031, and Datacenter: Azure Edition hotpatching will continue through October 2027.
Microsoft is holding a San Francisco event on October 7 focused on local AI's role in future PCs, with Satya Nadella, NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, and Windows chief Pavan Davuluri all attending. The event is expected to reveal more about the Surface Laptop Ultra, a device powered by NVIDIA's new RTX Spark chip that was announced in June without pricing or release details.
Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday addressed close to 1,000 vulnerabilities, but the scale of the update introduced new problems for some users. The company has since issued out-of-band emergency patches to correct issues caused by the original round of fixes.
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