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Microsoft is trying to transform Windows into a “canvas for AI,” with new AI agents integrated into the Windows 11 taskbar. These new taskbar capabilities are designed to make AI agents feel like an assistant in Windows that can go off and control your PC and do tasks for you at the click of a button. It’s part of a broader overhaul of Windows to turn the operating system into an “agentic OS.”
“This is all about us wanting to make sure that every user can get the superpowers of AI,” says Navjot Virk, corporate vice president of Windows experiences, in an interview with The Verge.
Microsoft is integrating a variety of AI agents directly into the Windows 11 taskbar, including its own Microsoft 365 Copilot and third-party options. “This integration isn’t just about adding agents; it’s about making them part of the OS experience,” says Windows chief Pavan Davuluri.
An AI agent running on the Windows 11 taskbar. Image: Microsoft
Agents will be able to do things like research data in the background while you work on something else, or access files and folders on your PC to automate a boring and time-consuming admin task you have to do at work. Once you ask an AI agent to go do some tasks for you, the agent will shift into the taskbar and run in the background. “You can hover on the taskbar icon at any time to see what the agent is doing,” explains Virk.
The AI agent integration is part of the new Ask Copilot feature in the taskbar, which combines the existing local file search with Copilot capabilities. “Not only do you get lightning-fast search for files and settings, you can now start a conversation with Microsoft 365 Copilot and also launch AI agents directly from the taskbar,” explains Virk.
Microsoft has even added new taskbar capabilities to these agents so you can glance at them to see the status of whatever they’re working on in the background. A floating window will also appear to interact with agents or Microsoft 365 Copilot, instead of a full app.
You can access AI agents through the new Ask Copilot feature in the Windows 11 taskbar. Image: Microsoft
If an agent needs attention or completes a task, it will notify you and update its state on the taskbar. There are badges on the AI agent taskbar icons that show you visually that an agent is progressing with a task: a yellow exclamation point when it needs help, or a green tick for when it has completed something.
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