Windows 11 Search Can Now Control Settings Directly With AI

Microsoft is altering the Windows 11 Search experience to allow users to directly control settings, locate files, and interact with Copilot from the taskbar. The update is set to launch in the fall, enabling users to execute numerous tasks through concise commands in the Search interface. During Microsoft's fall Surface event, Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri showcased the new Search capabilities, toggling features like dark mode and Do Not Disturb.

The revamped interface can also display controls inside the Search bar. For instance, typing "increase mic volume" may display a volume slider above the prompt. Microsoft asserts that the new experience is quicker and more context-sensitive, making it simpler to discover apps, files, and settings. Users with a connected phone can also send text messages via the taskbar without physically picking up their device.

Collaborating with Copilot will now occur directly within the Search interface. The objective is to enable users to articulate their needs, and Windows will, with their consent, take the appropriate action. This shift follows Microsoft's recent announcement to eliminate redundant Copilot integrations from Windows 11. Less than a year after that statement, Microsoft unveiled Hybrid Intelligence, a suite of software orchestration tools intended to run AI models locally on Windows PCs.

When activated, the upgraded Copilot app can access local files and perform actions across applications and system settings. Microsoft explains that Copilot will continue utilizing cloud-based AI for more resource-intensive tasks; however, local models can manage prompts when privacy or cost are concerns. Hybrid Intelligence also enhances Copilot's coding functionalities.

Developers will be able to create native Windows applications more effortlessly through Copilot, with support for Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC). MXC is intended to keep local AI agents within a secure sandbox while they execute tasks. Autopilot, Microsoft's personal AI agent, will be further expanded to utilize files stored on the PC.

The agent will use this information to inform its responses and carry out tasks without transmitting the data to the cloud. During the presentation, Autopilot aided an employee in preparing tax documents by locating relevant files, renaming them, compiling them into a ZIP archive, and drafting an email to send to an accountant. The entire process used a local AI model, ensuring the files did not need to leave the computer.

Microsoft projects that Copilot features powered by Hybrid Intelligence will be rolled out to Windows PCs over the coming months.