Microsoft’s Push Into Agentic AI Begins With ‘Hey Copilot’ Voice Assistant in Windows 11
Microsoft announced the integration on Thursday agentic artificial intelligence in Windows 11, making it Co-pilot AI software more accessible as a voice or text assistant. In a blog post and video, the tech giant detailed the ways people can use Copilot with the “Hey Copilot” voice command, much like similar services from Apple (Siri), Amazon (Alexa), and Google.
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The always-on version of Copilot is not enabled by default. You need to enable it in the Copilot app settings.
“You will see the Copilot microphone appear on your screen, accompanied by a chime to indicate that Copilot is listening,” the blog says.
To end a Copilot conversation, you can say “Goodbye” or tap the X. You can also wait for Copilot to end after a few moments of no interaction.
Microsoft began rolling out the “Hey Copilot” feature to Windows Insider Program members in May.
The company is betting big on agentic AI, a new generation of artificial intelligence. artificial intelligence Since Generative AI which is more focused on independent action and decision-making. Microsoft sees AI agents as the next wave of AI technology.
What can “Hey Copilot” do?
The voice version of Copilot should be able to answer questions and perform tasks in the same way as a text prompt for Copilot, which works similarly to natural language prompts in ChatGPT. But Microsoft says the updates it releases Windows 11 can do more.
“We believe this shift to conversational typing will be as transformative as mouse and keyboard in terms of opening up new features on PC to more people,” the company said in the blog post.
Microsoft says Copilot should be able to perform Windows tasks you ask for in natural language, and that a sister feature, Co-pilot visioncan analyze what’s on your screen and make recommendations, answer questions, and advise you out loud on how to improve a project.
This help can extend to Office applications, including PowerPoint and Word. The company recently launched a Premium version of its Microsoft 365 softwaredeploying more AI features at $20 per month.
In the blog post, Microsoft previewed some features that it will share with Windows Insiders first, such as a redesigned Windows taskbar driven by Copilot and Copilot Actions, which will enable web activities such as reserving a table at a restaurant or ordering groceries.
