Microsoft is expanding Artificial Intelligence features in Windows 11 with a new interface called ‘Ask Copilot’ that brings Artificial Intelligence directly into the taskbar. ‘Ask Copilot’ is an optional feature that users can enable in place of the standard Windows Search, and once activated it connects to Microsoft 365 services to power a set of specialized agents. These agents are summoned by typing the ‘@’ symbol in the taskbar, mirroring the familiar pattern of tagging someone in a message thread, which is intended to make initiating Artificial Intelligence assistance feel more conversational and contextual.
One of the highlighted agents, called Researcher, is designed for longer running tasks that do not require constant user supervision. The Researcher can perform extended research tasks that run for ten minutes or longer in the background, with small taskbar indicators tracking its progress in a manner similar to file downloads. These visual cues are meant to keep users informed without interrupting their workflow, providing a background layer of Artificial Intelligence powered activity that can surface results when ready rather than demanding immediate attention.
The broader strategy places Artificial Intelligence in core Windows experiences without relying on a separate Copilot application, even as it appears to contradict a recent promise to step back from an ‘AI everywhere’ strategy. In addition to the taskbar changes, Microsoft is adding a Copilot button inside File Explorer, which provides summaries and relevant context for synced shared documents without requiring users to open a separate application. By integrating assistance into everyday surfaces like search and file management, Microsoft expects a series of small productivity boosts across the operating system that compound over time, helping users research new topics and create content more efficiently. Microsoft states that these changes will be widely available to users within the next few weeks.
