Pinterest is taking new steps to reduce the amount of AI slop its users are seeing. The service is adding settings that allow people to "dial down" AI-generated content in a number of categories that are "highly-prone" to such imagery, the company said in an update. While most social platforms have grappled with how to deal with the rise of AI-created content, Pinterest has been particularly inundated. Its image-board UI has proven particularly susceptible to AI slop, and users have complained about the difficulty of finding content created by humans. Now, Pinterest is offering users more control over how much AI content appears in their recommendations. The service is adding a "refine your recommendations" setting that allows you to toggle generative AI content from specific categories, including art, architecture, beauty, fashion, entertainment, health, home decor and sport. According to the company, these topics have seen an influx of AI-generated content, but users should "expect even more additions in the future." Notably, Pinterest isn't promising to root out generative AI content entirely. Rather, it says the new settings should "dial down" the amount of AI-based content they're seeing in a particular category. A spokesperson for the company says this is because not all AI-generated content on the platform is low quality and some users are in fact open to seeing AI-generated material. The setting also applies only to image pins, not video, so it likely won't do much to prevent Sora or other AI-created video clips from appearing in your feeds. For AI-created or AI-edited content that does continue to surface, Pinterest says it will label these posts more prominently. The company started experimenting with labels back in May , but has now "ramped up" its tools for identifying such content. Pinterest's new settings are available now on desktop and Android and will be available on iOS in the next few weeks. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-will-let-you-dial-down-ai-slop-in-your-feeds-130000337.html?src=rss

• Engadget
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Over a decade since Microsoft tried to make talking to Cortana on PCs a thing -- and spectacularly failed in the process -- the Windows giant is taking another swing at voice commands with its Copilot AI assistant in Windows 11. Starting today, the company is rolling out an upgrade to its existing Copilot Voice and Vision features which will let you say "Hey, Copilot" and then ask your PC a question based on what's on the screen. If you're looking at pictures of Hawaii, for example, you could ask your Windows 11 PC where exactly they were taken, have it plot you a flight plan and potentially even give you some budgeting tips to afford that island vacation. Microsoft's jaunty promotional videos for the Copilot features, set to Vampire Weekend's almost two-decade-old "A Punk," make the process look practically seamless. One user asks Copilot to show them how to stream their music in the "best possible quality," and the AI proceeds to highlight the exact location of the streaming settings in Spotify, while suggesting they choose the lossless option. Another person asks Copilot to write up a short biography based on their photo portfolio. Now Copilot isn't just about searching the web or generating novelty AI art, it's making it easy for users to perform practical tasks without much effort. Microsoft is clearly striving for the convenience of the Star Trek ship computer, a dream that also pushed Amazon to invest billions in its Echo devices and Alexa. The difference with Copilot is that you're not just talking to a faceless speaker -- Microsoft is also trying to make Windows 11 aware of what you're doing on your screen. The "Hey Copilot" feature and all of the Copilot Vision are cloud-based, so you'll have to live with image data of your desktop making its way to Microsoft's servers. That involves a level of trust the company has lost with many users, especially after the messy debut of Recall , its first flagship AI-powered feature. It doesn't help that many people are still peeved about the death of Windows 10 support this week . Unsurprisingly, the company stresses that "Hey, Copilot" is a purely opt-in feature that's buried in the Copilot app settings. (Of course, that can always change, especially if the company wants to juice AI engagement stats in a few years.) Copilot Actions Microsoft I suspect it'll be even harder for users to swallow where Microsoft wants to take Copilot: Giving it the ability to perform Windows tasks on its own. That's the goal of the experimental Copilot Actions feature, which initially debuted as a tool that could perform tasks on websites . Once enabled, Copilot Actions can be prompted to handle manual tasks, like resizing and straightening an a folder of photos. If any questions pop up, it can prompt you to answer them within the Copilot app. And as Copilot Actions is handling its job in the background, you're free to do anything else you'd like on your computer. Conceptually, Copilot Actions sounds similar to handing off a task to a real life assistant -- but just like a human assistant, there's always a chance something could go wrong along the way. It's also not hard to imagine the feature being coopted by nefarious malware down the line, since it's basically a Windows script in a better interface. Microsoft says it's tested Copilot Actions "extensively" internally, and it's rolling out the feature slowly to gather feedback. Just like "Hey, Copilot," it's entirely opt-in, and you can see everything Copilot Actions is doing step-by-step in the Copilot app. Microsoft says you'l be able to jump in and take control of a Copilot Action job at any point, as well as control the permissions of AI agents in Windows 11’s user settings. Copilot tasks are also performed in a contained environment, according to Microsoft, which allows for even more specific permissions controls as well as runtime isolation (so Copilot can’t affect the rest of your system beyond its specific task). And as if we're not already inundated with Copilot all over Windows 11 already, Microsoft also plans to add an "Ask Copilot" search function right on Windows 11's taskbar. The company claims it's part of a mission to make the taskbar "a dynamic hub" for accomplishing tasks, but personally I like to keep my taskbar clear so I can cram in more app windows. Like everything Microsoft is announcing today, the Ask Copilot bar will also be entirely opt-in. As someone who’s been skeptical of Microsoft’s Copilot initiatives so far, I could actually see myself using “Hey Copilot” if it works as advertised. It sounds far more practical than the old Siri voice commands, which were limited by simplistic language models from a decade ago. Microsoft is also expanding AI actions built into Windows 11, including a new integration with Manus , an AI agent that can do things like turn several documents into a website, as well as Filmora , which lets you create AI videos right from the File Explorer. The new "Hey Copilot" and Copilot Vision features are available today on all Windows 11 PCs that have access to Copilot. Microsoft is also making Copilot Vision broadly available around the world today where Copilot is available. Copilot Actions and the Ask Copilot taskbar feature will "gradually" become available to Windows 11 Insiders, according to Microsoft. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsofts-next-windows-11-ai-gamble-just-say-hey-copilot-130000875.html?src=rss

• Engadget
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

It was inevitable: Microsoft plans to carve out space on the Windows 11 taskbar for Copilot, while adding “Hey Copilot” as a wake word to trigger interactions with its AI. While the company isn’t making any overt changes to the branding of Windows 11, its executives this week spoke about reinventing the “AI PC,” the first generation of PCs it launched with early NPUs. Microsoft plans to make PCs smarter, including agents that can take actions and granting Copilot Vision more powers. Adding Copilot to the taskbar will actually be the most visible change to the Windows 11 user interface. However, it’s not the one Microsoft is focusing on. Now, it’s time to talk to your PC again. Yusuf Mehdi, the consumer chief marketing officer and executive vice president for Microsoft, said that the first priority of these new AI PCs was voice. “You should be able to interact with it naturally in text and primarily with voice,” he said in a briefing with reporters. “So you should be able to talk to your PC, have it understand you, and then be able to have magic happen from that, as easy as just talking to it.” “Voice will now become the third input mechanism to use in your PC,” Mehdi added. “It doesn’t replace the keyboard, but it will be an additive thing.” In the Windows 11 2023 Update, Cortana was a separate icon on the Windows 11 taskbar, next to the search box. Mark Hachman / IDG With Windows 10 transitioning into an unsupported state (well, kind of) , Windows 11 is really the only focus for Microsoft right now. If the company is readying Windows 12, it will certainly be AI first. But for now, the company plans to test out these new features with Windows 11 Insiders in its beta program in the coming weeks. A key point: none of these new features require an NPU or a Copilot+ PC. They’ll be open to all supported Windows 11 PCs. Copilot: Front and center on the Windows taskbar Microsoft took pains to reiterate that these choices are optional. But if you so choose, you will be able to add Copilot to your taskbar. “Our vision is simple yet bold: to make the taskbar a dynamic hub that helps you accomplish more with less effort, transforming everyday interactions into moments of productivity and delight,” Microsoft said in a blog post . This is what the Windows 11 taskbar will look like now: Copilot essentially replaces the Search box. The Copilot box apparently will serve as a replacement for the existing Search box within Windows 11, though it will handle search queries as well. Importantly, the Copilot box will also include icons for Copilot Vision and Voice, tacitly encouraging you to let Copilot see your screen and hear you. It’s unclear if Copilot is the default. Microsoft says it relies on existing Windows APIs to return apps, files, and settings, without accessing your content. Still, its presence on the screen and taskbar serves as a reminder to use Copilot. Microsoft gives your hands a break with “Hey Copilot” It’s ironic that Microsoft is letting go of Windows 10 this week, since Cortana was one of its flagship features — and “ Hey Cortana ” was the way to wake it. Cortana, of course, suffered an ignominious deprecation at the hands of the company. In May, Microsoft signaled that “Hey Copilot” would be the trigger to wake Copilot in Windows 11. This feature — now called Voice Mode — is present in the Copilot options. According to Mehdi, it will reach general availability on millions of PCs this week. Saying “Goodbye” will close Copilot, the company said. There’s an ongoing tension with the way people were “trained” to type in search terms, Mehdi said, especially short searches that produced broad results. Now, prompts reward longer inputs, but people are reluctant to type those in because they don’t know what to write. Cortana did appear for a brief time in Windows 11. Mark Hachman / IDG “What we find with Copilot is people don’t know exactly what they want to say,” Mehdi said. “They don’t know exactly what they want to ask or how to ask it. And so with voice, it becomes much simpler, less precise than when you have to have it with a bunch of prompted text.” “I think that’s really kind of the key tipping point, is that you’re able to now easily talk to it and get what you want,” Mehdi said. Will office workers want to talk to their PCs? It’s optional The challenge is also cultural. Can you imagine yourself talking to a PC inside a shared office, even with cubicles, with dozens of coworkers listening in? According to Microsoft, you will: “Hundreds of millions of people today talk for billions of minutes in offices with headphones,” Mehdi said. “They found a way to make it work.” Mehdi also used a specific word to describe how users orally interact with their PCs: not talking “to” the computer, and not talking “with” it, either — but talking “through” it. “And I think that this change to talk with and talk to will come to reality, and we’ll see this thing really take off,” he said. If you’re dead set against talking to — er, through — your PC, there’s another option: Microsoft is adding the ability to interact with Copilot Vision via text. Even dictation on iPhones has helped Microsoft’s user base become more comfortable talking to/through their devices, Microsoft says. Apple Copilot Vision basically sees what you see on your PC’s screen. It doesn’t require an NPU, though my tests found that using it with a Copilot+ equipped PC certainly helped. (Some laptops I used wouldn’t work with Copilot PC, though that was early in the process.) In my test of Copilot Vision , I found it was lousy in helping with older games, but offered real potential in walking you through apps and procedures that you were unfamiliar with. It’s worth noting, though, that Microsoft is testing a Gaming Copilot specifically to help in certain tasks and is launching it with the ROG Xbox Ally . The problem? Copilot Vision was, at the time, all voice driven. Not everybody wants to broadcast to an office or other workspace that they don’t know how to interact with Photoshop. Now Microsoft is granting Copilot Vision an option for text interaction, just like Copilot. “So in the appropriate circumstances, if you want to type in, you can do that,” Mehdi said. It’s not quite clear whether people will want to talk to, with, or through their PCs. I’ve been in a lot of very quiet offices where no one says a word. But Microsoft seems set on making it as comfortable as it can to talk or chat with Copilot. The important thing for the company is that you’re using it.

• PCWorld
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Microsoft’s Copilot Actions is what happens when Microsoft begins rethinking the future of Windows and how AI is integrated into the operating system. Imagine agentic AI being turned loose inside your PC and performing tasks without your supervision. It’s a big swing that’s conceptually almost as unsettling as Windows Recall . What happens when you ask AI to start mining and collating and adjusting your files, giving AI agents essentially the same user accounts you might give to members of your family? Microsoft is giving you tools to monitor this voluntary service, but… whew. It’s a monumental shift. The vision of Copilot Actions In a briefing with reporters, Microsoft executives gave the impression that with Windows 10 relegated to the back burner , it’s time for Windows 11—and whatever comes after it—to go full speed ahead. Copilot Actions is Microsoft’s current answer, and it’s one of Microsoft’s biggest AI features of 2025. The demo consisted of “uploading” multiple files to Copilot Actions, then telling it (via a Copilot prompt) to adjust their orientations and eliminate any duplicates. “We really feel that the vision that we have is, let’s rewrite the entire operating system around AI and build essentially what becomes truly the AI PC,” Yusuf Mehdi, a senior vice president and Microsoft’s chief consumer officer, told reporters in a briefing. “Now people have talked about an AI PC, but it hasn’t really come to life yet. There’s been many reasons that hasn’t happened.” Microsoft’s Copilot Vision has a prompt box, a list of tasks, and the option to stop. Microsoft One reason? Performance. Just two years ago, Microsoft began talking about the AI PC in terms of a new addition to chip architecture ( called the NPU ). Today, AI is largely split between the cloud (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) and local PCs, where chipmakers like AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm have struggled to find a killer app use case. The NPUs, Copilot+ PCs, and 40+ TOPS requirement has split the PC market, even though Copilot+ PC sales have been a tiny fraction of the overall market. Microsoft’s Mehdi sounds like he’s willing to toss all of that aside. “One of the big things that I think really came to us is, while Copilot+ PCs really are the tip of the spear and are gaining fast traction, the big thing was, let’s bring that AI capability to all Windows 11 PCs and make it really simple for anyone to try it.” What does Copilot Actions do? In 2023, Microsoft promised that Copilot would be able to actually adjust your PC . In reality, that turned out to be nothing more than lukewarm capabilities to adjust dark mode and other options. In May 2025, Microsoft showed off AI agents that would be able to make deeper changes . This month, Windows Insiders have been able to try out Direct Settings Access , where Microsoft will guide you to the right Settings menu in response to a query (but won’t make changes itself). In contrast, Copilot Actions are being pitched (at least in the example Microsoft showed reporters) as “Take Action” or the ability to “hand off unnecessary tasks.” If you open the Copilot app today, you’ll see a drop-down menu (initially on “Quick response”) with a list of options like “Think Deeper.” Copilot Actions appears at the bottom. For Copilot Actions, you’ll need to select the “Take Action” drop-down. Microsoft Copilot Actions will have access to certain parts of your PC—a limited set of your local known folders, such as Documents, Downloads, Desktop, or Pictures—and other resources that are accessible to all accounts. Microsoft envisions you “uploading” or at least marking files that you want Copilot to act upon. As stated above, Microsoft’s example showed off a number of photos that were uploaded, reoriented, and deduplicated. It’s really hard to say what “actions” you’ll be able to take without actually testing it personally, however. Microsoft is taking a cautious approach to Copilot Actions, placing them inside an experimental option for now. Microsoft Microsoft says Copilot Actions will be off by default and describes the feature as a voluntary process where you can supervise every step of the way. Microsoft isn’t just restricting Copilot Actions to Windows Insiders, but also walling it off further by requiring Insiders to participate in Copilot Labs, too. It certainly won’t hit the average PC for months. As it is, Microsoft says it will need to be toggled on via Settings > System > AI components > Agent tools > Experimental agentic features . How safe is Copilot Actions? Microsoft’s Copilot Actions builds on what Microsoft now calls Copilot Actions on the Web, part of its anniversary celebration this past spring . There, Microsoft showed off AI agents that could browse and shop the web on your behalf, pausing before they made any final purchases. Copilot Actions is more aggressive… sort of. In somewhat the same way that a “Deep Research” query using AI formulates a plan and then asks you for approval, Copilot Actions breaks down the task: opening the app, entering text, clicking on elements. But it doesn’t wait, either. It just kicks off the request and it’s up to you to press the black square icon to stop the process (as needed) as it steps through the various tasks. Importantly, you can “take control” and essentially pause Copilot Actions to then take over. If something goes wrong and your files are corrupted or deleted? Well, who knows. Microsoft’s approach to securing this process will likely be picked apart by security experts as well. The left-hand navigation box is the workspace that Copilot Actions sees. This is the completed task. Microsoft In a blog post , Microsoft goes into some of the details. First, Microsoft will be creating agent accounts within Windows, distinct from user accounts on your PC. “This facilitates agent-specific policy application that can be different from the rules applied to other accounts like those for human users,” Microsoft said. Second, these agents will start with limited permissions with access granted to resources you explicitly allow permission to, and a “well-defined boundary” for the agent’s actions. The access can be revoked. Each agent will also have to be digitally signed, Microsoft said, to prevent them from becoming malware. Third, all of the agents will work within a dedicated “workspace,” with runtime isolation and granular permissions that appear to request user intervention if they haven’t already been granted. “This provides the agent with capabilities like its own desktop while limiting the visibility and access the agent has to the user’s desktop activity,” Microsoft says. “The agent workspace is built on recognized security boundaries that Microsoft will defend in accordance with our longstanding security servicing criteria.” It’s not clear how this agentic workspace differs from the “sandbox” that Microsoft provides as part of Windows Sandbox, a virtualized OS that’s a key feature of Windows 11 Pro . Navjot Virk, the corporate vice president of Windows Experiences, acknowledged that Copilot Actions may make mistakes. “We’re absolutely committed to learning from how people use it, and we want to continue to improve the experience, to make it more capable and streamlined over time, and that is why real-world testing of this experience is so critical,” she said. Microsoft hasn’t said when Copilot Actions will be released to the public, but we’d expect it to be relatively soon. It’s certain to be controversial.

• PCWorld
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Copilot Vision’s eyesight is improving, as the integrated Windows AI technology will soon be able to see entire documents, plus link to apps like Google Drive via a new connectors function. Separately, Microsoft is adding Copilot to the Windows 11 taskbar and making “Hey Copilot” a wake word for the Windows AI app. It’s part of the company’s effort to expand its presence across your PC. The biggest update, though, is Copilot Actions, which will let the assistant actually modify files and system settings. Copilot Vision is the “visual” aspect of Copilot , able to “see” your PC’s screen and guide you through troubleshooting steps. In my hands-on testing , I found it more than capable of assisting with certain tasks, though it struggled consistently to recognize on-screen symbols in simple games like Solitaire . Microsoft plans to improve it in one key area: right now, it can only see what you see. Soon, in Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), it will be able to view the entire document, even sections not currently visible on your screen. Copilot Vision is also rolling out to all markets where Copilot is available, Microsoft said. You won’t need a specialized PC either; if you have Copilot, you’ll have Vision capabilities. Allowing Copilot Vision to “see” an entire file isn’t all that different from simply sharing it, to be fair. Microsoft Microsoft’s basic Copilot functions are also being beefed up, widening their scope as well. Copilot Connectors allow Copilot to know more about you To date, Copilot has been a tool to surf the web. Microsoft sees it as a source of knowledge, a way to browse, pull in contextual information, and eventually serve as a platform for agents that can perform tasks like shopping. Originally, Microsoft indicated that Copilot would be able to adjust Windows settings, such as turning your PC to dark mode. The company later backed off that plan but added a feature called Direct Settings Access , which lets users ask Copilot to guide them to the proper Windows setting. Windows Copilot, connected to Outlook. Microsoft Copilot will soon be able to connect to other services as well, including OneDrive files and Outlook contacts, emails, and calendar events. You can also link it to Google services like Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts. In addition, you’ll be able to take a Copilot response and automatically drop it into a formatted document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Microsoft tipped a version of this feature on October 10th when it announced the feature for Windows Insiders . The connectors allow for more useful, broader queries, including hunting down a particular paper or simply asking Copilot when your dentist appointment is. Of course, you’ll have the choice to turn on these connections yourself or else leave Copilot alone. Copilot will be able to create and export documents, too. Microsoft If Statcounter’s metrics are right , ChatGPT’s usage far surpasses Copilot’s, with its 78 percent share outweighing the latter’s 10 percent share by about eight to one. Still, Windows and Copilot are among the first things most people see each day, and the company is banking on making it more useful and prominently integrated.

• PCWorld
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Microsoft seems like it might be pulling back from a strategy limiting its latest AI functionality to just Copilot+ PCs armed with a dedicated NPU . If so, that could be a profound reversal of policy from the last two years. On Thursday, Microsoft announced a slew of new AI improvements that will apply to all Windows 11 PCs, including Copilot Actions, which allow AI agents to perform tasks on your behalf. Microsoft also made tweaks to Copilot, adding a “Hey Copilot” wake word and connected apps, as well as placing Copilot on the Windows 11 taskbar. Yusuf Mehdi, the chief consumer officer for Microsoft and an executive vice president, confirmed that none of the new Copilot functions require a Copilot+ PC, which includes an NPU with 40 TOPS or more. (The exception is an integration with Zoom on Click to Do, in which a user can right-click an email address or group of email addresses and create a Zoom meeting invitation.) The blog post in which the new features were announced was titled “Making every Windows 11 PC an AI PC.” Microsoft’s goal, Mehdi said, was to rebuild the AI PC. “We really feel that the vision that we have is, let’s rewrite the entire operating system around AI and build essentially what becomes truly the AI PC,” he told reporters. Copilot Actions in action. Microsoft “We’ve been now on this AI PC journey for probably three, four years,” Mehdi said. “Prior to that, we had multiple years of innovation that began publicly with our Copilot+ PC push that happened about a year and a half ago, where we essentially rewrote the operating system from the ground up, from the chip all the way to the cloud, to optimize battery, to optimize performance, to introduce new on device NPUs, so that you can run AI locally.” The AI PC was Microsoft’s first foray into AI, oriented around Intel’s Core Ultra Series 1 (Meteor Lake), the AMD Ryzen 8040 series, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Only Qualcomm’s chip delivered 45 TOPS, over the threshold for the Copilot+ PCs that Microsoft and others started delivering in 2024. At the time, Copilot+ PCs sounded like the next big thing. Over time, it seemed like the Copilot+ tent would expand to include more and more PCs as chipmakers simply made newer chips with dedicated NPUs and more TOPS. But Mehdi didn’t sound as committed when talking to reporters. “We did all of this years of work that let us get to the point of understanding what’s the right way to bring AI in,” Mehdi said. “We’ve learned a lot from that — you know, what features resonate. And one of the big things that I think really came to us is, while Copilot+ PCs really are the tip of the spear and are gaining, you know, fast traction, the big thing was, let’s bring that AI capability to all Windows 11 PCs, and make it really simple for anyone to try it. So that has been the big thing.” It’s not quite the ringing endorsement of Copilot+ PCs that you woud expect to hear from one of the Microsoft executives who launched the Copilot+ initiative in the first place. But it makes sense, too. Was Copilot+ too niche for Microsoft’s ambitions? A dedicated Copilot key on a laptop keyboard. IDG / Mark Hachman Put simply, Copilot+ PCs bombed in their first year, and there’s no reason to believe that sales shot up while Microsoft was trying to solve the problems around Recall . Mehdi told reporters that the “top feature” on Copilot+ PCs is semantic search , not Recall, but that’s still limited to Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors. But as we pointed out in 2024, the most powerful NPU is a GPU . An NPU’s strength is performing AI-optimized tasks effectively to maximize battery life, but the best LLMs and the most powerful generative AI art still runs best on a GPU if power isn’t an issue. It would make sense, then, if Microsoft were to de-emphasize local AI in order to favor a more all-encompassing message. But to do so would mean somewhat ditching Copilot+ and intrinsically discarding the accomplishments of its chip partners. Intel and Qualcomm just spent several days talking about the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) as well as the Snapdragon X2 Elite , respectively, after all. That would be a shocking reversal of the marketing message used by virtually all of the PC industry for most of the past few years. Microsoft didn’t address a PCWorld question whether Microsoft’s more inclusive stance toward AI also meant that it was moving away from Copilot+ and local AI. To be fair, Microsoft’s blog post ended with recommendations for new PCs to replace older Windows 10 hardware that officially ended support this week. All were Copilot+ PCs. Still, of the two blog posts Microsoft issued in support of its new Copilot features, the term “Copilot+” was used just a single time, to describe the Zoom integration into Click to Do. The term “NPU”? It didn’t appear. Not once.

• PCWorld
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Microsoft is going deep on AI with Windows 11, making voice a third input aside the keyboard and mouse with new wake words and additional features.

• Tom's Hardware
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Lian Li has refreshed the classic Lancool 207 PC case with a 6-inch front display. We’ve benchmarked this case using Intel’s i9-14900K for thermal testing.

• Tom's Hardware
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Microsoft is fundamentally reimagining how people interact with their computers, announcing Thursday a sweeping transformation of Windows 11 that brings voice-activated AI assistants, autonomous software agents, and contextual intelligence to every PC running the operating system — not just premium devices with specialized chips. The announcement represents Microsoft's most aggressive push yet to integrate generative artificial intelligence into the desktop computing experience, moving beyond the chatbot interfaces that have defined the first wave of consumer AI products toward a more ambient, conversational model where users can simply talk to their computers and have AI agents complete complex tasks on their behalf. "When we think about what the promise of an AI PC is, it should be capable of three things," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, told reporters at a press conference last week. "First, you should be able to interact with it naturally, in text or voice, and have it understand you. Second, it should be able to see what you see and be able to offer guided support. And third, it should be able to take action on your behalf." The shift could prove consequential for an industry searching for the "killer app" for generative AI. While hundreds of millions of people have experimented with ChatGPT and similar chatbots, integrating AI directly into the operating system that powers the vast majority of workplace computers could dramatically accelerate mainstream adoption — or create new security and privacy headaches for organizations already struggling to govern employee use of AI tools . How 'Hey Copilot' aims to replace typing with talking on Windows PCs At the heart of Microsoft's vision is voice interaction , which the company is positioning as the third fundamental input method for PCs after the mouse and keyboard — a comparison that underscores Microsoft's ambitions for reshaping human-computer interaction nearly four decades after the graphical user interface became standard. Starting this week, any Windows 11 user can enable the " Hey Copilot " wake word with a single click, allowing them to summon Microsoft's AI assistant by voice from anywhere in the operating system. The feature, which had been in limited testing, is now being rolled out to hundreds of millions of devices globally. "It's been almost four decades since the PC has changed the way you interact with it, which is primarily mouse and keyboard," Mehdi said. "When you think about it, we find that people type on a given day up to 14,000 words on their keyboard, which is really kind of mind-boggling. But what if now you can go beyond that and talk to it?" The emphasis on voice reflects internal Microsoft data showing that users engage with Copilot twice as much when using voice compared to text input — a finding the company attributes to the lower cognitive barrier of speaking versus crafting precise written prompts. "The magic unlock with Copilot Voice and Copilot Vision is the ease of interaction," according to the company's announcement. "Using the new wake word, ' Hey Copilot ,' getting something done is as easy as just asking for it." But Microsoft's bet on voice computing faces real-world constraints that Mehdi acknowledged during the briefing. When asked whether workers in shared office environments would use voice features, potentially compromising privacy, Mehdi noted that millions already conduct voice calls through their PCs with headphones, and predicted users would adapt: "Just like when the mouse came out, people have to figure out when to use it, what's the right way, how to make it happen." Crucially, Microsoft is hedging its voice-first strategy by making all features accessible through traditional text input as well, recognizing that voice isn't always appropriate or accessible. AI that sees your screen: Copilot Vision expands worldwide with new capabilities Perhaps more transformative than voice control is the expansion of Copilot Vision , a feature Microsoft introduced earlier this year that allows the AI to analyze what's displayed on a user's screen and provide contextual assistance. Previously limited to voice interaction, Copilot Vision is now rolling out worldwide with a new text-based interface, allowing users to type questions about what they're viewing rather than speaking them aloud. The feature can now access full document context in Microsoft Office applications — meaning it can analyze an entire PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet without the user needing to scroll through every page. "With 68 percent of consumers reporting using AI to support their decision making, voice is making this easier," Microsoft explained in its announcement. "The magic unlock with Copilot Voice and Copilot Vision is the ease of interaction." During the press briefing, Microsoft demonstrated Copilot Vision helping users navigate Spotify's settings to enable lossless audio streaming, coaching an artist through writing a professional bio based on their visual portfolio, and providing shopping recommendations based on products visible in YouTube videos. "What brings AI to life is when you can give it rich context, when you can type great prompts," Mehdi explained. "The big challenge for the majority of people is we've been trained with search to do the opposite. We've been trained to essentially type in fewer keywords, because it turns out the less keywords you type on search, the better your answers are." He noted that average search queries remain just 2.3 keywords, while AI systems perform better with detailed prompts — creating a disconnect between user habits and AI capabilities. Copilot Vision aims to bridge that gap by automatically gathering visual context. "With Copilot Vision, you can simply share your screen and Copilot in literally milliseconds can understand everything on the screen and then provide intelligence," Mehdi said. The vision capabilities work with any application without requiring developers to build specific integrations, using computer vision to interpret on-screen content — a powerful capability that also raises questions about what the AI can access and when. Software robots take control: Inside Copilot Actions' controversial autonomy The most ambitious—and potentially controversial—new capability is Copilot Actions , an experimental feature that allows AI to take control of a user's computer to complete tasks autonomously. Coming first to Windows Insiders enrolled in Copilot Labs , the feature builds on Microsoft's May announcement of Copilot Actions on the web, extending the capability to manipulate local files and applications on Windows PCs. During demonstrations, Microsoft showed the AI agent organizing photo libraries, extracting data from documents, and working through multi-step tasks while users attended to other work. The agent operates in a separate, sandboxed environment and provides running commentary on its actions, with users able to take control at any time. "As a general-purpose agent — simply describe the task you want to complete in your own words, and the agent will attempt to complete it by interacting with desktop and web applications," according to the announcement. "While this is happening, you can choose to focus on other tasks. At any time, you can take over the task or check in on the progress of the action, including reviewing what actions have been taken." Navjot Burke, Microsoft's Windows Experience Leader, acknowledged the technology's current limitations during the briefing. "We'll be starting with a narrow set of use cases while we optimize model performance and learn," Burke said. "You may see the agent make mistakes or encounter challenges with complex interfaces, which is why real-world testing of this experience is so critical." The experimental nature of Copilot Actions reflects broader industry challenges with agentic AI — systems that can take actions rather than simply providing information. While the potential productivity gains are substantial, AI systems still occasionally "hallucinate" incorrect information and can be vulnerable to novel attacks. Can AI agents be trusted? Microsoft's new security framework explained Recognizing the security implications of giving AI control over users' computers and files, Microsoft introduced a new security framework built on four core principles: user control, operational transparency, limited privileges, and privacy-preserving design. Central to this approach is the concept of " agent accounts " — separate Windows user accounts under which AI agents operate, distinct from the human user's account. Combined with a new "agent workspace" that provides a sandboxed desktop environment, the architecture aims to create clear boundaries around what agents can access and modify. Peter Waxman, Microsoft's Windows Security Engineering Leader, emphasized that Copilot Actions is disabled by default and requires explicit user opt-in. "You're always in control of what Copilot Actions can do," Waxman said. "Copilot Actions is turned off by default and you're able to pause, take control, or disable it at any time." During operation, users can monitor the agent's progress in real-time, and the system requests additional approval before taking "sensitive or important" actions. All agent activity occurs under the dedicated agent account, creating an audit trail that distinguishes AI actions from human ones. However, the agent will have default access to users' Documents, Downloads, Desktop, and Pictures folders—a broad permission grant that could concern enterprise IT administrators. Dana Huang, Corporate Vice President for Windows Security, acknowledged in a blog post that "agentic AI applications introduce novel security risks, such as cross-prompt injection (XPIA), where malicious content embedded in UI elements or documents can override agent instructions, leading to unintended actions like data exfiltration or malware installation." Microsoft promises more details about enterprise controls at its Ignite conference in November. Gaming, taskbar redesign, and deeper Office integration round out updates Beyond voice and autonomous agents, Microsoft introduced changes across Windows 11's core interfaces and extended AI to new domains. A new " Ask Copilot " feature integrates AI directly into the Windows taskbar, providing one-click access to start conversations, activate vision capabilities, or search for files and settings with "lightning-fast" results. The opt-in feature doesn't replace traditional Windows search. File Explorer gains AI capabilities through integration with third-party services. A partnership with Manus AI allows users to right-click on local image files and generate complete websites without manual uploading or coding. Integration with Filmora enables quick jumps into video editing workflows. Microsoft also introduced Copilot Connectors , allowing users to link cloud services like OneDrive, Outlook, Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar directly to Copilot on Windows. Once connected, users can query personal content across platforms using natural language. In a notable expansion beyond productivity, Microsoft and Xbox introduced Gaming Copilot for the ROG Xbox Ally handheld gaming devices developed with ASUS. The feature, accessible via a dedicated hardware button, provides an AI assistant that can answer gameplay questions, offer strategic advice, and help navigate game interfaces through natural voice conversation. Why Microsoft is racing to embed AI everywhere before Apple and Google Microsoft's announcement comes as technology giants race to embed generative AI into their core products following the November 2022 launch of ChatGPT. While Microsoft moved quickly to integrate OpenAI's technology into Bing search and introduce Copilot across its product line, the company has faced questions about whether AI features are driving meaningful engagement. Recent data shows Bing's search market share remaining largely flat despite AI integration. The Windows integration represents a different approach: rather than charging separately for AI features, Microsoft is building them into the operating system itself, betting that embedded AI will drive Windows 11 adoption and competitive differentiation against Apple and Google. Apple has taken a more cautious approach with Apple Intelligence , introducing AI features gradually and emphasizing privacy through on-device processing. Google has integrated AI across its services but has faced challenges with accuracy and reliability. Crucially, while Microsoft highlighted new Copilot+ PC models from partners with prices ranging from $649.99 to $1,499.99, the core AI features announced today work on any Windows 11 PC — a significant departure from earlier positioning that suggested AI capabilities required new hardware with specialized neural processing units. "Everything we showed you here is for all Windows 11 PCs. You don't need to run it on a copilot plus PC. It works on any Windows 11 PC," Mehdi clarified. This democratization of AI features across the Windows 11 installed base potentially accelerates adoption but also complicates Microsoft's hardware sales pitch for premium devices. What Microsoft's AI bet means for the future of computing Mehdi framed the announcement in sweeping terms, describing Microsoft's goal as fundamentally reimagining the operating system for the AI era. "We're taking kind of a bold view of it. We really feel that the vision that we have is, let's rewrite the entire operating system around AI and build essentially what becomes truly the AI PC," he said. For Microsoft, the success of AI-powered Windows 11 could help drive the company's next phase of growth as PC sales have matured and cloud growth faces increased competition. For users and organizations, the announcement represents a potential inflection point in how humans interact with computers — one that could significantly boost productivity if executed well, or create new security headaches if the AI proves unreliable or difficult to control. The technology industry will be watching closely to see whether Microsoft's bet on conversational computing and agentic AI marks the beginning of a genuine paradigm shift, or proves to be another ambitious interface reimagining that fails to gain mainstream traction. What's clear is that Microsoft is moving aggressively to stake its claim as the leader in AI-powered personal computing, leveraging its dominant position in desktop operating systems to bring generative AI directly into the daily workflows of potentially a billion users. Copilot Voice and Vision are available today to Windows 11 users worldwide, with experimental capabilities coming to Windows Insiders in the coming weeks.

• VentureBeat
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

While we have unsurprisingly yet to see any straight discounts on the just-announced M5 MacBook Pro, Best Buy is seeking to entice upgraders with some trade-in offers toward the new models . Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Best Buy is currently offering up to $800 in trade-in value for a base M4 MacBook Pro, with higher-spec machines qualifying for even more. Base M3 MacBook Pro models qualify for up to $600 in trade-in credit, while base M2 models qualify for up to $490 and base M1 models qualify for up to $300. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members are also eligible for an extra 10% on their trade-in value. TRADE-INS M5 MacBook at Best Buy The new M5 MacBook Pro starts at $1,599 , with higher-spec stock configurations available at $1,799 and $1,999 price points. Pre-orders are available now ahead of a launch next Wednesday, October 22. Apple also offers its own trade-in program for Macs and other devices, so it's worth comparing trade-in values to determine what the best option is for you. Private sales can also frequently yield higher values for a given model, though that can come with more hassle and less security than a retail trade-in partner like Best Buy or Apple, so you need to weigh priorities when deciding how to upgrade. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple Deals This article, " Best Buy Offering Trade-In Deals Toward New M5 MacBook Pro " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

• MacRumors.com
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 3 dakika

Samsung is launching Qi2 wireless chargers in the US ahead of Galaxy phones that can fully take advantage of them.

• Android Central
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"Midnight in the War Room" reveals the unseen heroes of cybersecurity—CISOs and defenders fighting a digital cold war to keep the modern world running.

• Forbes Tech
• 2 gün, 2 saat, 9 dakika

I’ve gone back and forth on mechanical keyboards a few times over the years. This isn’t due to any indecisiveness about whether or not I prefer them – I very much do – but a couple of practical issues. One of these is that I’m not aware of any mechanical keyboard available with a Touch ID key. This is one of those features that once you’ve had it, you don’t ever really want to go back … more…

• 9to5Mac
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Google's latest Android 16 QPR2 beta for Pixels brings app shortcut tweaks, UI polish, and stability improvements.

• Android Central
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 17 dakika

The Vision Pro M5 upgrade brings 3.5x faster AI, improved visuals, longer battery life, and a redesigned headband for better comfort. The post Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip and 50% Faster AI appeared first on Phandroid .

• Phandroid
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 18 dakika

Even five years on, I’m still blown away by the impressiveness of Apple Silicon Macs. I’m still rocking a pair of M1-powered MacBooks myself, albeit one of them the M1 Max , and I’ve never felt that either one was underpowered. Apple yesterday told us that the latest generation M5 chip is significantly better than even the M4. But the most impressive thing about the chip isn’t found inside the MacBook Pro … more…

• 9to5Mac
• 1 gün, 22 saat, 18 dakika