Windows 11 evolves into an AI-powered voice hub with “Hey Copilot” command
Microsoft wants to turn every Windows 11 installation into an “AI workstation”: With “Hey Copilot” users will be able to interact with their PC via voice in the future, while new agent features will even carry out tasks independently.
Windows 11 becomes the voice center
Microsoft is turning Windows 11 into a voice-controlled operating system. The company is introducing the “Hey Copilot” activation command for all Windows 11 computers – regardless of hardware configuration. The feature complements mouse and keyboard as a third input method and is intended to fundamentally change PC usage.
Voice control works via an opt-in setting in the Copilot app. Once activated, a microphone icon will appear on the screen, accompanied by an audible signal. Conversations can be ended with “Goodbye” or end automatically after a few seconds without interaction. Copilot on Windows 11: Advertising for the “computer that talks”
Copilot Vision analyzes desktop
In parallel, Microsoft is expanding the availability of Copilot Vision to all markets where the assistant is available. The system can analyze desktop content and applications to provide contextual assistance. The Highlights feature shows users directly in apps where they need to click to complete specific tasks.
Like Microsoft in one Blog post explains, in the future users will also be able to interact with Vision via text instead of just via voice. In Office applications, Vision can analyze entire documents, even if their contents are not visible on the screen. This enables comprehensive support for document editing and navigation without users having to manually scroll through pages.
Autonomous agents
The experimental feature “Copilot Actions” wants to go even further and relieve the user of even more work. The AI agents can independently perform tasks on local files – from photo sorting to PDF data extraction. The agents work in isolated environments with their own user accounts and require explicit permissions for sensitive areas.
Microsoft is also integrating an AI agent called “Manus” into File Explorer. This can create complete websites from local documents – without programming or manual uploads. Users can right-click files and select “Create a website with Manus.” The feature is aimed at users without programming knowledge who want to quickly create web presences from existing content. Microsoft shows off the new “Ask Copilot” function for the taskbar
Taskbar becomes the AI control center
Another innovation concerns the Windows 11 taskbar: Microsoft is planning an “Ask Copilot” button right next to the start button. The widget allows direct access to Copilot Vision and Voice with just one click. The redesigned search function displays results in real time and uses existing Windows APIs without access to user content.
The integration into the taskbar makes it clear how centrally Microsoft is positioning AI functions for the future of Windows. At the same time, for users who do not want to use AI features, this could mean that the user interface will increasingly be dominated by corresponding elements.
Security and data protection in focus
Microsoft emphasizes security aspects for all AI functions. Copilot Actions is disabled by default and can be paused or taken over at any time. The agents work under separate user accounts with limited rights and are cryptographically signed. Access to sensitive folders requires explicit user permissions.
The new features will first start in the Windows Insider program before they become available to all Windows 11 users. This means that Microsoft is clearly positioning itself against the competition from Google and Meta in the area of AI assistants. However, questions remain about system performance and energy consumption when speech recognition is permanently active.
