Despite announcing that it will reduce Copilot’s footprints in Windows 11, the company is set to launch AI Agents soon.
Microsoft to Roll Out Taskbar AI Agents on Windows 11; Will Support Third-Party Agents as Well
Microsoft just released the Windows 11 Builds 26100.8313 and 26200.8313 to the Release Preview Channel, and the company won’t budge from its stand when it comes to integrating AI into its Windows 11 OS. After a backlash, Microsoft decided that it would not be expanding Copilot into simple apps like Notepad, Snipping Tool, Photos, and Widgets. However, it doesn’t mean that the company will completely halt using AI on the OS.
As per the release notes of the latest Release Preview builds, it’s clear that Microsoft will continue its plan to integrate AI into Windows 11 and will deploy AI “Agents” into the taskbar. Microsoft explains that by introducing AI Agents to the taskbar, users will be able to benefit as the agents, like Microsoft 365 Researcher, will help them with their workflows and will keep track of the progress. To see the progress, the Microsoft 365 Copilot icon will be used, and when the research report is ready, Windows will notify the users.
It’s a bit different from traditional assistants as the AI Agents won’t just answer, but they can ‘act’, and may operate across multiple apps. Moreover, the taskbar will support third-party AI Agents as well, expanding the ecosystem even further. These AI Agents can interact with your desktop environment, and can summarize stuff displayed on the screen, extract data, automate tasks, and carry out similar productivity workloads on their own.
Since third-party Agents will be part of this ecosystem, developers will be able to ship their own agents. Remember that this took several months, as Microsoft first introduced the “Ask Copilot” taskbar agents concept back in 2025. The release of Microsoft 365 Researcher is included in Microsoft 365 Copilot, and that means if you don’t own a Microsoft 365 subscription, you won’t be able to use it. This basically means that the AI Agents, like Microsoft 365 Researcher, are optional, but if you have removed the Copilot, you won’t be able to use any Microsoft AI Apps.
News Sources: Windows, via Windows Latest
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications.
Sarfraz’s hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany’s Igor’s Lab.
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