Microsoft's Push Into Agentic AI Begins With 'Hey Copilot' Voice Assistant in Windows 11

Microsoft announced Thursday that it's integrating agentic artificial intelligence into Windows 11, making its Copilot 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 voice command "Hey Copilot," not unlike 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 must enable it in the Copilot app's settings. 

"You'll see the Copilot microphone appear on your screen, along with a chime to indicate that Copilot is listening," the blog said.

To end a Copilot conversation, you can say "Goodbye" or hit the X. You can also wait for Copilot to end after a few moments without an interaction.

Microsoft began rolling out the "Hey Copilot" feature to members of the Windows Insider program in May. 

The company is making big bets on agentic AI, a newer generation of artificial intelligence from generative AI that 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 can -- which works similarly to the natural-language prompts in ChatGPT. But Microsoft says the updates it's putting out for Windows 11 can do more.

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"We believe this shift to conversational input will be as transformative as the mouse and keyboard in terms of unlocking new capabilities on the PC for the broadest set of people," the company said in the blog post.

Microsoft says that Copilot should be able to perform Windows tasks you request in natural language, and that a sister feature, Copilot Vision, can analyze what's on your screen and make recommendations, answer questions and coach you out loud on how to improve a project.

That help can extend to Office apps, including PowerPoint and Word. The company recently introduced a Premium version of its Microsoft 365 software, rolling out more AI features at $20 monthly. 

In the blog post, Microsoft previewed some features that it will first share with Windows Insider members, like a redesigned Copilot-driven Windows taskbar and Copilot Actions, which will allow web activity such as booking a table at a restaurant or ordering groceries.