Microsoft updates Windows 11: you can control your computer with your voice thanks to AI

The new Windows updates bring interesting advances to the American company's artificial intelligence strategy.

"Every Windows 11 PC will be an AI PC." With this statement, Microsoft has made it clear that the future of its computers and operating system will, no matter what, be driven by AI. The Redmond-based company has announced a new wave of updates that place its Copilot assistant at the center of everything, especially voice interaction.

One of the new features will be the use of Copilot Voice. On all Windows 11 computers where Copilot is active, users will be able to use the new activation phrase " Hey Copilot" to ask the assistant for any action using voice. Microsoft claims that its voice users engage with Copilot twice as much as those who use text, so it wants to leverage this technology.

For its part, the company has announced that its screen-viewing assistant, Copilot Vision for Windows, is now available worldwide. This feature allows you to share your desktop or applications so Copilot can analyze the content, offer ideas, or answer questions while you work. In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, it can analyze entire documents, not just what's visible on the screen. For example, you can review an entire presentation without having to go through each slide.

Additionally, this feature, which was previously only available via voice, will now also be available via text, allowing Copilot Vision to respond to written prompts.

Microsoft has also announced new features for its connectors for Windows 11, resulting in greater interoperability across platforms. Copilot Connectors allow you to link services like OneDrive, Outlook, or even Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Calendar so you can ask the assistant to look up details for a dentist appointment or a paper for a course from five years ago.

Thanks to the partnership between Microsoft and the Chinese startup Manus, Windows 11 will also offer access to this powerful agentic AI platform. Manus can perform complex tasks like creating a website from local documents with a single click. It's also available as a native app: just type "use my images to create a professional website" and Manus will do it in minutes, without manually uploading files.

Taking a step closer to the new era of AI agents, Microsoft announced Copilot Actions for the web in May, a feature that will now be integrated with Windows 11 to allow Copilot to perform real-world actions on behalf of the user, such as booking a table or ordering food.

Microsoft begins testing agents capable of performing actions on the PC, such as sorting files, extracting data from PDFs, or creating a website from local documents. This marks the beginning of the "autonomous agent" concept within the Windows ecosystem. The company also assures that all actions are reversible, require user permission, and are auditable.

The new feature compared to the Copilot actions announced in May is that the assistant now allows you to act directly on the PC, not just in the browser. It can click, type, and navigate local apps like a human, performing autonomous tasks.

For now, this is a test version that can be used first in the Windows Insiders program (Copilot Labs) , and due to the introduction of new security risks, such as cross-text injection, Microsoft is establishing new privacy measures. The implementation relies on several security controls, such as User Control to enable the feature, and an isolated agent workspace that provides a contained environment for AI actions. These measures aim to keep the user informed and in control while expanding the capabilities of AI in Windows.

With the end of support for Windows 10, the jump to Windows 11 becomes almost mandatory for thousands of users, and Microsoft wants all these customers to fully embrace the use of artificial intelligence.