Microsoft's Risky Bet That Windows Can Become The Platform for AI Agents (geekwire.com) 57
"Microsoft is hoping that Windows can once again serve as the platform where it all takes off," reports GeekWire:
A new framework called Agent Launchers, introduced in December as a preview in the latest Windows Insider build, lets developers register agents directly with the operating system. They can describe an agent through what's known as a manifest, which then lets the agent show up in the Windows taskbar, inside Microsoft Copilot, and across other apps... "We are now entering a phase where we build rich scaffolds that orchestrate multiple models and agents; account for memory and entitlements; enable rich and safe tools use," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in a blog post this week looking ahead to 2026. "This is the engineering sophistication we must continue to build to get value out of AI in the real world...." [The article notes Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude will also offer desktop-style agentsthrough browsers and native apps, while Amazon is developing "frontier agents" for automating business processes in the cloud.]
But Microsoft's Windows team is betting that agents tightly linked to the operating system will win out over ones that merely run on top of it, just as a new class of Windows apps replaced a patchwork of DOS programs in the early days of the graphical operating system. Microsoft 365 Copilot is using the Agent Launchers framework for first-party agents like Analyst, which helps users dig into data, and Researcher, which builds detailed reports. Software developers will be able to register their own agents when an app is installed, or on the fly based on things like whether a user is signed in or paying for a subscription...
Agents are meant to maintain this context across apps, ask follow-up questions, and take actions on a user's behalf. That requires a different level of trust than Windows has ever had to manage, which is already raising difficult questions for the company. Microsoft acknowledges that agents introduce unique security risks. In a support document, the company warned that malicious content embedded in files or interface elements could override an agent's instructions — potentially leading to stolen data or malware installation. To address this, Microsoft says it has built a security framework that runs agents in their own contained workspace, with a dedicated user account that has limited access to user folders. The idea is to create a boundary between the agent and what the rest of the system can access. The agentic features are off by default, and Microsoft is advising users to "understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer" before turning them on...
There is a business reality driving all of this. In Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, Windows and Devices generated $17.3 billion in revenue — essentially flat for the past three years. That's less than Gaming ($23.5 billion) and LinkedIn ($17.8 billion), and a fraction of the $98 billion in revenue from Azure and cloud services or the nearly $88 billion from Microsoft 365 commercial.
But Microsoft's Windows team is betting that agents tightly linked to the operating system will win out over ones that merely run on top of it, just as a new class of Windows apps replaced a patchwork of DOS programs in the early days of the graphical operating system. Microsoft 365 Copilot is using the Agent Launchers framework for first-party agents like Analyst, which helps users dig into data, and Researcher, which builds detailed reports. Software developers will be able to register their own agents when an app is installed, or on the fly based on things like whether a user is signed in or paying for a subscription...
Agents are meant to maintain this context across apps, ask follow-up questions, and take actions on a user's behalf. That requires a different level of trust than Windows has ever had to manage, which is already raising difficult questions for the company. Microsoft acknowledges that agents introduce unique security risks. In a support document, the company warned that malicious content embedded in files or interface elements could override an agent's instructions — potentially leading to stolen data or malware installation. To address this, Microsoft says it has built a security framework that runs agents in their own contained workspace, with a dedicated user account that has limited access to user folders. The idea is to create a boundary between the agent and what the rest of the system can access. The agentic features are off by default, and Microsoft is advising users to "understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer" before turning them on...
There is a business reality driving all of this. In Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, Windows and Devices generated $17.3 billion in revenue — essentially flat for the past three years. That's less than Gaming ($23.5 billion) and LinkedIn ($17.8 billion), and a fraction of the $98 billion in revenue from Azure and cloud services or the nearly $88 billion from Microsoft 365 commercial.
Microsoft Bob returns (Score:5, Interesting)
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I worked at Microsoft for a while many years ago... I casually mentioned MSB once in a meeting, we were told by the manager that under no circumstances were we to ever speak of it again and that if certain other people had hear us talking about it we likely would have been terminated. One of the old timers there mentioned after the meeting was over that Bill was a little sensitive about the topic and we were best to not talk about it when we were in the same building as Bill.
Not sure how accurate the whol
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Or "widgets." So now we get to add an AI Widget that slows our startup times. LOL.
AI is uncool with teenagers (Score:2)
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I've got two teenage kids, and they think AI is stupid. Their friends apparently just like to try and manipulate AI into being racist as a form of entertainment. None of them see it as useful or "cool".
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End of PC era (Score:3)
I don't envision AI agents in OS, but rather helpful agents within apps to automated various tasks, such as data analysis, summaries, etc.
But as memory prices keep going up and the scarcity increases, I do envision the end of the PC era and the boom of thin-clients all working in a virtual OS in the cloud - no doubt, the dream of the WEF as well as world governments to keep their citizens under check.
"Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better" - WEF.
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Or, you could look at this as the true beginning of the PC era. Microsoft has held back true PC growth over the last 30+ years because of their OS monopoly. Free open source alternatives exist and have been struggling to make inroads. Microsoft in their haste and stupidity is eroding those road blocks to the delight of many. The numbers being reported are beginning to show this. Valve saw the writing on the wall over ten years ago. Nadella is the alpha sociopath and people are starting to notice, especially
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Not sure I agree that "Microsoft has been holding back PC growth".
Rather many more arguments could be made that PC/laptop growth exploded due to Microsoft's ease-of-use OS's over the past 3 decades along with their MS Office offerings and DirectX-based games which have grown massively over that time frame in advancements. It could also be argued that Microsoft has helped push Linux advancements as they have been one of the top contributors to the code since 2010, initially with Hyper-V drivers, then securit
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I feel that innovation has been severely stifled due to the OS lock-in. Microsoft is now hardening that lock even further.
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They invent solutions to problems no one has, but with enough marketing, you might believe them. Each Microsoft product launch seeks to trade on monopolization and barrier creation, rather than addressing real-world, real-workplace problems.
Teams is an emblematic example of copycat mildly-interactive collaborative apps that seem to work with each other. They answer rival applications by doing *just enough* to mimic rival functionality.
Adding agents will only add a layer of complexity, and lack of suitable c
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Or... just don't upgrade to Win11.
I'm running Win10 LTSC, and will continue to run it (maybe even dual-boot to Win7) until they make a proper OS again (or forever... whichever happens first).
Sure... switch to *Nix. Except my video project files are all Vegas, all my office document files are Office 2016 (I know about Libre... tried it, it mangled the formatting), I can run my games in a VM and live with the performance hit.
Re: End of PC era (Score:2)
If it does make the PC into a thin client, it will be a boon to linux since a microsoft-spec thin client will be 64 cores, 512GB ram and 16TB SSD. Probably with a GPU that puts current gaming rigs to shame
I can't imagine... (Score:2)
...any situation where deep integration with the OS would make agents better
The OS should be neutral
Agents should be just like any other program running under the OS
I especially dislike stuff that is enabled by default and can't be turned off
Microsoft should work on making sure that all of its products interoperate with open protocols like MCP or whatever replaces it
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The agentic features are off by default, and Microsoft is advising users to "understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer" before turning them on...
You, for some reason:
I especially dislike stuff that is enabled by default and can't be turned off
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The agentic features are off by default, ...
For the user anyway, but what about agents doing things for Microsoft or the other providers? Betting they won't tell you about those.
Re:I can't imagine... (Score:5, Interesting)
You'd have a point if Microsoft didn't already have a long history using semiannual updates to silently turn on features that users had disabled or were previously opt-in.
I don't know how many times I've had to go back and re-hide that goddamned Cortana circle, for example.
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He understands that Microsoft says one thing and then later does another. You should learn this too.
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Consider a number of Microsoft products, such as VS Code, have had the AI on by default, leaving people looking for ways to disable it. So, it is not out of line for people to not catch that Microsoft did the opposite first once. And even then, people are going to be suspicious that it won’t “accidentally” become the default in a future update.
It's 1997, Microsoft Bob is the platform for AI (Score:1, Flamebait)
It's 2003, Clippy is the platform for AI
It's 2014, Cortana is the platform for AI
It's 2026, and I don't know what Microsoft is calling the blob of cum that's supposed to be it's AI thing but we're going to be talking about the same thing in a few years if we're not all dead
Windows is a terrible choice for AI (Score:2)
No sane CTO would pick Windows as the foundation for autonomous agents. "Our outdated and insecure OS with declining market share that uses a non-UNIX file system and runs on non-ARM hardware is the best choice for running autonomous agents!" Where do I sign up?
Re: Windows is a terrible choice for AI (Score:2)
All Microsoft have to say is "Richer people than you choose our products" and every CTO will shower them with money.
Nothing to worry about. (Score:2)
How will we stop/prevent hidden GPU usage? (Score:2)
Let me fix that for them ... (Score:2)
Microsoft's Windows team is betting that agents tightly linked to the operating system will ...
Agents are meant to maintain this context across apps, ask follow-up questions, and take actions on a user's behalf. ... Microsoft acknowledges that agents introduce unique security risks. ... the company warned that malicious content embedded in files or interface elements could override an agent's instructions — potentially leading to stolen data or malware installation. To address this, Microsoft says it has built a security framework that runs agents in their own contained workspace, with a dedicated user account that has limited access to user folders.
So, agents will "maintain context across apps" and "and take actions on a user's behalf", but you're going to sandbox them to limit their access to user's folders -- which they won't need as they will already have data access through the apps, with help from their direct tie-in with the OS. Okay...
The last thing I want (Score:2)
The last thing I would want is agent 86 running around in my OS. I want real CONTROL over my OS. It's as if Microsoft has put on the cone of silence and can't hear the masses screaming "NO". Sounds like a comedy in the making to me.
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Either way it's KAOS. Sorry about that, Chief.
Boundaries (Score:5, Informative)
>"The idea is to create a boundary between the agent and what the rest of the system can access."
The idea is apparently to create a boundary between the OS and the user's control and authority. Sorry, I just don't see how this is a good idea, at all.
This is "out of bounds" and it is no wonder more and more people are moving to Linux and MacOS. Especially with Linux, the user really is in total control over everything- what the OS UI looks like, what is loaded/installed, what and when updates are installed, what hardware is used, what runs and when, whether or not to use "cloud" logins, whether TPM or encryption is used and where/when, who has control over resources, what browser they want to use, etc. They don't even have to suppress ads in menus, uninstall bloatware, or "register" their machines so they have permission to fully use them. What a concept.
Re:Boundaries (Score:4, Interesting)
Sorry, I just don't see how this is a good idea, at all.
As usual, you're selfishly and narrowly only thinking of yourself.
You need to learn how to look at the bigger picture. What about the poor company shareholders, who rely on annual stock dividends so they can afford more luxury cars, yachts, and vacation homes? What about those poor Microsoft division heads, who are counting a big bonus just so they can scrape by with a few measly million dollars? THAT is what really matters...
Re: Boundaries (Score:2)
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(I'll just copy-and-paste this segment from above)
Sure... switch to *Nix. Except my video project files are all Vegas, all my office document files are Office 2016 (I know about Libre... tried it, it mangled the formatting), I can run my games in a VM and live with the performance hit.
And, if I have a problem, I can search 500 forums for a solution.
Sure, the user is in "more control" of everything, but a lot of users aren't people I'd want to give 'admin' permissions to... they'd be more likely to delete th
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>"Sure... switch to *Nix. Except my video project files are all Vegas"
There are always cases where someone uses proprietary software applications that aren't going to run on a different platform. However, video editing is possible under Linux with several systems, and they can import existing footage (but not a project). No OS/app switch is without some amount of pain, adjustment, relearning.
>"all my office document files are Office 2016 (I know about Libre... tried it, it mangled the formatting)"
It
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Of course, it _is_ possible to keep running Win10 or any older version... just don't download stuff from or click ads from shady websites, and probably make sure the firewall on your router is on.
I haven't had a virus or malware on my machines since like '04, and no virus/malware scanner in sight.
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My Office file was one page in portrait, then two in landscape (they were both full of a table on each page), then the rest in portrait, no fonts not installed or anything that would be considered "weird formatting"... Libre opened it with everything in landscape.
"MS' recent hostilities"... are they attacking people for not upgrading? I know it's so much hassle to keep using Win10 or whatever... or setup a user account using an email you never check.
They keep shooting themselves in the foot (Score:2)
Let me fix that for you (Score:3)
"Microsoft's Risky Bet That Windows Can Become The Platform for" ....well anything.
Personal music devices, several tries at phones, tablets, wearables, search engines, productivity assistants, music streaming, pretty much The Internet, voice controlled devices, probably others I've forgotten. Oh, Windows RT. And Gadgets.
In almost every case, they got into the market late and tried to dominate using strongarm marketing techniques that really don't work anymore. The computing public has for the most part wised up.
Following their record on trying to capture the market by providing hooks that only work with Windows, I suspect it'll go the way it went in the past -- everyone will hate it and will clamor for its removal. In the meantime, the systems that actually work will dominate. Microsoft will try the three E's, that won't work, and they'll grudgingly adopt the same methods and standards that everyone else is using.
Happy new year, by the way.
obligatory warning (Score:5, Insightful)
"Microsoft is advising users to 'understand the security implications of enabling an agent on your computer.'" Figures. Legal told them to put in a disclaimer to help with the inevitable lawsuits. Either this thing can't access your personal data and is therefore useless, or it can and is therefore a huge security risk. Can't have it both ways.
That sounds like a great idea! (Score:2)
With the best of intentions!
What could possibly go wrong?
it's losedows now (Score:2)
i knew they'd destroy the OS themselves one day, the idiots have been succumbing to self-hating, self-destructive urges for decades now
probably shouldn't have let the CIA fuck their way into your backend either but so many ships have sailed since then
one day we'll start over and do it right - but not today!
one day we might even embrace the concept of "illegal laws", like the requirement to compromise every system so secret services can get into them
laws that defeat their intended purpose by being worded in
Risky is the word (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows is everything people don't want: a surveillance platform, an advertisement billboard and now an unreliable "agentic" piece of shit.
But worse of all, Windows is mostly what people have to put up with at work.
And finally, there's another negative factor working against it: Microsoft is a company headquartered in a rogue fascist country. My company for one is actively exploring option to ditch Office 365, Teams, WIndows and depend on Microsoft things as little as possible. I'm sure it's not the only one.
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My company for one is actively exploring option to ditch Office 365, Teams, WIndows and depend on Microsoft things as little as possible. I'm sure it's not the only one.
The realisation that Microsoft will provide personal/company data on MS hosted systems to the US government when asked - regardless of where the data is held or who owns it - has been an eyeopener for some companies.
Moving off Microsoft to alternative platforms has been floated for consideration for what looks like the first time ever in my org, and that's from our EA team in conjunction with security. Some things are already underway that will reduce transition friction down the road.
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Switch to Linux if possible. macOS is another option, but expensive and limited since Apple has its own issues too.
A non-issue really (Score:2)
As I am no longer able to activate [slashdot.org] a new copy of Windows.
AI never suggests MS Windows as a deploy platform. (Score:2)
Clippy 2000 (Score:3)
Anybody remember this [youtu.be]?
This will be the same, but 2000 times worse.
What is the risk? (Score:2)
It sounds like they want to provide a closer integration of agents into their UI. If I have a button on the taskbar and an output in the notification area it may not help me if I am not interested in using agents, but it doesn't hurt either. It's not like they are abandoning the usual UI.
Trying anything (Score:2)
Win10 ruined computing (Score:2)
It proven that you can just shove features down the throat of people and they will just accept it.
Long gone are the days of creating a product and making people actually want it by marketing and showing how cool it is.
Win10/11/copilot are like the polar opposite of Windows 95
Remember Active Desktop? (Score:3)
That naivety is staggering (Score:2)
We do not know how to make reliable and secure AI agents. Period. We may never know, but at the very least it is a decade or more away. Putting these things into production is asking for serious trouble. Putting them in a mainstream OS is asking for a catastrophe.
Well, maybe we need that catastrophe to stop all that half-assing in the software space that is currently the standard. Liability and regulation are long overdue.
A good fit, really (Score:1)
Microsoft's operating systems have a long [microsoft.com] and well-documented history [microsoft.com] of running background agents [microsoft.com] to perform actions [wikipedia.org] across the global Internet [wikipedia.org] without the operator's awareness or involvement.
Wonder why it took them so long to turn that into a profit center?
Unintended consequence (Score:2)
Nah. I think there's an unintended consequence: As AI makes RAM prices skyrocket, laptops are going to start coming with 8GB RAM or even 4GB standard instead of 16GB, and running Windows on such a machine will be even more miserable.
Either MSFT will have to quickly come up with a slimmed-down version of Windows, or even more people will defect. And slimmed-down probably means less AI garbage.
Is the PC even relevant any more? (Score:2)