Microsoft unveiled 'Ask Copilot,' an optional Windows 11 taskbar feature that replaces Windows Search and surfaces AI 'agents' triggered by '@' to search files, emails, and meetings. The company confirmed Microsoft 365 Copilot integration in File Explorer, a Researcher agent powered by ChatGPT's Deep Research with 10+ minute background runs, and taskbar progress indicators; these features begin rolling out to users in the coming weeks.
Key Points
- 1Introduces Ask Copilot taskbar agents triggered by '@', replacing Windows Search and running background tasks
- 2Enables cross-app access to files, email, meetings and Deep Research, improving unified context and retrieval
- 3Allows practitioners to run prolonged research (10+ minutes), get summaries, and monitor progress from taskbar
Scoring Rationale
Official Microsoft rollout and broad Windows reach drive impact; limited novelty compared with prior Copilot expansions.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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