What exactly does "engagement" in a word processor mean?
In brief: Microsoft is bringing Copilot's "agentic" mode to its Office productivity suite. With it, users will be able to provide instructions and let the system generate documents on their behalf. Despite ongoing concerns about hallucinations, the Redmond-based company says customers have responded positively to these capabilities.
Editor's take: Windows Recall continues to raise security concerns. Microsoft has redesigned the feature to improve data and identity protection following public outcry, but a new tool is now reigniting the controversy. I have to suspect that few people in their right mind would choose to enable or use it at this point.
Editor's take: As Microsoft builds Copilot AI deeper into Windows, the move is rekindling debate over how much control any one company should exercise over the computing environment that so many people rely on. For Mozilla, that question has become a renewed challenge to Microsoft's dominance over the desktop and its implications for competition.
The big picture: Thanks to Microsoft's massive promotional campaigns around everything Copilot, most people are now aware that the product is integrated into Windows, Office, and virtually everywhere else. However, many are probably unaware of the full extent of that integration.
First look: Microsoft plans to build 100% native apps for Windows 11 and launch an initiative centered on a new team focused on native experiences instead of web-based wrappers. The company has also created a new team to lead the work, following years in which many core and third-party Windows apps have relied heavily on web technologies.
Crystal ball: Nearly every major tech company is now trying to oversell this inflated "AI-powered" narrative, and the PC market is no exception. Dell, who happens to be shipping a lot of PCs to every corner of the world, is apparently taking a more skeptical stance moving forward, arguing that the push is misguided because customers are not lining up to buy new "AI PCs" at all.