THE CRUNCH
Microsoft used its Windows and Surface event to show off an upgraded Copilot that can reach into local files on your PC and take actions across the operating system. The company frames the approach as "Hybrid Intelligence": apps and tools mix local and cloud AI models to get tasks done efficiently. In a stage demo, Jacob Andreou, Microsoft's EVP of Copilot, asked the Autopilot agent to help with filing taxes after receiving an email from his accountant, so she could get what she needed.
The agent push comes with new plumbing underneath. Microsoft announced general availability of Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC), OS-level infrastructure that lets agents run safely and persistently in the background under Windows' control. "We are building these primitives directly into Windows, so agents can be secured, observed and governed," said Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's EVP of Windows and Devices.
Hardware is part of the pitch too. NVIDIA and Microsoft are co-engineering systems for agents that run on Windows PCs, with RTX Spark bringing NVIDIA's AI stack into laptops and compact desktops from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI and Gigabyte. Laptop preorders opened at the event, with availability on October 16 and compact desktops following in November.