Microsoft brings Copilot Actions to local files on Windows PCs. Copilot will be able to perform actions independently in files.
Microsoft significantly expands Copilot’s scope. Copilot is gradually gaining so much authority that Microsoft confidently states that ‘every PC is becoming an AI PC’. One of the extensions is Copilot Actions, a feature that was already added to the web version in May.
Copilot Action ensures that the AI assistant can perform actions independently, as befits a true AI agent. For the web version, this includes booking hotel rooms or planning trips. These capabilities are now also becoming locally available on Windows.
For example, you will be able to put Copilot to work in files stored locally on your PC. Among other things, Copilot can help you extract precise information from PDFs or sort a series of photos. The possibilities will initially be limited, because Microsoft first wants to test whether Copilot Actions does what it’s supposed to. Windows Insiders will be the first to get started with it.
Controlled Access
In a separate blog post, Microsoft explains how it aims to manage Copilot’s access to your files in a controlled manner. For each Copilot agent, a separate account with limited rights is created. The ‘freedom of movement’ can be configured via access control lists in Windows. Microsoft is testing connectors to link Copilot with its own and external applications to the Copilot Windows app, as well as the settings.
Because Copilot operates in an isolated environment, actions and sessions cannot overlap. As a result, the agent also does not get access to your desktop. But you on the other hand will always be able to see what Copilot is doing, Microsoft writes.
Hear and See
Copilot is gradually becoming indispensable in Windows. The AI assistant is gaining a more prominent presence in the taskbar. Microsoft is making Copilot Vision more widely available so that Copilot can see what you’re doing, if you enable this feature. Copilot can not only see but also hear, because now you can wake up the AI assistant with “Hey Copilot”.