Microsoft has released the latest Windows 11 Insider build of the year for the Dev and Beta channels. The most important feature is that AI agents become visible in the taskbar.
Microsoft is releasing the latest Windows 11 Insider build of the year. The most notable change is that AI agents become visible in the taskbar. In build 26220.7523, Microsoft introduces a new framework that allows tasks from AI agents to appear in Ask Copilot, directly on the Windows taskbar.
Researcher
The first agent is Researcher, part of Microsoft 365 Copilot. It can conduct in-depth research and compile extensive reports. Users can track its progress without interrupting their work. When Researcher receives a task from the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, a progress bar appears on the icon. By hovering over it, Insiders can see how far the task has progressed. A clear notification also follows upon completion.
The new experience will initially be rolled out gradually to American Insiders with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license over the coming weeks. Microsoft emphasizes that it is still experimenting with how agent tasks are displayed in the taskbar.
Agent launchers and Copilot integration
Also new are the Agent launchers. These give apps the ability to offer their interactive AI agents to Windows. As a result, agents can be launched not only via Ask Copilot, but also in other places in Windows 11. Users with a Microsoft 365 license will soon have access to Copilot, other AI agents, and Windows Search via a single interface.
The build contains even more updates. For example, a new Discover Windows widget with tips will appear, which can be used on the widget board and the lock screen. Explorer will now also show people icons for recent activities, and Paint will receive a minor update with an automatically disappearing toolbar.