Microsoft is encouraging people to talk to their laptops as it rolls out new AI updates for Windows 11 and pushes users to phase out its predecessor, Windows 10.
Microsoft ended free security support for Windows 10 this week, even though millions of people are still using PCs running the older operating system.
To entice people to upgrade, the software giant on Thursday announced new features for Windows 11, most of which integrate the company’s chatbot, Copilot, into the laptop experience.
Among the features is a voice mode that enables users to dictate the phrase “Hey, Copilot” to start chatting with their computer instead of typing or tapping the touchpad.
Microsoft first introduced Windows 10 a decade ago and launched its successor, Windows 11, in 2021.
But many people around the world are still using Windows 10, especially those with older computers that can’t upgrade to Windows 11. Consumer advocates have spent months petitioning Microsoft to expand technical support for the estimated hundreds of millions of devices that will no longer get automatic security fixes.
“With the end of Windows 10, users face a choice between exposing themselves to cyberattacks or getting rid of their old computers and buying new ones,” said Brenna Stevens of the Oregon Public Interest Research Group, which has advocated on behalf of local repair shops, students and others.
Microsoft said people can pay extra for a year of extended security support until October 2026. Some users, including those in the European Union as well as US users who can sync with Microsoft’s cloud service, will be able to get this extended support for free.
But most people who encounter unsupported devices are likely to continue using them despite the vulnerabilities or throw them away, which “creates both a security problem and an environmental problem,” generating massive amounts of toxic e-waste, said Nathan Proctor, who leads PIRG’s Right to Repair campaign. PIRG and Microsoft are urging those replacing their computers to avoid sending their old models to landfill.
These concerns were not the focus of Microsoft’s Windows 11 announcements on Thursday. Instead, Youssef Mahdi, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Microsoft’s consumer division, said that talking with a laptop will be “as transformative as a mouse and keyboard” in shaping the PC experience. Microsoft says all Windows 11 users will now also have access to Copilot Vision, an AI feature that can analyze and provide feedback on documents, video games, and other activities occurring on the screen.
Mahdi admitted that it may take some adjustment to get used to human-computer conversations in shared workplaces.
“Just like when the mouse appeared, people have to know when to use it, what the correct method is, and how to achieve it,” Mahdi told reporters.
The updates are Microsoft’s latest attempt to make the widely used Windows operating system a gateway to attract people to its generative AI toolkit. The tech giant is competing fiercely for AI services with Apple, Google, and startups like Anthropic and OpenAI.
Mehdi said the updates are “not a replacement for Recall,” the screen-tracking feature in some Windows computers that gives Copilot a “photographic memory” of a user’s virtual activity. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described it last year As a step toward machines that “see us, hear us, and reason instantly about our intentions and surroundings,” the idea was criticized by privacy and security experts and took a year to be rolled out.