Copilot lands on Windows 11’s taskbar—and it’s listening for ‘Hey Copilot’

Here is a 195-word summary of the article: Microsoft plans to integrate its AI assistant Copilot directly into the Windows 11 taskbar, making it a more prominent feature. Copilot will replace the existing search box and include icons for voice and visual interaction. The company is also introducing "Hey Copilot" as a wake word to trigger voice commands. Microsoft believes voice will become the third input mechanism for PCs, complementing the keyboard and mouse. The goal is to make interacting with the PC more natural and less reliant on precise text inputs. However, the company acknowledges the cultural challenge of people feeling comfortable talking to their computers in shared office environments. To address this, Microsoft is also adding the ability to interact with Copilot Vision, the visual AI component, through text input instead of just voice. The company is testing a specialized "Gaming Copilot" as well. Overall, Microsoft is focused on making PCs more "intelligent" through AI features, though it remains to be seen how widely adopted these voice and visual controls will become.