Microsoft Copilot gets direct control over Windows files

At its recent Surface Laptop Ultra event, Microsoft announced a major upgrade to its Copilot AI system, introducing a capability called Hybrid Intelligence. This new framework allows Copilot to access local files on a user's PC and perform actions directly across the Windows operating system. By combining local and cloud-based AI models, the system can execute complex tasks efficiently without relying solely on remote servers.

During a demonstration, Jacob Andreou, Microsoft's executive vice president of Copilot, showcased how an AI agent called Autopilot could assist with tax preparation. After receiving an email from an accountant, the tool searched through local folders to locate the necessary documents, renamed the files, compressed them into a single zip folder, and drafted a response email with the attachment. Microsoft plans to roll out these Hybrid Intelligence features to Copilot over the next couple of months.

In addition to the file-management capabilities, Windows and Surface boss Pavan Davuluri announced a redesigned Windows search experience arriving this fall for Windows 11 PCs. This update enables quick actions directly from the search bar, such as toggling dark mode, adjusting microphone volume with an inline slider, or sending text messages. These software updates arrived alongside hardware announcements, including the Surface Laptop Ultra, which starts at $2,599, and new Nvidia RTX Spark laptops that cost up to $7,000.

For developers and IT practitioners, this shift toward hybrid local-cloud processing represents a significant evolution in how operating systems handle automation. Instead of writing custom scripts or manually navigating directories, users can delegate multi-step administrative workflows to an integrated agent. This deep integration reduces context switching and latency, signaling a future where the operating system itself acts as an active collaborator rather than just a static environment for running isolated applications.