According to Thurrott.com, Windows Weekly episode 960 covered Microsoft’s major push toward agentic AI in Windows 11, with Pavan Davuluri clarifying that Copilot serves as the front-end while agents operate as background processes. The show revealed Xbox Cloud Gaming usage has surged 45% year-over-year, with Game Pass Ultimate subscribers gaining per-game resolution settings up to 1440p. Microsoft also released its local Fara-7B agentic model for computer use while open-sourcing the classic Zork trilogy games. Google is bringing AirDrop-style functionality to Android starting with Pixel devices, and new Chromebook buyers now get one year of Nvidia GeForce NOW with Fast Pass access.
The Real AI Strategy Behind Windows 11
Here’s the thing about Microsoft’s agentic AI vision – it’s actually way more practical than the hype suggests. Copilot being the front-end while agents work in the background? That’s basically Microsoft admitting that most AI interactions should be invisible. You’re not constantly chatting with your computer – it’s just doing stuff for you automatically.
And that whole “apps need to become programmatic” point is huge. Think about it – if applications can’t be controlled by AI agents, what’s the point of having AI in the first place? This is where enterprise users and IT departments should pay attention. When Microsoft says “you are in control” and these features are opt-in, they’re clearly learning from past mistakes where forced updates caused chaos.
Gaming Growth and Reality Checks
Now about that 45% Xbox Cloud Gaming growth – the hosts joked “what’s 45 percent of 3 people?” which tells you everything about how skeptical people are of cloud gaming numbers. But here’s the reality: cloud gaming is actually becoming usable. With 1440p streaming coming to Game Pass Ultimate and the ROG Xbox Ally getting default game profiles, Microsoft is finally making cloud gaming feel less like a tech demo.
And Microsoft open-sourcing Zork? That’s just cool. It’s like they’re reminding everyone they’ve been in this game longer than most companies have existed. Meanwhile, Google playing catch-up with AirDrop on Android shows what happens when regulators actually force interoperability – sometimes competition benefits everyone.
Where AI Actually Helps Right Now
The most interesting takeaway from this episode might be the “age of stupid” comment. With AI generating so much mediocre content, finding actual experts matters more than ever. That’s where tools like Copilot Mode in Edge and Perplexity Comet come in – they’re trying to cut through the noise.
But here’s my question: are we building AI that makes us smarter, or just AI that does our thinking for us? Microsoft’s approach with local models like Fara-7B suggests they want AI that works with you, not instead of you. And honestly, that’s probably the right direction.
What This Means for Business Tech
When you look at Microsoft’s push toward programmatic applications and local AI models, the industrial sector should take notice. Manufacturing environments need reliable computing that doesn’t depend on cloud connectivity. That’s why companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com have become the go-to for industrial panel PCs in the US – they understand that industrial computing needs to just work, without constant internet dependencies.
The shift toward agentic AI could actually revolutionize how industrial systems operate. Imagine production line software that can automatically adjust based on real-time data without human intervention. That’s the kind of practical application that makes this technology exciting beyond just consumer gadgets.
