Microsoft explains how Windows 11's AI agents will work as testing is about to start – and I'll admit, I'm nervous

• Microsoft is preparing the ground to test AI agents in Windows 11
• A new blog post provides some key details on how these agents will work
• Microsoft is stressing the security and privacy aspects of keeping agents contained and managed, but fears remain

We've been hearing a lot from Microsoft about how Windows 11 is evolving into an agentic OS of late, and now we have a better idea of exactly where those AI cogs fit into the machinery of the desktop OS.

In a new preview build (26220.7262) for the Dev and Beta channels, Microsoft highlighted an addition to Windows 11 in Settings in the AI Components department, where there's a new slider to turn on 'experimental agentic features'.

What does that mean? Microsoft points to a blog post that offers a lot more info, explaining that: "Windows is introducing a new ...