How organizations adapt to AI-powered work
Organizations across industries are integrating AI into daily workflows. Rather than replacing existing processes, AI tools are augmenting them—helping employees reduce time spent on repetitive tasks, surface relevant information faster, and make more informed decisions.
Copilot+ PCs are designed to support this shift, combining on-device AI processing with cloud-connected services to deliver AI-powered experiences directly within the tools people already use for work. This allows organizations to begin realizing AI benefits without overhauling their existing infrastructure.
How on-device AI and cloud services work together
A key capability in Copilot+ PCs is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a dedicated processor designed to handle AI workloads efficiently. NPUs enable real-time, on-device AI experiences with lower power consumption, making it possible to run features like live captions, image recognition, and contextual assistance directly on the device.
For organizations, this helps support responsive AI experiences during meetings, collaboration, and multitasking while improving battery life and reducing reliance on constant cloud connectivity.
To understand why this matters, consider the following scenario:
During a video meeting, an AI-powered feature is used to provide real-time transcription, translation, and participant recognition. These tasks can be processed locally on the device, allowing the system to respond in real time without relying entirely on a cloud connection.
On-device processing is only part of the picture. Copilot+ PCs also connect to the Microsoft Cloud to extend their capabilities. Cloud-connected experiences in Windows 11 include:
- Microsoft Entra ID—Provides secure identity and access management, allowing users to sign in once and access organizational resources across devices and services.
- Cloud-powered AI services—Tasks that require more processing power or access to large-scale data can be processed in the cloud, while the device handles real-time, on-device experiences.
- Hybrid flexibility—Some workloads run locally, some run in the cloud, and some use both. Windows 11 manages this automatically, providing a consistent experience regardless of where processing occurs.
This combination of on-device and cloud-based AI helps organizations maintain productivity and flexibility whether employees are working in an office, remotely, or without a stable internet connection.
Together, these capabilities position Windows as a platform for AI experiences that span devices, applications, and services.
AI agents in Windows
Beyond built-in AI features, Windows 11 also supports AI agents—intelligent systems that can perform tasks, make recommendations, and take action on behalf of users within their workflows.
AI agents can operate at different levels across the Windows ecosystem:
Built-in agents—Agents integrated into the Windows operating system that works across applications to help users complete tasks, find information, and manage routine activities without switching between tools.
Microsoft 365 agents—Agents that operate within Microsoft 365 applications, using organizational data to assist with tasks such as summarizing meetings, draft content, and surface relevant information based on context.
Custom agents—Organizations can build tailored AI agents using Microsoft Foundry on Windows, a platform that helps developers create, test, and deploy AI-powered experiences across Windows devices and cloud services. These agents can connect to business data, automate workflows, and support specialized use cases, combining on-device AI processing with cloud-based intelligence.
| Agent type | Primary role |
|---|---|
| Built-in agents | Help users complete tasks across Windows experiences and applications |
| Microsoft 365 agents | Assist with organizational productivity tasks using Microsoft 365 data |
| Custom agents | Support specialized business workflows and organizational scenarios |
Note
To learn more about how agents work within Microsoft 365, see Microsoft 365 agents overview.
A key aspect of this approach is that Windows enables AI agents as part of a managed platform. Rather than operating independently, agents can be governed and controlled by IT teams.
Windows 11 Pro provides capabilities that allow organizations to:
- Control which agents are available across the organization
- Monitor and audit how agents are used
- Apply governance policies to help maintain compliance and security
This becomes increasingly important as AI agents take on more responsibility in daily work. Organizations need confidence that these systems operate within defined boundaries while still enabling productivity and innovation.
Later in this module, you explore how AI agents and built-in AI features work together to support common business scenarios.