Microsoft wants Windows to be loved again, and it’s taking a number of steps to improve the operating system. We’re getting a movable taskbar and even Bing-free Windows Search, which is something nobody would have anticipated in 2025. But does that mean AI will disappear from Windows 11 so Microsoft can focus on stability and quality? Certainly not. It’ll just be less about Copilot buttons.
When I was reading Satya Nadella’s Q3 address, he strangely mentioned Windows multiple times, first to reveal that it’s on 1.6 billion active devices monthly, then to confirm Microsoft’s broader strategy to focus on fundamentals, and tease a new future for the operating system under a new umbrella term, “unmetered intelligence.”
What is that even supposed to mean? We finally know a bit more, thanks to Microsoft’s recent presentation at IFA 2026.
At IFA 2026, Mark Linton, who is the Corporate Vice President at Microsoft for Windows & Devices, used the same phrase, “unmetered intelligence,” to describe the future of the operating system.
He suggested that AI is here to stay on Windows 11, but its future could look very different.
According to Microsoft, Windows should no longer be just about more Copilot buttons or AI features. It’s something we’re already seeing across the OS. For example, the company recently dropped Copilot from Microsoft Photos and Snipping Tool, and renamed Notepad’s Copilot integration to “Writing tools.”
Instead of integrating more AI-powered features or buttons into Windows, the company hopes the OS will become a platform where AI models and agents can run locally.
This is a sentiment I’ve increasingly observed across the AI industry. It’s moving from “chatbots” to agents, with ChatGPT Astra entirely built around it.
It appears to be happening because AI companies are convinced the money lies around agents, and they’ll push everyone, from consumers to enterprises and developers, towards agents. For that future, Microsoft wants Windows to be ready.
Microsoft calls it “unmetered intelligence”
Microsoft’s more interesting idea is what it calls “unmetered intelligence,” and it’s a clever marketing move to become less dependent on Copilot or the usual “AI” terminology.
At IFA 2026, Linton compared Microsoft’s AI ambitions to the company’s famous goal of putting a PC on every desk and in every home.
“One of the big areas that we’re talking about now is AI and what we can do for unmetered intelligence,” Linton said. “And so if you think about it, we talk about unmetered intelligence on every desk and in every home.”
“If you remember when Bill Gates was the boss of Microsoft, it was about a PC on every desk in every home,” he added.
Windows Latest understands that “Unmetered intelligence” means shifting more everyday AI running on Microsoft’s (or OpenAI/Claude) cloud to the PC you already own. If a model can run locally on your PC, you don’t need to pay for a subscription and can use it until you run out of “tokens.”
Microsoft is not trying to entirely replace cloud-based AI, which would remain an important part, but for smaller tasks or interactions, it wants you to use your PC.
The company argues that increasingly powerful Windows PCs should be capable of running more AI models locally rather than relying on the cloud for every request.
“We mean that these powerful PCs can complement what you do in the cloud, but you shouldn’t have to go to the cloud for models that you can use every day,” Linton explained.
Linton also related that to the economics of AI, particularly tokens, by making a valid point:
“What if your PC were powerful enough and essentially you can change your token economics by running it locally on your PC?” Linton said.
When a model runs locally on your CPU, GPU, or NPU, Microsoft does not have to serve every request from an expensive cloud data center, and you aren’t necessarily consuming cloud tokens every time you ask the model to do something.
Microsoft is not teasing unlimited free Copilot, as “unmetered” here simply refers to AI running on your own PC without being metered as cloud inference.
“These powerful PCs can do so much, why not offload to the PC for your AI workloads and creator workloads?” he said.
During the same event, Microsoft discussed PCs capable of running models with tens or even hundreds of billions of parameters locally. Linton described some of these machines as approaching “super computer capability on the desktop,” adding that developers and creators would be able to run AI workloads “right on the desk.”
Windows wants to become the operating system for AI agents
The more I paid attention to Microsoft’s presentation at IFA, the more I realized that Windows will eventually become the operating system for AI agents, and the company also puts it that way pretty loudly by declaring that it wants to make Windows “the best platform for AI.”
Microsoft outlined three areas it is working on to make that a reality, beginning with the developer experience and “a streamlined experience to help builders build faster and create.”
Linton pointed to recent Windows innovations, such as Developer Mode and the work Microsoft is doing around development directly inside Windows.
“Customers are very clear. I don’t want to let agents just run loose across my corporate network,” Linton said. “I need security and manageability because I want to use the power of these… long-running agents, but I don’t want to let go of my policies.”
It also looks like a future release of Windows 11 will give you even greater control over how agents run on the PC. For example, you’ll be able to audit AI agents, monitor their logs on Windows 11, and have greater control over what they can do.
Microsoft is already building containers/subsystems for AI on Windows, which should ensure that an AI agent does not interfere with your personal files or cause havoc on your PC.
Microsoft says it’ll share more details later this year, but at this point, do not expect Windows, or any major platform, to avoid AI.
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