Everybody is so freaked out over Microsoft's revealed AI Windows. They are not supposed to be.

Everybody is so freaked out over Microsoft’s revealed AI Windows. They are not supposed to be. – A freshly leaked Project Aion film reveals Microsoft’s vision for an AI-powered Windows user experience, but don’t expect your PC to give up the Start menu or traditional apps any time soon.

Everyone is buzzing about Project Aion this week thanks to a leaked movie from 2024 in which Microsoft demos an AI-focused Windows desktop experience. In this experimental operating system, Copilot replaces the Start menu, and only Microsoft Edge web programs are supported. Is this the future? I don’t think so, and I will explain why.

At Build, Microsoft was open about its future ambitions. Yes, the corporation believes agentic AI is the future of Windows. However, Microsoft is also focusing on Windows desktop apps and enhancing the desktop experience first. Based on my talks with Microsoft officials over the last few months, I doubt they want to develop a Copilot-focused AI operating system that only runs web apps. Even if the company was headed in that direction a few years ago, it is not the primary focus right now, as far as I can tell.

Windows will undoubtedly receive more AI features in the next years, as will Google’s Googlebook OS, macOS Golden Gate, and even the Ubuntu Linux desktop. However, Microsoft is unlikely to remove the Start menu or force you to use classic Windows applications in the near future.

Read on for my thoughts on what Project Aion means for Microsoft, as well as other major announcements from the firm this week.

Don’t worry, Project Aion isn’t Windows 12.

In early July, a video of Microsoft’s Project Aion surfaced, revealing an AI-focused “Copilot OS.” The video’s narrator begins with, “Aion is an example of a web-based agent OS that natively puts Copilot into the core of the shell.” According to the video, Aion is “built from Microsoft Edge” and can replace the desktop shell experience in Windows 11. Project Aion does not appear to support standard Windows desktop apps, instead focusing on Copilot AI experiences and online applications. As previously indicated, Aion replaces the Start menu with a Copilot Start menu.

It’s unclear whether this was an innovative internal project or something Microsoft ever intended to distribute. The corporation has not responded either way. The good news is that, based on my talks over the previous few months, I don’t believe Microsoft intends to release anything like this. If it is, it does not discuss it in public.

In the coming months, Microsoft will make Windows 11 less unpleasant. Only then does it intend to further integrate agentic AI into Windows. The anticipated OpenClaw-style AI agents will be able to interact with your PC and Windows desktop programs, rather than forcing you to use a Copilot-driven web experience. In addition, Microsoft is developing Project Solara, an AI-centric operating system experience. It’s designed for smaller devices like badges and smart displays, rather than regular Windows PCs, like Project Aion was planned to be. Still, Microsoft seemed to prefer the Aion name. At Build, Microsoft unveiled a collection of tiny language models for on-device AI, including Aion 1.0 Instruct and Aion 1.0 Plan.

Check Your PC’s Secure Boot Status Now!

Windows 10 PCs will receive another year of security updates, although Secure Boot may cause issues for some systems. Modern computers employ Secure Boot to secure the starting process against rootkits and other viruses. Secure Boot certificates started expiring around the end of June, putting some machines at danger. Although Microsoft can automatically upgrade outdated Secure Boot certificates on many PCs, some will require an update from the manufacturer. I recommend checking to guarantee your PC’s security, especially if you’re using a Windows 10-era PC.

To see the status of Secure Boot on your PC, use the Windows Security program from the Start menu. Go to Device Security and seek for Secure Boot. The notification below will inform you about the status of Secure Boot on your computer. On most PCs, a notification will appear stating that Secure Boot is enabled and up to date. If it requires an update from the hardware manufacturer, you will get a notification describing the issue with a link to more information.

Microsoft is gutting its Xbox division.

Microsoft’s Xbox business announced plans to lay off 3,200 people this week and close four studios in the process. Compulsion Games and Double Fine will relaunch as independent studios, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will be acquired by new owners. Microsoft is also considering selling or closing Arkane Studios.

Microsoft has spent billions of dollars acquiring game studios in recent years. According to an internal letter released during the FTC v. Microsoft trial, former Xbox CEO Phil Spencer sought to acquire both Nintendo and Valve, the founder of Steam. Now, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma writes that “it is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio,” and that Microsoft’s Xbox business is “not healthy.”

Sharma previously stated that the next-generation Xbox, codenamed “Project Helix,” would run both PC and Xbox games. Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball recently stated that the business is “working very hard to rethink everything that we can about Helix” in light of the RAM crisis, which is driving up component prices. Sharma is exploring “radically different business models” for the gaming industry, and Xbox’s future remains uncertain.