Windows 11 adds AI agent that runs in background with access to personal folders (www.windowslatest.com)

Microsoft has started testing an experimental “Agent Workspace” in Windows 11 (Build 26220.7262) for Dev/Beta Insiders — a managed, local runtime that lets autonomous AI agents run as separate Windows sessions with their own account, desktop, and permissions. Toggling “Experimental agentic features” creates isolated workspaces that can click, type, open apps and access selected local folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos) while you use your normal desktop. Each agent gets its own access rules and logs for auditability; Microsoft says it enforces runtime isolation and limits on CPU/RAM usage, though specifics are not disclosed and the feature is flagged as experimental. For the AI/ML community this is notable because it shifts agentic workflows from cloud-only sandboxes (Chromium/Linux containers) to OS-integrated, persistent local agents — enabling richer automation and tighter integration with user data and apps. That brings new opportunities for on-device models and developer tooling, but also clearer security, privacy and resource-management tradeoffs: agents will need explicit folder/app permissions, background execution can affect performance, and auditability/containment will be crucial. In short, Agent Workspace signals Microsoft’s push toward an “AI-native” Windows with practical benefits for automation and testing, but it raises important questions about controls, limits and attack surface that researchers and engineers will want to scrutinize.