Microsoft is envisioning a significant shift in how users interact with its Windows operating system by 2030, with natural language as the primary interface, potentially making traditional mouse and keyboard inputs obsolete.
This outlook is detailed in a new “Windows 2030 Vision” video, which suggests that “mousing around and keyboarding around and typing” will feel as antiquated to future users as DOS does to Generation Z today. David Weston, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Enterprise & Security, features in the video, offering insights into this future. Weston predicts that within five years, companies will be able to employ AI agents as security experts. These AI agents are expected to behave like human colleagues, participating in Teams discussions and joining meetings. Weston stated these agentic AIs would handle “toil” work, allowing human employees to focus on more complex tasks.
Weston further elaborated on the future of human-computer interaction, stating, “I think we will do less with our eyes and more talking to our computers.” He believes that future versions of Windows and other Microsoft operating systems will adopt a multimodal interaction approach. This means computers will possess the ability to “see what we see, hear what we hear,” enabling users to communicate through voice commands for more sophisticated operations. Weston emphasized this as a more natural form of communication.
Microsoft has made substantial investments in artificial intelligence, including over $13 billion in OpenAI and a $650 million deal with Inflection AI. This strategic focus has led Microsoft to integrate an increasing number of AI features across its product portfolio. However, the concept of an agentic AI Windows OS entirely reliant on voice instructions has met with skepticism, as evidenced by the “Windows 2030 Vision” video currently having more dislikes than likes.
The company has a history of making ambitious AI-related promises that have not always materialized as initially presented, citing examples like the Copilot and Copilot+ laptops. Furthermore, Microsoft has faced public backlash over certain AI features, leading to their alteration or withdrawal, such as the ongoing “screenshot-capturing Recall saga.” The projection that mouse and keyboard inputs will become as outdated as DOS batch files by 2030 is viewed by many as highly unlikely, with a five-year timeline appearing particularly ambitious.
