Microsoft shares vision for 2030: Windows PCs may soon see, hear and talk

Microsoft's vision for 2030 has users interacting with Windows through sight, sound, and speech - signalling a shift away from keyboards and mice

Microsoft has dropped a new video titled “Windows 2030 Vision”, giving consumers a glimpse into how it sees the future of Windows unfolding over the next five years. According to a report by Windows Central, the video is expected to be part of an ongoing series, and if the first episode is anything to go by, some major changes could be on the way — with AI leading the charge.

 

The video features David Weston, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Enterprise and Security. He opens with a bold statement: “The world of mousing and keyboarding around will feel as alien as it does to Gen Z [using] MS-DOS.” That clearly hints at a big change in how we might use our PCs in the future — possibly moving away from traditional mouse and keyboard setups.

 

 

Weston then goes on to say, “I truly believe the future version of Windows and other Microsoft operating systems will interact in a multimodal way. The computer will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and we can talk to it and ask it to do much more sophisticated things.”

Although he does not get into details, as per his statement, it sounds like Microsoft is imagining a Windows where an AI assistant does not just live inside an app but runs across the entire system. Instead of clicking through menus, you would talk to your PC and it would understand what you want — kind of like giving instructions to a smart assistant that controls everything on your screen. Though there is a ‘Stark’ difference, it seems like in five years, everyone will have a Jarvis-like assistant of their own.

 

This is not the first time Microsoft has floated such ideas. Back in 2023 at its Build developer conference, Microsoft explained three ways AI would shape the future of software: AI inside apps, beside apps, and outside apps, Windows Central reported. That last one — AI outside apps — has not really happened yet. So far, AI tools are mostly features within apps or standalone services. We have not seen an operating system where AI is deeply built into the OS itself, controlling apps and managing workflows as an always-on assistant.

However, it does seem like that’s where Microsoft is headed. With the rise of AI-powered web browsers that manage tabs and sessions for you, the next logical step is to extend that intelligence to the whole OS. Instead of switching between apps, files, or windows manually, you could just say what you need — and let Copilot do the rest.

 

We do not have an official announcement from Microsoft yet, but between Build 2023 and this new video, the signals are there. Microsoft seems to be gearing up for a future where AI is not just a tool, but the main way we interact with Windows.