Windows Weekly 960: Snow & Claus – Windows 11 & Agentic AI

Date: November 27, 2025
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell
Main theme: Deep dive into the latest developments in Windows 11, the emergence of agentic AI in the OS, the PC business climate, key new features, and the role of AI in productivity and daily workflows.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Microsoft's vision for Windows 11 as an “agentic” platform—a Windows that harnesses AI to help users and IT pros do more, more intuitively. Paul and Richard unpack the latest from Microsoft Ignite, discuss practical features coming to Windows, and reflect on broader industry trends, including PC maker earnings, agent models, and Google's AI momentum. The hosts share personal takes and historical context, weaving in lively banter on topics from legacy gaming to rum in Australia.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Windows 11 & AI Agents: Ignite Sessions

[05:29] – [23:15]

• Microsoft's Direction:
  Microsoft is pivoting to make Windows more “agentic”—blending OS functions and AI "agents" that can perform tasks proactively or through user requests.

• Highlights from Ignite:

  • Pavan Davaluri’s session (“Agents at Work: Windows Powers the Era of Intelligent Productivity”) now downloadable.
  • Microsoft is making agentic and AI features opt-in: users and IT admins have full control.
    • Navjot Vir (Microsoft VP): “These experiences are opt-in, they're optional, and you control whether or not you even see them.” (13:18)
  • Windows Copilot acts as an orchestrator: a front-end for apps, cloud, and local AI services.
    • Goal: Expose app capabilities programmatically, enabling more elegant automation rather than crude input simulation (“moving the mouse and clicking boxes”).
    • New developer tools: Windows ML generally available; AI Dev Gallery previewed.

• Community Reactions:

  • Some Windows/IT pros remain skeptical of rapid change and pervasive AI; others (especially developers) are eager for new ways to build and interact.
    • Richard: “It’s a new set of risks, a new set of reliability issues… you wanted to be bored at your job? Come on.” (13:07)

• Key Innovations:

  • Natural language and voice as primary input for interacting with apps and agents.
  • System-wide AI writing assistants and dictation, not just in individual apps.
  • Agents able to launch actions, notify users, and automate across apps.

• Incremental Approach:

  • Microsoft is taking a more measured, incremental approach this time (less radical than Windows 8).
  • Focus on backward compatibility and traditional UI; “it just makes sense.”

2. AI’s Place in Everyday Tools and User Choice

[25:47] – [42:03]

• User Patterns:

  • Many prefer AI as a separate tool (e.g., ChatGPT app) not baked into every workflow or browser.
  • The future may be “modal AI”—users choose when and how AI intervenes.

• The "Intent Gap":

  • Paul: “AI will… free you to do the things in your job… that are meaningful… not spend all this time learning a tool.”
  • Voice and natural language as the key bridge between user intent and result.

• Concerns:

  • Trust—can users rely on AI-recommended summaries or actions?
  • Avoiding “always-on” AI; desire for explicit, controllable usage.

3. PC Business Landscape: Earnings & AI Bubble

[77:17] – [81:19]

• PC Maker Results:

  • Lenovo: Strengthens lead—PC business up 12% YoY.
  • HP: Decent numbers but job cuts and shift toward AI automation.
  • Dell: Growth mainly from cloud/AI infrastructure; commercial PCs dominate their sales.
  • Big Trend: “AI bubble” is floating all ships (except printer businesses).

• Lenovo’s Approach: Willingness to experiment with hardware/UX.

• Market Fragmentation: Windows business model still leads to “crapware” and user customization to get rid of unwanted bloat.

4. Agentic Small Language Models and New AI Tools

[81:19] – [84:53]

• Microsoft's Agentic SLM:

  • Small local AI models (“agentic” small language models) helping automate real PC use: moving mouse, clicking for you.
  • Experimental—sandboxed for security.
  • Not full endgame, but key step toward more intelligent agents.

• OpenAI/Codex Max:

  • OpenAI’s new Windows-specific coding model, first trained for Windows environment and tools. (Subscription required for now.)

5. Google Fights Back: Nano Banana Pro & Gemini 3

[86:45] – [92:16]

• Nano Banana Pro:

  • Google’s advanced image (and video) generation tool, available and impressing users/influencers for realism and flexibility.
  • Infographics, maps, creative outputs are much more accurate and visually appealing now.
  • Paul: “It might be a little too realistic… this thing's working really good.” (87:32)

• Gemini 3:

  • New flagship LLM performing on par (or better) than competitors; Google leveraging improved PR to regain mindshare.

• Anthropic Claude 4/5:

  • Continues rapid cycling in AI competition—parallels browser wars in speed and improvement cadence.

6. Notable New Features in Windows 11 Test Builds

[57:49] – [65:02]

• Beta updates:

  • “Fluid dictation and voice typing”: Grammar/punctuation correction as you speak, leveraging on-device AI and NPUs (copilot+ PCs).
  • “Point in Time Restore”: Modern system restore draws on older NT function, but more robust and user friendly.
  • Microsoft Store: Upcoming uninstall option in-app listings.

• Notepad Upgrades:

  • Markdown-style tables, improved AI-powered writing aids (write, rewrite, summarize, poetry conversions), plus faster and more offline-friendly if local hardware supports.
    • Richard: “Creating a cloud dependency in Notepad will make people angry, let's be clear.” (63:02)

• Full-Screen Experience (FSE):

  • Full screen, controller-optimized game/dashboard mode now testable on any PC (multi-monitor nuances discussed).

7. Legacy, Preservation & Ecosystem News

[105:02] – [110:44]

• Text Adventure Preservation:

  • Microsoft, now owning Zork/Infocom via Activision, formally open sources all Zork & Infocom adventures under MIT license.
    • Enables thriving hobbyist/IF community, furthered by familiarity with Z-Machine VM/game engine approach.
    • Richard (re preservation): “It is just preserving art.”

• Google's Quick Share:

  • Android's AirDrop equivalent now interoperates directly with Apple AirDrop—forced by EU regulation, showing broader cross-ecosystem progress.

8. Gaming and Xbox Cloud Updates

[100:29] – [104:52]

• Xbox Cloud Gaming:

  • Now out of beta after six years, usage up 45% YoY.
  • 1440p streaming coming to select titles for Game Pass Ultimate subs.
  • Per-game resolution and performance settings rolling out.

• PC Game Profiles:

  • Custom per-game settings for performance, battery, and system resource allocation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Opt-In AI:
  Navjot Vir (paraphrased by Paul): “You control whether or not you even see them… you can just say no.” (13:18 – 15:06)

• AI’s Limitations & User Trust:
  Paul: "I've never successfully fired up an agent and had it go do something on my behalf and come back… I don't use this stuff really myself." (35:13 – 36:29)

• Change Fatigue & IT Skepticism:
  Paul: "I'm getting ready for stuff to stop changing so much... I do have that aspect of kind of change adversity." (50:22 – 50:43)

• Voice Commands & Accessibility:
  Paul: “Typing into a text box is maybe not a natural act for most people... it understands your intent.” (18:13 – 19:19)

• Google's AI Progress:
  Paul regarding Nano Banana Pro: “I only mention it because I feel like some people are still like, oh, Google's losing it... you might want to start paying attention to this one.” (86:53 – 87:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------|---------------| | Show Start/Intro | 00:57 | | Ignite Sessions & AI Agents | 05:29 – 23:15 | | AI in Workflows/User Choice | 25:47 – 42:03 | | Device/PC Market Earnings | 77:17 – 81:19 | | Agentic SLMs, OpenAI Codex Max | 81:19 – 84:53 | | Nano Banana / AI Competition | 86:45 – 92:16 | | Windows 11 New Features | 57:49 – 65:02 | | Text Adventure Preservation | 105:02–110:44 | | Xbox Cloud and Game Profiles | 100:29–104:52 | | Legacy Banter/Outro | 147:26+ |

Podcast Tone and Noteworthy Exchanges

• Candid and Lively:

  • Jokes about Thanksgiving, PC nonsense ("Turkey with a side of smallpox" – [04:59]), and banter about ongoing tech grievances (Notepad, crapware, etc.).
  • Metacommentary on aging, change aversion, and the cyclical nature of tech fads.

• Gracious Openness:

  • Willingness to “try new things,” admit skepticism, and urge the audience to test the new agentic AI flows for themselves.
  • Both Paul and Richard repeatedly stress they've seen the future predicted (sometimes wrongly) before—a balance of optimism and caution.

Additional Highlights

• Real-World AI Use:

  • Hosts and their teams use AI for research, coding, and summarization, but preferences for workflow integration differ.
  • Leo: “My experience… I kind of want it to be segregated into a separate tool…”

• Classic Gaming & Software Preservation:

  • Zork and Infocom’s games open sourced, praised as foundational and "works of art."
  • Discussion of Z-Machine as perhaps the first game engine.

• Cross-Platform Sharing:

  • Android’s Quick Share opens full compatibility with Apple AirDrop, enabled by EU regulation—a rare interop win.

• Rum & Australian Whiskey:

  • Richard’s whisky corner explores Australian “rum-as-currency” colonial history and a unique distillery creating both rum and a “side-track” limited whiskey.

Summing Up

Windows Weekly 960 provides a wide-ranging, insightful, and entertaining look at Microsoft’s attempts to make Windows both relevant and powerful in an emerging AI era. The episode balances skepticism born from past blunders with genuine curiosity and cautious optimism about agentic models and the AI arms race. The hosts’ lively chemistry and mix of technical rigor and historical perspective make this a must-listen for anyone following the future of Windows, AI in productivity, or simply the shifting sands of the tech industry.

Podcast produced and hosted by TWiT. For more from Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell, visit therrott.com and runnersradio.com, and join live on Wednesdays at 2pm Eastern.