According to the latest update, clearly they’re in the cloud, on our desktop PCs, and even on our phones, but they could also live on other devices, like smart speakers, glasses, and perhaps, even a smart security badge. AI agents will soon be everywhere, we’re told, but where exactly?
As part of the ongoing story, but in a larger sense, Project Solara (which Microsoft unveiled during its Build conference on Tuesday) hints at a future where AI agents are seeping into the physical global stage in ways we hadn’t previously imagined. That’s the idea behind Project Solara, Microsoft’s fresh ecosystem for putting AI agents in a wide range of devices beyond the standard form factors.
According to the latest update, the ecosystem incorporates a variety of Microsoft technologies designed to boost security, allow for IT administration, and incorporate other business and enterprise-level functionality. As for Project Solara itself, it’s being described as an “OS for AI agents” that would streamline the process of building AI into purpose-specific workplace devices.
In a fresh development, where Project Solara gets more interesting is with a pair of concept ideas that Microsoft shared during its Build briefing–one fairly conventional, and one that’s more out-of-the-box. That’s the boring stuff.
Industry observers note that there’s also Hello for Business authentication to ensure only the right users can chat with your agents. Interesting, but not completely unexpected. The first Solara concept device is essentially a smart speaker, complete with an Alexa Show-style shell and touchscreen that lets you see the status of your agents, speak with them, and otherwise interact with them.
According to the latest update, the second concept is a bit more thought provoking: a smart security badge with a touchscreen that can show either your name and face (in its standard badge mode) or a list of agents, which you could summon with a tap.
As part of the ongoing story, this Project Solana concert shows how an AI agent could live in a smart badge, allowing you to summon it with a tap.
According to the latest update, the badge would also boast a fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello authentication and 5G cellular connectivity. There’s even a lanyard for clipping the badge to your belt or coat pocket. The Solara badge concept boasts a camera and microphone, allowing your agent to scan a barcode, speak with you, or record conversations.
According to the latest update, the Project Solana documentation includes imagery that alludes to other form factors, running the gamut from the expected, like smart glasses and watches, to more fantastical devices like rings and barcode scanner guns.
Industry observers note that good question, and I’m sure product designers and AI-minded entrepreneurs will come up with plenty of creative answers. What other gadgets, portable and otherwise, might AI agents wind up in?
Industry observers note that i don’t see why not, unfortunately. I also wonder if purpose-build devices with AI agents inside would expand their roles from helping employees do their jobs to doing more invasive things, like tracking their productivity.
As part of the ongoing story, his coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the most recent LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature. Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience.