In your upcoming Teams meeting, there might be an AI assistant that responds to questions on your behalf.

      Teams is becoming more intelligent, cleaner, and quieter in its enhancements. The AI features are optional, and chat organization is automated.

      Microsoft Teams is set to receive a substantial update that transforms nearly every aspect of the application, from AI-supported meetings to a more streamlined chat interface. Most of these updates are currently in testing, with several scheduled for release before summer concludes.

      To start with the most notable feature: an improved AI Facilitator that can listen during meetings, identify when someone appears confused, and provide a response (as reported by Windows Report).

      So, what changes are being made to Teams?

      The AI Facilitator is capable of generating AI-crafted responses in the chat when it detects silence during a meeting, especially after a question is posed without an answer. It can also perform real-time web searches to assist in answering queries.

      Microsoft emphasizes that this feature will not be enabled by default. Additionally, participants can turn off all Meeting AI features with a single switch. While meeting organizers and regular participants have access to this control, guests do not.

      For teams that meet in person instead of virtually, Teams Rooms on Windows will start incorporating AI-generated notes beginning in August 2026, with general availability set for October.

      A participant in a physical meeting can select Take Notes, and Teams will present AI-generated notes and action items on the right side of the screen. These notes can subsequently be synced to SharePoint for the rest of the team.

      What other updates are included?

      On the chat front, Teams is adding two new categories: Muted and Meeting. Chats that have been muted will be categorized separately, while those related to meetings will be organized in another distinct section.

      As part of this update, existing Meeting chat filters will be removed. Screen sharing will also now have a dedicated section in the interface to reduce clutter in meeting controls.

      Another minor but genuinely advantageous change involves guest invitations. Instead of being sent from a generic no-reply address, invitation emails will now come directly from the individual who sent them. This gives them a more authentic appearance and allows guests to respond directly.

      Microsoft states that this rollout is expected to be completed by the end of July.

      For over five years, Shikhar has consistently simplified advancements in the consumer tech sector and has presented them…

      A Windows 11 bug may be surreptitiously consuming hundreds of gigabytes of your storage space

      Windows 11’s storage-consuming bug now has a remedy from Microsoft.

      If your Windows 11 PC appears to have suddenly lost storage space, it may not be due to your downloads folder or gaming library. According to Windows Latest, a bug associated with a Windows system file can quietly use up tens or even hundreds of gigabytes on the system drive.

      The problematic file is known as CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal, located within Windows’ Capability Access Manager folder. Windows Latest notes that this issue may manifest as unusually high usage of “System files” in the storage analysis of Windows 11, even though the Settings app does not clearly specify the exact file causing it. In some reported instances, users saw this file grow to 200GB or more.

      A hacker's arrest recently revealed how Microsoft can track your Windows device

      Microsoft was aware of which websites his Windows PC visited.

      A teenager reportedly used a VPN to mask his activities while hacking a US jewelry retailer, but Microsoft had the means to track his actions regardless. Court documents unsealed in the US case against Peter Stokes, a 19-year-old dual citizen of the US and Estonia charged with being part of the notorious Scattered Spider hacking group, show that Microsoft provided the FBI with data linked to a tracking system called the Global Device Identifier, or GDID.

      The era of affordable Chinese AI models may be ending as the government considers restrictions similar to those in the US.

      The AI sector's value-for-money offerings in China could soon be curtailed.

      DeepSeek's R1 sparked global interest in low-cost Chinese AI, followed by increasingly capable systems from companies such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai. Some models can be downloaded, customized, and independently hosted, providing developers with an alternative to costly US platforms. However, this affordability may soon face geopolitical restrictions—this time, attributed to China rather than the US. According to Reuters, Chinese officials have consulted with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Z.ai about potentially limiting overseas access to the nation's most advanced AI technologies. Discussions reportedly included both closed models and open-weight releases, as well as technologies that have yet to be publicly revealed.