However, Microsoft is clear that this is still just a concept. None of this works, but the company is committed to spending money on it as part of its huge AI expansion plans.
agentic concepts
Microsoft has shown off two concept devices that show where it hopes to go with Project Solara. The desk concept is more traditional, resembling a typical smart display. It has a touchscreen, microphone and a camera. While you sit at your desk, this gadget will keep you informed about what your theoretical AI agent is doing on your behalf. It can act as a secondary monitor or become a standalone Windows PC with Windows 365 cloud computing. The concept is built around MediaTek IoT chips.
The other Solara concept is more bizarre. What if the work badge at the end of your lanyard had a touchscreen, 5G connectivity, a camera, microphone, and a fingerprint scanner? That’s the badge concept. It will have the same Solara software, piping in the generative interface from your favorite AI agent. Microsoft envisions this Qualcomm-based device giving your agents biometric-authenticated access — just tap the sensor and start telling your personal robot what to do. It can also record and summarize meetings and use cameras to “take action on the environment”, whatever that means.
You can’t even stand in line to buy any of these devices. Microsoft’s next step is to showcase its agent-first tools with industry partners including AccuWeather, Best Buy, CVS Health, Levi’s and Target.
Microsoft has struggled to move beyond traditional computing and enterprise services, trying and failing on several occasions to gain a foothold in mobile computing. With AI, Microsoft was unsurprisingly at the forefront of change. With its OpenAI deal falling through, the company is now looking to the future, and that is: agents instead of apps.
It’s an interesting pitch about how we might actually use AI agents, and it’s not coming completely out of left field. Google is also adopting agentic interfaces in its search products. At I/O, Google previewed a new agent-first search tool that can instantly create dashboards and mini-apps based on your search queries.
As vague and strange as Project Solara may be, Microsoft seems largely in line with the rest of big tech’s AI plans. If any of this works, we can only hope it doesn’t spawn a new generation of touchscreen millstones around our necks.
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