Microsoft 365 has quietly (via WindowsLatest) added a new feature called Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host that is available on Windows 11 and Windows 10. This new feature continues Microsoft’s efforts to integrate AI into its Office suite and enable new capabilities such as Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host is a background process that runs when users open Office apps such as Word, Outlook, or PowerPoint. The tool hosts and processes local AI functions that enhance the user experience and productivity. For example, AI Host can help users with grammar and spelling checks, text predictions, content suggestions, data analysis, and more.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host connects with Office apps through a transceiver library known as aitrxdll. It receives inputs from the Office apps and processes them through another library called ai.dll, which contains the core AI logic and algorithms.
It then sends back outputs to the Office apps through aitrxdll. AI Host also uses a natural language processing library called mlg.dll, which contains code created by Microsoft’s Machine Learning Group (MLG). Additionally, AI Host is managed by another program called aimgr.exe, which oversees the instances of ai.exe across Office apps.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host is installed on Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices through Microsoft Office updates.
What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host in Windows 11/10?
Microsoft has not officially announced or documented this feature, but it seems to be connected to powering Microsoft 365 Copilot integration.
During it The Future of Work with AI event last month, the Redmond company announced Microsoft 365 Copilot. The service brings OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GTP-4 AI into Microsoft’s productivity apps. Among the announcements was Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage.
If you want to know more about Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can check out my overview of all the Copilot announcements. Or, you can also read how Copilot is becoming available in the core Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host can provide many benefits to users who want to work smarter and faster with Office apps. It can improve the quality and efficiency of their work, save them time and effort, and enable new possibilities with AI.
However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host also poses some risks and challenges. Some users may be concerned about the privacy and security of their data, as AI Host may access and process sensitive information on their devices.
Currently, there is no official option to disable Artificial Intelligence (AI) Host in Windows 11 or Windows 10. Users who want to disable it may try to delete ai.exe from their system drive, but this may not be permanent or effective, as it may be restored in future updates.
Tip of the day: Is your system drive constantly full and you need to free up space regularly? Try Windows Disk Cleanup in extended mode which goes far beyond the standard procedure. Our tutorial also shows you how to create a desktop shortcut to run this advanced method right from the desktop.
