Fact Check: Is Microsoft Really Planning to Rewrite Windows 11 in Rust Using AI?

Microsoft's Distinguished Engineer, Galen Hunt, made a post earlier this week about a new opening for an engineer who would be tasked with building migratory technology to shift the company's code base from C++ to Rust. The post mentioned, “Our strategy is to combine AI and Algorithms to rewrite Microsoft's largest codebases.” Following this, several publications reported that the Redmond-based tech giant is planning to replace Windows' code base using artificial intelligence (AI). But this is not true, and the executive has now clarified what he meant.

Microsoft's Shift From C++ to Rust: What Is Being Said?

Based on the four-day-old post, many publications began reporting that by 2030, Microsoft will switch its entire code base from C++ to Rust. Many headlines also claimed that Windows will be rewritten using AI tools, likely due to the phrasing of Hunt's post about combining AI and algorithms.

The news caught the attention of many due to two main reasons. Shifting from C++ to Rust is a major development. Changing the code base also impacts many aspects of the frontend, and while Microsoft will try to keep the experience as close to current as possible, some things will work differently. But the bigger highlight was the implication that the company's operating system will have AI-generated code.

Since many are still sceptical about AI's efficiency in writing code, the announcement was met with understandable concerns. However, this also indicates that if Microsoft is confident enough to have AI write code for its major products, it might lay off more employees in the near future.

Fact Check: What Is Microsoft Really Doing?

After the post was picked up by publications and gained popularity, Hunt offered a clarification on what was really going on, condemning the speculative reading between the lines. He said, “Just to clarify... Windows is NOT being rewritten in Rust with AI.”

The Distinguished Engineer also added that he is focused on a research project, whose aim is to develop a technology that makes the migration from one coding language to another possible. He added, “The intent of my post was to find like-minded engineers to join us on the next stage of this multi-year endeavour—not to set a new strategy for Windows 11+ or to imply that Rust is an endpoint.”