Microsoft plans to enhance Windows 11 this summer with advanced AI features. These updates will make the operating system smarter across apps and interfaces and remember everything you do on your PC to improve productivity and search.
The new AI capabilities are part of an app called “AI Explorer,” set to be revealed during a special Microsoft event on May 20. AI Explorer uses advanced hardware to process machine learning and AI tasks locally on the device with low latency.
Initially, AI Explorer will be available on devices with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series chips and require PCs with at least 16GB RAM. It will run in the background and keep track of everything you do on your computer, turning it into memories you can access later. It can summarize conversations, emails, and web pages, and operate mainly on the device, offering privacy and performance benefits. Users can choose to exclude certain apps from being recorded by AI Explorer or turn it off entirely.
The app can also suggest tasks based on what’s on the screen, such as removing the background of an image in Paint. Users can compare documents and have AI Explorer analyze and craft responses to emails or messages. AI Explorer is designed to enhance your workflow on a Windows PC, similar to the third-party app Rewind.ai on Mac. AI Explorer differentiates AI PCs from non-AI PCs by using special hardware to process data.
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has hinted that AI will bring a new era to personal computing, improving digital workflows on Windows. Other AI features in development for Windows 11 include advanced Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions, and more local AI experiences.
We will know more about AI Explorer and the new Windows 11 AI features after the announcement on May 20.