For anyone running Windows 11 on standard PC hardware, the new 24H2 release will be a ho-hum event, with mostly minor tweaks to the Windows experience. But that’s emphatically not the case for anyone with one of the new Copilot+ PCs that debuted earlier this year.
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On those devices, the Windows 11 2024 Update will enable a handful of new AI-focused features that will roll out gradually via Windows Update and through app updates in the Microsoft Store.
Those new features won’t go to the general public right away. Instead, they’ll go to members of the Windows Insider Program, starting with Qualcomm-powered Arm devices in October and broadening in November to Copilot+ PCs built using Intel’s new Core Ultra CPUs and AMD’s Ryzen AI hardware.
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What they have in common is that they take advantage of the built-in neural processing unit (NPU) on Copilot+ PCs to perform those AI-related tasks locally. That saves bandwidth and energy, and it also keeps personal information private instead of sending it to the cloud.
Recall (preview) makes its delayed debut
The first AI feature to arrive will be a preview version of the controversial Recall capability, which promises the ability to give your PC a “photographic memory.” Microsoft had originally planned to debut this feature in June with the first wave of Copilot+ PCs but canceled those plans after a flood of negative feedback from security experts.
The revised code leverages core Windows 11 features like virtualization-based security filters to keep sensitive information from being collected. Recall will be turned off by default and only available for customers who opt to enable the feature. For more details, see “Microsoft announces sweeping changes to controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs.”
Click To Do (preview) adds AI shortcuts
Microsoft pitches this feature as a way to enhance productivity by adding access to AI-based actions to a shortcut menu that appears over images or text. After taking a screenshot with Snipping Tool, for example, you can press the Windows key and right-click to see a menu that offers to blur the background or erase objects from a photo. Over a block of text, the shortcut menu might offer to rewrite or summarize the text in line.
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The Click To Do feature puts AI tasks on a shortcut menu.
Screenshot by Microsoft
As the “preview” label suggests, this is another feature that’s likely to be of limited value initially. Microsoft promises that it will add more “rich actions” over the coming months.
Windows Search gets fuzzy
The trouble with the search tools built into Windows is that they’re extremely literal. This batch of improvements promises to eliminate that frustration by allowing you to describe a file, photo, or setting you’re looking for without having to worry about file names or search syntax. The feature also claims to work around spelling errors and can find photos and files stored locally or in OneDrive.
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Although it’s not billed as a preview, this feature is also starting out with a limited scope. It will be available in the File Explorer search box initially and will expand to Windows Search and Settings later.
Photos and Paint get more AI features
The three features mentioned earlier will arrive via Windows Update. Microsoft is also delivering some of its AI enhancements via updates from the Microsoft Store to apps included with Windows.
The new Super Resolution feature in the Photos app makes a bold promise that it can “reimagine and enhance” old, low-resolution photos. A slider can reportedly increase the resolution by up to 8X, using the NPU to perform the task locally within seconds.
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The Super Resolution feature promises to “reimagine” old, low-resolution photos.
Screenshot by Microsoft
Meanwhile, an update to the Paint app will add generative fill and generative erase features to “remove unwanted or distracting elements in your image or add new ones, exactly where you want them.”
New features from a friendlier Copilot
Microsoft really wants you to tap the Copilot key on that new Copilot+ PC and to sweeten the deal it’s promising to infuse the AI companion with a megadose of feelings. The new Copilot will be “always by your side and in your corner, helping you feel smarter and more supported through natural conversations,” the company says in a slightly overwrought blog post announcing the changes.
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“It now adapts to you with a warm tone and a distinct personality, providing not only information but encouragement, feedback and advice as you navigate life’s everyday challenges – no matter how big or small.”
The updated Copilot will be available on mobile apps (iOS and Android), on the web, in the Copilot app for Windows, and as a feature in WhatsApp. It will include a half-dozen or so new and enhanced features. You’ll be able to chat using Copilot Voice (with four voice options available for the companion), and you can request a daily summary of news and weather, read in that voice, using the Copilot Daily feature.
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The Copilot Daily is an AI-driven, personalized news and weather briefing
Screenshot by Microsoft
If you opt in to the Copilot Discover feature, you’ll see cards personalized from your chat history that offer conversation starters. In Microsoft Edge, you can access Copilot features using the @copilot shortcut.
Two new experimental features are also debuting as part of the Copilot Labs program for paid subscribers. Copilot Vision allows you to discuss the contents of a web page (images and text) with the AI companion in real time. You can ask questions and get suggestions based on that content.
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If it sounds like that could lead to some problematic scenarios, you’re right. There’s no question that Microsoft was stung by criticism of its initial Recall launch, and today’s announcement goes out of its way to emphasize “safety and security” guardrails. None of the content you engage with in this feature is stored or used for training, it promises: “The moment you end your session, data is permanently destroyed.”
There are also “boundaries on the types of websites Copilot Vision can engage with.” (It doesn’t take much imagination to see where that could lead.) For now, the feature is limited to a short list of popular websites, and it won’t be available for paywalled and sensitive content.
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Finally, there’s a Think Deeper feature designed to reason through more complex questions, including tough math problems.
The new features are rolling out in limited markets initially.
