Microsoft (MSFT) is bringing more generative AI features to Windows 11 with a new update to the operating system.
The upgrade, available starting today, adds even more features to Copilot, Microsoft’s built-in generated AI app for Windows 11. This includes the ability to tell Copilot to adjust your PC settings, new photo editing features, and plugins for apps like OpenTable.
The update is part of Microsoft’s Copilot preview and part of the company’s efforts to incorporate generative AI into its various product lines beyond the Azure cloud segment. It’s also part of a broader industry effort to use AI PCs, computers with built-in neural processors, to boost long-slumping PC sales.
At CES 2024, Microsoft unveiled its first new key in nearly 30 years, the Copilot button exclusively for Windows keyboards, and signaled its intention to make Copilot the centerpiece of its operating system.
To use Copilot’s new “skills,” as Microsoft calls them, you can use the Copilot key or on-screen shortcuts to summon the assistant to “Show battery information,” “Empty Trash,” or “Launch Live.” Enter a command such as caption, and the AI assistant will perform the appropriate task.
Other options include resizing text, launching voice typing, and turning on battery saver. For most people, these commands make working with your computer a little easier. But they have a lot of potential to dramatically change the way we interact with his PC in the future.
Imagine you don’t know how to install the software to connect a new printer to your PC. This is a very tedious task. Copilot not only walks you through the process, but also handles the software installation process on its own. Of course, this is just my own wish for an AI assistant, and a selfish one considering how much I hate setting up new printers. But it’s an idea about how technology evolves.
In addition to providing Copilot with quick access to settings and tools, Microsoft is adding a new Generate Erase option to the Windows 11 Photos app. This feature allows you to select objects in an image and immediately remove them, making them appear as if they were never in the shot.
This isn’t an entirely new tool, as both Google and Samsung have added it to their smartphone photo apps. But this is another sign that Microsoft is looking to spread generative AI capabilities across the Windows ecosystem.
On the plugin side, Microsoft says you’ll be able to use Copilot to interact with apps like OpenTable, Instacart (CART), and in the near future Shopify (SHOP), Kayak (BKNG), and Klarna. . Microsoft gives the example of instructing Copilot to make a dinner reservation through OpenTable or ask an AI assistant to help you shop for groceries.
In addition to the generated AI update, Microsoft has included a number of additional improvements in the Windows 11 update. Voice Access, an accessibility feature that allows users to control her PC with voice, now supports multiple languages. Users can also create custom voice shortcuts to complete specific tasks using one or two words.
Microsoft’s Copilot has garnered a lot of attention as a way to show that the company’s multibillion-dollar investment in generative AI creates a viable product for all businesses, not just the cloud sector.
The PC industry is generally counting on a rebound in so-called AI PC sales after the boom collapsed early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because so many people bought new computers back then, there was little need to upgrade in 2022 or 2023. However, things are starting to look up.
According to Gartner, PC sales increased for the first time in two years in the fourth quarter of 2023. Industry insiders hope this will lead to an even bigger recovery for him throughout 2024.
Daniel Howley I’m the technology editor at Yahoo Finance. He has been covering the technology industry since his 2011. You can follow him on Twitter. @Daniel Howley.
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