Microsoft (MSFT) is bringing more generative AI capabilities to Windows 11 with a new update for the operating system.
Available today, the upgrade will add more functionality to Copilot in Windows 11, Microsoft’s built-in generative AI app, including the ability to tell Copilot to adjust your PC's settings, a new photo editing feature, and plug-ins for apps like OpenTable.
The updates, which are part of Microsoft’s Copilot preview, are part of the company’s effort to incorporate generative AI across its various product lines beyond its Azure cloud segment. It's also part of a broader industry push to use AI PCs, computers with built-in neural processors, to boost PC sales after years of declines.
Microsoft debuted a dedicated Copilot button for Windows keyboards, the first new key in nearly 30 years, at CES 2024, indicating its intention to make Copilot a centerpiece of the operating system going forward.
To use Copilot’s new "skills," as Microsoft calls them, you’d call up the assistant via the Copilot key or on-screen shortcut and type in commands like “show battery information,” “empty recycle bin,” or “launch live captions,” and the AI assistant will perform the appropriate task.
Other options include resizing text, launching voice input, and turning on the battery saver. For most people, these commands will make navigating their computers just a bit easier. But they hold plenty of potential to dramatically change how we interact with our PCs in the future.
Imagine you didn’t know how to install the software to connect your new printer to your PC, an incredibly annoying task, I know. Copilot could not only walk you through the process but also take care of the software installation process on its own. Of course, this is just my own hope for the AI assistant, and a selfish one at that, given how much I hate setting up a new printer. But it’s an idea as to how the technology could evolve.
In addition to giving Copilot the ability to quickly access settings and tools, Microsoft is adding a new Generative Erase option to its Windows 11 Photos app. The feature allows you to select an object in an image, and then quickly remove it, making it appear as though it was never in your shot.
It’s not exactly a novel tool, as both Google and Samsung have added it to their smartphones’ photo apps. But it serves as another sign that Microsoft is spreading generative AI features across the Windows ecosystem.
On the plug-ins front, 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 uses an example of telling Copilot to make a reservation for dinner via OpenTable or asking the AI assistant to help you shop for groceries.
In addition to generative AI updates, Microsoft is including a number of additional improvements in the Windows 11 update. Voice access, an accessibility feature that allows people to control their PCs with their voice, now supports multiple languages. Users can also create custom voice shortcuts, allowing them to use one or two words to complete certain tasks.
A lot is riding on Microsoft’s Copilot as a means of showing that the company’s multibillion-dollar investments in generative AI will birth viable products not just for its cloud segment but for all of its businesses.
The PC industry, in general, is banking on the so-called AI PC to help jump-start sales after they collapsed following a boom at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because so many people bought new computers at the time, there was little need to upgrade in 2022 or 2023. But that’s starting to turn around.
According to Gartner, PC sales grew for the first time in two years in Q4 2023. Industry watchers hope that will lead to a larger rebound throughout 2024.
Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.
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