After some waiting, Microsoft is now widely releasing its AI-powered features for Copilot+ PCs. This is a big step in their plan to change Windows with artificial intelligence. They first talked about this nearly a year ago.

The update will happen over the next month through the April 2025 Windows non-security preview update. This is what the company announced on Friday morning. These new tools aim to make things easier and more efficient for users with Copilot+ devices.

Introducing Recall: A Visual History of Your Digital Life

One of the main new features is Recall, which is currently a preview. This interesting tool lets you see a visual timeline of what you’ve done on your computer. Imagine easily scrolling back through the apps you’ve used, the websites you’ve visited, and the documents you’ve been working on. Even better, Recall lets you search for things using normal language. This could make finding old information much simpler.

However, Recall’s introduction hasn’t been completely smooth. After it was first shown, security experts had worries about privacy. Automatically taking screenshots in the background raised concerns. Because of this feedback, Microsoft has made Recall optional. They’ve also added stronger privacy controls. The company says all the data for Recall stays on your computer and isn’t sent to the cloud or shared with Microsoft.

Better Windows Search: Finding Files the Easy Way

Another key AI improvement is the updated Windows Search. This new search is designed to make finding files and settings easier. You won’t need to remember exact file names anymore. The AI-powered search will be smarter and understand what you mean, even if you don’t use precise terms. This should make finding things on your computer much quicker.

This upgrade to Windows Search could really help people be more productive. Instead of wasting time searching, you can just describe what you’re looking for. This makes technology easier to use for everyone.

“Click to Do” Shortcuts: Instant Actions for You

The update also includes a preview of “Click to Do” shortcuts. These give you quick actions for things on your screen. Think about being able to quickly summarise a long article or copy text with just one click. These shortcuts aim to save you time and effort by making common tasks faster.

These “Click to Do” shortcuts could be really useful for doing many things at once. They could help you get the main points from documents or easily work with what’s on your screen. Microsoft will probably get feedback on these and add more in the future.

Copilot+ PCs: The Special Hardware for AI

It’s important to remember that these AI features only work on Copilot+ PCs. These are new Windows computers with special hardware called neural processing units (NPUs).These NPUs are designed to run AI models directly on the computer. This makes features like Recall and the improved search work well without needing a constant internet connection, and it can also improve privacy.

The creation of Copilot+ PCs shows that Microsoft is serious about combining hardware and software for a better AI experience. In the last part of 2024, 15% of expensive laptops sold in the US were Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft believes that most PC sales will be Copilot+ in the next few years.

Microsoft’s AI Plans vs. What People Are Actually Using

While Microsoft is pushing ahead with AI in Windows, a recent report gives a different view of their AI chatbot, Copilot. It seems that Copilot has around 20 million weekly users. In contrast, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has a massive 400 million weekly users.

This big difference shows the challenge for Microsoft’s AI boss, Mustafa Suleyman. While they are adding AI to Windows, their standalone AI chatbot isn’t as popular as ChatGPT. This suggests that while putting AI into Windows is a good step, getting people to use their separate AI chatbot is harder. We’ll have to see how integrating AI into Windows affects Microsoft’s overall AI strategy.

The Future: A Windows Made Better with AI

The release of these AI features for Copilot+ PCs is a big move for Microsoft. Tools like Recall, the improved search, and the quick shortcuts show a future where AI is a bigger part of our daily computer use. This could make things more efficient and easier to do. While there are challenges in the wider AI world, Microsoft’s focus on putting AI directly into Windows with special hardware like Copilot+ PCs points to where they see the future of the operating system going. As more people use these features, we’ll see how much they really help.