Introducing Microsoft’s new AI copilot
You’ve probably seen the amazing things AI can do, and wondered how you can make use of it. Microsoft’s new line of Copilot+ PCs feature built-in AI to lend a hand with all the everyday stuff – plus things you can’t do on any other PC.
First, a bit of background: the AI systems we’re hearing so much about lately are trained on huge amounts of data, which they can then draw on to do different tasks. They can generate new content based on your prompts by remixing what they already know, or summarise and analyse data for you.
AI can also be used to squeeze the best performance out of hardware. That can mean focusing the right amount of processing power onto different jobs for better multitasking, or optimising energy use for longer battery life.
Copilot+ takes off
Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PCs tap into this powerful new tool to create the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. Whichever model you get – that includes Microsoft’s own Surface laptops and Pro 2-in-1s, as well as devices from Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo – it’ll be able to perform at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), and last a full day on a single charge.
In fact, Copilot+ PCs are up to 20 times more powerful and 100 times more efficient at AI workloads than previous Windows devices. And, of course, they’ll give you access to a bunch of AI-enabled abilities that you’ve only dreamed of before.
Your Copilot sits in your task bar, waiting for you to click on it, or activate it with a new dedicated button on the keyboard. Once it’s going, you can basically ask it to do whatever you want: switch to dark mode, open a specific app, summarise a long business document, troubleshoot issues, generate an image, or pick out all the cat photos in your camera reel.
It’s a completely new way to work and play with a PC, and here are some highlights:
NPU
You might be familiar with the CPU and GPU – the central and graphics processing units in devices. Copilot+ PCs add a third brain to the mix – the neural processing unit, or NPU. This is what powers the AI right there on the device, so you can tap into your Copilot securely and privately, without needing to connect to the cloud.
Cocreator
The Cocreator system helps bring your ideas to life quickly and easily. In Paint, describe your vision in a few words or sketch out a rough outline, and Cocreator will fill out the details. In Photos, restyle your images so they look like oil paintings, anime, paper craft, claymation, or pixel art. You can even crank the creativity slider up and down, to choose how much “effort” the AI puts in.
Recall
Seen something cool, or important, but can’t remember where it was? The new Recall system* will find it instantly. Your Copilot+ PC has a photographic memory that you can scroll through to revisit everything you’ve seen and done recently, with information organised based on relationships and associations, just like the human mind.
And don’t worry, it’s all saved locally, you can delete saved data, pause the function, or choose to exclude chosen apps and websites from ever being saved.
* Recall is coming soon through a post-launch Windows update – see aka.ms/copilotpluspcs
Studio Effects
AI can make sure you look your best in video calls in a few ways. It can blur your background, boost your lighting, or apply fun filters. It can automatically crop or zoom your feed to keep you in frame while you move around. It can even maintain eye contact with the camera while you read text anywhere on the screen.
Live Captions
Copilot’s Live Captions can automatically translate over 40 languages and bring up English subtitles for any audio passing through your PC. Whether it’s live, like a Skype call with overseas colleagues, or pre-recorded like a podcast or YouTube video, bust down that language barrier in any app.
On the Surface
Who would know how to take advantage of a Copilot+ PC better than the company that designed them?
The latest Microsoft Surface laptops pack all the Copilot+ AI experiences you could want, running at a stunning 45 TOPS. The 13.8-inch touchscreen displays at an eye-popping 2.3K resolution, and you’ll get up to 20 hours of video playback out of a single battery charge.
Copilot+ PCs aren’t limited to laptops – AI can also be packed into a 2-in-1, as seen with the ultra-adaptable Microsoft Surface Pro.
Type away on the keyboard, or detach it and use the device in tablet mode, with your finger or the Slim Pen (sold separately) for note taking or sketching. Cocreator can then generate its own interpretation of your rough ideas, to help you iterate and find the finished product faster.
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