Microsoft Enhances Windows Search with AI Integration on Copilot Plus PCs
Redmond, WA — Microsoft is set to significantly enhance the search capabilities in Windows with the integration of advanced AI models on its new Copilot Plus PCs. Launching in November, these improvements are poised to streamline the process of finding and interacting with various types of content, including images, emails, documents, and videos.
Starting next month, the updated Windows search will debut within File Explorer on Copilot Plus PCs. Unique to this overhaul is the ability to search for pictures using descriptive words, a feature that eliminates the need for exact search terms to be present in the photo or its file name.
“AI-powered search makes it dramatically easier to find virtually anything,” commented Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft. “You no longer need to remember file names and document locations, nor even specific names of words. Windows will better understand your intent and match the right document, image, file, or email.”
This improved search functionality will extend beyond File Explorer, becoming available in the primary Windows search interface and the search box in the Settings interface over the upcoming months. For instance, users can type queries like “add my headphones” into the Settings search box, which will intuitively guide them to the relevant settings.
The revamp of Windows search, hindered by previous shortcomings, promises substantial improvements through AI-powered natural language processing. This enhanced search capability will utilise the NPU chips embedded in the new Copilot Plus PCs, enabling local searches on OneDrive content without internet connectivity.
In conjunction with these updates, Microsoft will introduce a new feature named Click to Do on Copilot Plus PCs starting next month. Click to Do bears similarities to Google’s Circle to Search, creating an interactive overlay when users press the Windows key in combination with a left-click on their mouse. This overlay allows for selecting images or text to execute clickable actions.
“Click to Do works by first understanding everything you’ve seen on your screen and enabling useful shortcuts to actions to help you more quickly search, learn, edit, shop, or act on those items,” Mehdi explained. “It works on any windows, document, image, or even video.”
This functionality extends to diverse applications, such as performing a visual search on an item seen in a YouTube video via Bing. It is also context-aware, assisting with text-related tasks like rewriting or summarising documents, explaining text, or even sending emails.
These new search and Click to Do features will be rolled out to Windows Insiders for testing on Copilot Plus PCs in October, with a broader deployment scheduled for November. Additionally, the previously announced Recall feature will be made available to testers in October on Qualcomm-powered devices, followed by Intel- and AMD-powered Copilot Plus PCs in November. Microsoft anticipates sharing more detailed availability information for Recall soon.
Alongside these updates, Microsoft is also enhancing Microsoft Paint with generative fill and erase features as part of the AI suite for Windows.
Source: Noah Wire Services