Microsoft is showcasing its commitment to advancing generative AI on Windows and PCs through announcements made during its Build developer conference. New features like Recall, Volumetric Windows Applications, Copilot+ PCs, and updated Surface devices were unveiled.
Volumetric Windows Applications are being extended to Meta Quest headsets in partnership with Meta, allowing developers to bring Windows applications into 3D space. Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI brand, is set to play a more prominent role in the Windows 11 experience.
The new Copilot+ PCs are flagship AI-focused Windows hardware featuring dedicated NPUs for AI experiences like Recall. These devices, starting at $999, are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips with Intel and AMD also on board.
The upgraded Surface devices, like the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, focus on performance and battery life improvements. The Surface Laptop boasts a modern redesign with improved performance metrics, while the Surface Pro is faster and features a new OLED display.
Windows 11’s Recall feature is being introduced to help users find past content and applications, providing a timeline of their activities. It can create associations between different elements for easier searches and can be enhanced by developers without compromising user privacy.
New features like image editing and live translations are being introduced, with AI capabilities exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. Live Captions with Live Translation and real-time video translation in Microsoft Edge are some of the highlighted functionalities.
Team Copilot is a new extension of Microsoft’s Copilot suite that integrates with Teams and other collaboration platforms to streamline workflow management. Copilot extensions are also available for developers to enhance GitHub Copilot with third-party apps.
The Windows Copilot Runtime is a collection of generative AI models enabling AI applications to run offline. CapCut and Meta are utilizing this technology to enhance their respective platforms.
Azure AI Studio is introducing pay-as-you-go inference APIs for developers to build AI applications. Copilot agents, part of Copilot Studio, provide AI-driven task orchestration for specific business workflows.
The Snapdragon Development Kit for Windows is aimed at developers creating apps for Copilot+ PCs with Arm chips, supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.
Phi-3-vision is the latest addition to Microsoft’s Phi family of generative AI models, focusing on visual analysis and reasoning tasks. It is efficient enough to run on mobile devices.
Finally, Microsoft’s partnership with Khan Academy involves donating cloud computing infrastructure for educators in the US to access AI-powered tools, with a focus on improving math tutoring through generative AI applications.
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https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/21/microsoft-build-2024-windows-ai-operating-system-copilot-plus-pcs/