21 May 2024 , 07:48
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Microsoft has unveiled its latest bid to be the leading AI company by 2024, revealing new PCs built around its Copilot AI assistant.
The tech giant announced its Copilot+ PC range, which includes a Surface Laptop and Surface Pro tablet, ahead of its developer conference starting on Tuesday. Microsoft claims these are the "fastest, most intelligent Windows PC ever built".
The PCs come with a dedicated button to prompt the Copilot AI assistant at any time and new AI-powered apps like Recall. This app allows users to search their device for items they can't remember the exact location of using screenshots, phrases or other cues.
Users will also have access to Cocreator within the Paint app, which enables them to create AI-generated images quickly from text prompts or initial sketches. Live Captions can translate audio from over 40 languages into English in real time.
As the largest investor in OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, Microsoft confirmed that the latest model to power the chatbot, GPT-4o, announced last week, would also be available on Copilot+ PCs. "This first wave of Copilot+ PCs is just the beginning," said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's consumer chief marketing officer.
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He added: "Over the past year, we have seen an incredible pace of innovation of AI in the cloud with Copilot allowing us to do things that we never dreamed possible. Now, we begin a new chapter with AI innovation on the device."
"We have completely reimagined the entirety of the PC, from silicon to the operating system, the application layer to the cloud, with AI at the centre, marking the most significant change to the Window platform in decades." The tech giant also confirmed that it was collaborating with many of its third-party hardware partners, including Acer, Dell, Lenovo and Samsung, to launch Copilot+ PCs.
This announcement from Microsoft comes just days after Google revealed its plans to further incorporate AI into its products in the coming months, which includes revamping its search engine around AI-generated responses, and expanding the reach of its own generative AI assistant, Gemini, to more of its popular apps.
Next month, Apple, another industry titan, is expected to unveil its own AI strategies during its annual developer conference, WWDC, held at its Cupertino headquarters. Industry expert Geoff Blaber, CEO of analyst firm CCS Insight, said the range of announcements demonstrated Microsoft's "determination" to be a key player in the AI space.
He added: "Microsoft has identified an opportunity to re-energise the PC market, transform the user experience and has galvanised the PC ecosystem to support its vision. If the market needs evidence of Microsoft's determination and drive under Satya Nadella or its commitment to lead in generative AI, Copilot+ is a further proof point."
"Microsoft's efforts to mobilise the ecosystem of manufacturers, silicon partners and developers is impressive and gives Copilot+ credibility at launch. However, success requires Microsoft to overcome several challenges not least, communication to consumers of what a Copilot+ PC is and what it enables that is unique and worth paying a premium for."