Smarter, Faster, More Intuitive: Inside Windows 11's AI Transformation

Updated: May 07 2025 11:51

AI Summary: Microsoft's new Copilot+ PCs, powered by dedicated NPUs, represent a major advancement in personal computing by handling AI tasks locally for faster, more private, and offline capabilities. Capitalizing on widespread AI use for productivity, these PCs introduce features like AI agents in Windows Settings for natural language interaction, a "Click to Do" function to reduce context switching by bringing actions directly into workflows, and professional-grade, subscription-free AI tools for creative editing in Photos, Paint, and Snipping Tool.

Copilot+ PCs represent Microsoft's most ambitious leap forward in years. These devices, powered by Snapdragon, AMD, and Intel chips with dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs), are being billed as "the fastest, most intelligent and most secure Windows PCs ever built."

The key difference lies in how these machines process AI tasks. With dedicated NPUs, these computers can handle complex AI operations locally without constantly pinging the cloud, resulting in faster performance, better privacy, and the ability to work offline.

Recent online study conducted by Edelman DXI and Assembly shows that as many as 73% of consumers are already using AI to boost productivity. Microsoft is capitalizing on this trend by making AI more accessible and integrated into everyday computing tasks.


One of the new features is the introduction of AI agents to Windows Settings. This addresses a common frustration many users face: finding and changing settings on their PC.

Instead of digging through menus, users can simply describe what they need in natural language. For example, saying "my mouse pointer is too small" or "how to control my PC by voice" will prompt the AI agent to not only recommend the right steps but, with your permission, actually implement the changes for you.


This feature represents a fundamental shift in how we interact with our computers. Rather than adapting to the machine's logic, the machine adapts to our human way of expressing needs. Initially available to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, this capability will expand to AMD- and Intel-powered devices soon.


Anyone who works on a computer knows the productivity hit that comes from constantly switching between applications. The new Click to Do feature aims to eliminate this "context-switching tax" by bringing actions directly into your workflow.


With a simple keyboard shortcut (Windows key + mouse click or Windows key + Q), you can:

• Copy text from images
• Summarize lengthy documents
• Remove objects or backgrounds from images
• Create bulleted lists from selected text
• Schedule meetings directly from recognized email addresses
• Send details from on-screen tables directly to Excel

Coming soon to Windows Insiders, additional capabilities include asking Copilot to act on selected text or images, leveraging Microsoft 365 Copilot to draft content in Word, and using Reading Coach to practice reading selected text aloud.

This seamless integration of AI into the workflow represents a significant advancement in how we interact with content on our screens.


Perhaps most exciting for creative professionals and hobbyists alike is the inclusion of professional-grade AI editing tools with no subscription required. According to Microsoft, 75% of consumers are already using AI for creative pursuits, and the new updates to Photos, Paint, and Snipping Tool cater directly to this growing interest.

Photos Relight: Studio-Quality Lighting at Your Fingertips - The new relight feature in Microsoft Photos adds dynamic lighting controls that were previously only available in professional editing software. Users can position up to three light sources, set their color, and adjust brightness and intensity. For quick edits, built-in presets offer one-click lighting styles. Initially available to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon X Series Copilot+ PCs, this feature will come to AMD- and Intel-powered devices later this year.


Paint Sticker Generator: Custom Graphics from Text Prompts - Paint is getting a sticker generator that creates custom digital stickers from simple text prompts. Type a phrase, and the AI generates ready-to-use stickers that can be added to your canvas, copied into documents, or shared in chats. It's a quick way to add personalized visuals without manual drawing.

Paint Object Select: Context-Aware Editing - Object select uses AI to understand the structure of your image, making it possible to select specific elements on the canvas for targeted edits like moving, erasing, or applying generative fill. This eliminates the need for manual tracing or outlining, making detailed editing faster and more intuitive.

Snipping Tool Perfect Screenshot: Intelligent Captures - The improved Snipping Tool automatically adjusts the capture area to tightly frame on-screen content. The tool analyzes the visible screen and snaps around the most prominent content, reducing the need for post-capture cropping. Additional new features include text extraction from images and a color picker for capturing exact color values from anywhere on screen.



Flexible commands in Voice Access allow users to communicate using more descriptive and flexible language, while Narrator now offers rich image descriptions for blind and low-vision users. By pressing the Narrator key + Ctrl + D, users can hear detailed context for visuals including charts, photos, and UI elements, describing people, objects, colors, text, and numbers.

These updates significantly improve the Windows experience for users with disabilities, making technology more inclusive and accessible.


AI Actions in File Explorer - File Explorer now includes AI actions that allow users to interact more deeply with their files. Right-clicking enables quick actions like summarizing content or editing images, leveraging the power of AI without opening the file. This integration with Paint, Photos, and Microsoft 365 helps users stay in their workflow.

Notepad's New Capabilities - Notepad, the venerable text editor, is gaining new capabilities that make it easier to generate, organize, and format content. The new write function creates text from a prompt, helping users quickly build ideas or get started on a draft. A summarize feature condenses longer content into concise overviews, and lightweight formatting now supports bold, italic, lists, and headings. The experience also supports Markdown style input and files.


The Copilot on Windows app is bringing even more ways to interact with Microsoft's AI companion right from the taskbar.

Copilot Vision on Windows allows users to share any browser or app window with Copilot, which can then analyze, offer insights, or answer questions, coaching users through tasks aloud.

For Windows Insiders, new interaction methods include Press to Talk (a long press of the Copilot key) and soon, the ability to invoke Copilot with the phrase "Hey, Copilot!" This new voice activation feature will be fully opt-in.


Microsoft is actively partnering with independent software vendors to leverage the power of the NPU, resulting in impressive performance gains for AI-intensive applications:

• Moises Live by Music.AI enables real-time audio separation and control, running 35 times faster on the Snapdragon X NPU compared to the CPU
• Gigapixel AI by Topaz Labs allows users to enlarge images up to 16 times while maintaining quality
• Other NPU-optimized apps include Capcut, DJay Pro, Davinci Resolve, Camo, Cephable and Liquidtext

These partnerships demonstrate the versatility and power of Microsoft's NPU in enhancing AI-driven functionalities across various domains, from video editing and music production to accessibility and note-taking.


Microsoft's approach to AI in Windows is guided by three key principles:

• Technology should adapt to users, not the other way around
• Experiences should be meaningfully useful and fundamentally trustworthy
• Features should solve the hardest problems users face on their PCs

This vision represents a significant shift in how we interact with our computers. Rather than forcing users to learn complex interfaces, the AI-powered Windows experience aims to understand and anticipate user needs, making computing more intuitive and accessible.

The latest Windows updates mark the beginning of a new era in personal computing, one where AI is not just a feature but the foundation of the entire experience. Microsoft's commitment to developing experiences that make using Windows feel more effortless, personal, and capable is evident in every aspect of these updates.