Microsoft executives appeared in New York City this morning to unveil a torrent of new AI features for Windows and other products, in addition to new Surface PCs.
“It’s kind of like the ’90s are back. It’s exciting to be in a place where we are bringing some software innovation and really having fun, enjoying this entire journey,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the event, reflecting on the surge of new AI capabilities from Microsoft and others in the span of less than a year.
Highlights from the news:
A unified Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft plans to bring its AI capabilities together into a combined experience that it’s calling Microsoft Copilot, starting with a free Windows 11 update Sept. 26.
- Windows apps including Paint, Photos, and Clipchamp will get new AI features.
- Microsoft’s updated Notepad app will automatically save a user’s content.
- An updated Snipping Tool in Windows will extract text from images.
- A new Outlook app promises to be a better hub for third-party email services.
- This Microsoft infographic gives an overview of the new Windows 11 features.
A date for Microsoft 365 Copilot: The company set a Nov. 1 release date for Microsoft 365 Copilot, its new set of AI productivity tools for enterprise users. A newly announced Microsoft 365 Chat feature processes internal business data and serves as a personal assistant for writing documents, catching up on emails, and other tasks, the company says.
Microsoft’s stock previously soared to a record high after the company said it would charge corporate customers an additional $30/user per month for Microsoft 365 Copilot. Its shares are up modestly today.
Bing DALL.E updates: The company showed plans to add support for the newly announced DALL.E 3 image generator to its Bing search engine, the latest sign of its tight partnership with OpenAI.
In addition, Microsoft said Bing Chat will now use chat history to inform its results, remembering a user’s favorite soccer team, for example, and proactively letting someone know if they’re playing in a city where they’re planning to travel. This capability can be turned off in Bing settings.
New Surface devices: Microsoft unveiled its latest PC hardware upgrades: a Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3, Surface Go 4 for Business, and Surface Hub 3.
The news follows the departure this week of Surface and Windows leader Panos Panay, reportedly to take the helm of Amazon’s Devices & Services business.
A recording of the event is now available from Microsoft here.
