Recap: New Windows AI features at the heart of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs debuted exclusively on laptops equipped with Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon X processors a few months ago. While the latest x86 chips from Intel and AMD also have integrated NPUs and carry the Copilot+ label, they have yet to receive any OS-level generative AI functionality.
Windows 11 Insiders using CPUs from recent lineups such as Intel Core Ultra 200 and AMD Ryzen AI 300 can finally begin testing Copilot+ features like Recall and image generation. The GenAI features were previously exclusive to Snapdragon X chips.
Dev channel participants can get started by updating to build 26120.2510. Other users can join the Microsoft Insider Program by registering on the website, then navigating to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program > Get Started and selecting Dev Channel before rebooting.
Using new GenAI features might require installing the latest AMD and Intel NPU drivers, available on TechSpot or each manufacturer's website.
Recall, likely the most essential yet controversial Copilot+ feature, "remembers" user activity by periodically taking screencaps and reading on-screen text. The functionality aims to help users retrieve information, but serious security concerns led Microsoft to delay it and later reintroduce Recall on an opt-in basis.
Activating the feature allows users to open previously accessed files or programs through natural language text prompts if they've forgotten the locations or file names. Recall also contains a function called Click to Do, through which users can copy, summarize, or rewrite selected text using prompts.
Additionally, Copilot allows the Paint and Photos apps to generate images from text prompts. Photos can also use prompts to restyle existing pictures.
Snapdragon X PCs have gradually received Windows Insider builds with new GenAI features over the last few months. Paint recently received automatic fill-and-erase functionality, and Photos can upscale pictures using super-resolution upscaling. It remains unclear when this and other functionality will expand to x86 Copilot+ systems.
The exclusivity period stems from Qualcomm's early cooperation with Microsoft on the Copilot+ initiative, which aimed to use the introduction of onboard GenAI to boost Arm Windows adoption. Snapdragon X CPUs were the first to meet Microsoft's Copilot+ standards by including NPUs capable of at least 40 TOPs, but similarly-specced x86 processors from Intel's Core 200V series and AMD's Ryzen AI 300 lineups soon followed.
Bringing GenAI to the standard version of Windows 11 could broaden its reach, but customer enthusiasm for the technology has yet to solidify. Recent sales charts suggest that AI PC adoption is driven primarily by more extended battery life and typical upgrade cycles.