Microsoft releases PCs ‘designed for AI’

Microsoft on Monday released a new version of its personal computers “designed for” artificial intelligence (AI), as the company seeks an edge in the AI technology race.

Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella unveiled the product, dubbed “Copilot+” PCs, at an event in Redmond, Wash. on Monday. The company described the new line as “the fastest, most intelligence Windows PCs ever built.”

“With powerful new silicon capable of an incredible 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second), all–day battery life and access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs will enable you to do things you can’t on any other PC,” Microsoft wrote in a statement.

The Copilot+ PCs include a feature called “Recall” which tracks all activity on the computer to allow users to virtually access what they have seen or done on the computer in the past.

“Copilot+ PCs organize information like we do – based on relationships and associations unique to each of our individual experiences,” Microsoft wrote. “This helps you remember things you may have forgotten so you can find what you’re looking for quickly and intuitively by simply using the cues you remember.”

The new laptops will start at $999 and will begin to launch on a variety of laptop brands — including Acer, ASUS, Dell and HP — on June 18, Microsoft said.

It comes nearly a year after Microsoft launched the AI-powered Windows Copilot, a product to explain content to users by either rewriting or summarizing it. Users are also able to ask general questions to the Windows Copilot, and those who do not want the product can deactivate the service on their laptops.

The laptops will eventually also feature OpenAI’s new AI model, GPT-4o to have “more natural” voice conversations, the tech giant added.

Last week, OpenAI released a demo of its “Sky” voice assistance, featured in its GPT-4o, which drew scrutiny from actress Scarlett Johansson who claimed it sounds “eerily similar” to her voice.

Johansson on Monday said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously spoke with her about voicing an AI assistant, but she declined.

Johansson said she hired legal counsel to request OpenAI to take down the “Sky” voice.