Windows 12 new features revealed: groundbreaking AI experiences

Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to release a "groundbreaking" next-generation AI-centric version of Windows ahead of the AI PC boom.

The next-generation Windows is said to be internally codenamed "Hudson Valley," while Windows 11 is currently codenamed "Sun Valley.

The Hudson Valley is a valley formed around the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, which extends from Albany and Troy in the north to Yonkers in the south.

The latest news indicates that "Hudson Valley" is focused on next-generation AI experiences, and it's all about AI, which will be "woven and integrated" throughout the operating system, with most of those experiences requiring new NPU hardware to run. to run.

"Hudson Valley" will introduce AI-powered core components of Windows Shell, augmented by an "advanced copilot" Copilot AI assistant that will run continuously in the background to enhance search, quickly launch apps or workflows, understand contextualization and contextualization. launch apps or workflows, understand context, and more.

These AI features will be "groundbreaking," the source said.

Microsoft is known to be working on a new history/timeline feature that will allow users to scroll through all the apps and websites Copilot remembers in a timely manner and filter them based on user-specific search criteria.

For example, you can type in "FY2024 earnings" and relevant examples of that term will appear on the screen for you to view and open.

In addition, AI will also enhance the search function of the new generation of Windows, users can use natural language to find the content you have previously opened or seen on the PC, even if you do not remember the name of the document, but also to realize the fuzzy search. For example, the system can understand "find the document Bob sent me on WhatsApp a few days ago" and perform a search to find it.

In addition, there is an AI feature called "Super Resolution" that uses the NPU hardware to improve the image quality of videos and games.

There's also an enhanced version of "real-time captioning" in the works that can translate many different voices in real time, whether it's audio in a video or a live call.

There's even an AI-powered wallpaper that recognizes image layers through machine learning, and is able to interact with the user via the mouse cursor or the built-in gyroscope (if it's on a handheld device).

Of course, these new features are just the tip of the iceberg, and more details are yet to be confirmed.

Microsoft has yet to make a final decision on whether or not "Hudson Valley" will be marketed as Windows 12. But there's no doubt that it will be a radical change from Windows 11.