Windows 11 AI Update 2025: Copilot+ Features, Compatibility & Future Outlook

The latest wave of artificial intelligence (AI) integration into Windows 11 is officially underway, as Microsoft rolls out a host of new features—many of them exclusive, for now, to the company's groundbreaking Copilot+ PCs. The highly anticipated update, released as KB5062660, is billed as a major leap forward in personal computing, bringing the power and flexibility of advanced AI directly into everyday Windows experiences. Drawing on months of user feedback from Insider Preview builds, these enhancements promise to fundamentally change the way people interact with Windows 11. However, their rollout strategy—and some key hardware limitations—are already sparking both excitement and debate in the Windows community.

Pushing the Boundaries: AI-Powered Windows for the Mainstream​

Microsoft is no stranger to ambitious operating system updates, but the 24H2 release for Windows 11 stands out not only for the breadth of its enhancements but for the explicit bet on next-generation hardware, particularly its own "Copilot+" platform. The company’s vision: PCs that leverage advanced AI capabilities natively—turning laptops and desktops into proactive, context-aware assistants.
Several features are already capturing attention:

• Copilot Vision: Real-time, full-screen visual assistance for US users
• Windows Settings AI Agent: Natural language help and configuration—initially for Snapdragon (ARM) Copilot+ PCs
• Click to Do: Contextual screen actions, integrating apps like Word, Teams, and more, rolling out across Copilot+ devices
• Photos & Paint App Upgrades: Advanced relighting, AI-powered sticker generation, and object selection
• Intelligent Snipping Tool: AI-driven screenshots and a new color picker
• Quick Machine Recovery: Fast, internet-enabled boot failure repair, broadening reliability support

But the real story is that, while some headline-grabbing features like Copilot Vision are extending to all Windows 11 PCs, the full AI experience remains largely tethered to Copilot+ hardware—much to the frustration of some early adopters on Intel and AMD systems.

Copilot Vision: AI Assistance Moves to the Desktop​

Perhaps the most accessible of the new features is Copilot Vision. Designed as a pane for on-screen AI assistance, Copilot Vision allows users to “share” their entire display with Microsoft’s AI. The assistant can then interpret, analyze, and provide contextual help in real-time—from answering questions about visible documents, to acting as a visual search tool, or even assisting with tasks like translation or summarization.
Importantly, Microsoft has clarified: Copilot Vision isn’t locked to Copilot+ PCs. It is rolling out in the United States to all eligible Windows 11 machines, regardless of CPU vendor, as long as the system’s language is set to English (US). No Copilot Pro subscription is required. This democratization of powerful AI is a notable win for the broader user base, as many new AI features typically debut with hardware restrictions.
Early user feedback and hands-on reports suggest the Copilot Vision feature works seamlessly for most standard scenarios, but caution remains advisable for sensitive or off-line environments. Microsoft has not—and likely cannot—guarantee that screen content stays entirely on-device, raising data privacy considerations. While the company emphasizes its “commitment to customer privacy,” independent reviews recommend users be mindful before uploading confidential data for real-time analysis.

AI in Windows Settings: The Power—and Limits—of Natural Language​

Another standout, if more limited, upgrade is the AI agent now living inside Windows Settings. The feature allows users to describe problems in plain English, after which the agent suggests actionable fixes or navigates to the relevant settings pane. This promises a streamlined troubleshooting experience, particularly for less technical users overwhelmed by hundreds of configuration toggles.
However, as of rollout, the Settings AI agent is strictly available on Copilot+ PCs using Snapdragon processors in the stable channel, with support for Intel and AMD-based Copilot+ hardware slated for a later date. For many, this means waiting—and for some, disappointment. Official documentation and Microsoft's own blog posts confirm this hardware gating, though company spokespeople insist the staged availability is necessary for reliability and optimized performance.
Independent analyses have verified these claims: x86-based Copilot+ PCs (from partners like Lenovo, Dell, and HP) are not yet supported, even if running the latest Windows 11 build. Microsoft’s approach signals both the complexity of supporting heterogeneous hardware, and its strategic push to make ARM-based Windows laptops more attractive in the face of stiff competition from Apple’s M-series Macs.

Click to Do: Screen-Aware Contextual Actions​

Windows 11’s “Click to Do” may be one of the most transformative features for workflow enthusiasts. Mirroring the utility of Google’s “Circle to Search” on Android, Click to Do lets users highlight or draw upon the screen, triggering contextual AI recommendations—like drafting content in Microsoft Word, firing off actions in Teams, or leveraging Reading Coach’s assistance.
Available at first only on Copilot+ PCs, Click to Do uses local AI processing to analyze what’s visible and surface smart, context-sensitive actions. This is a major step towards what many experts see as the “next UI revolution”—deemphasizing menus and static buttons in favor of just-in-time, always-relevant options.
However, this approach comes with a cost. Not only is the full feature set reserved for eligible hardware, but questions around on-device processing versus cloud integration—and hence privacy—remain somewhat open. System logs suggest significant amounts of processing do happen locally, but Microsoft has not publicly committed to a 100% offline AI pipeline for this or other features.

Photos, Paint, and Snipping Tool: Creativity Unleashed​

Microsoft’s vision for AI in creative scenarios is reaching new heights in this update. The Photos app, previously a beneficiary of incremental AI upgrades, now boasts “Relight” capabilities and smart photo enhancements. Users on Copilot+ PCs can adjust lighting using presets like Studio Portrait and Cinematic Glow, or fine-tune via advanced sliders. Reviewers have praised the feature for its high quality—even rivaling some dedicated photo editing software for common snapshots.
Beyond Photos, the venerable Paint app is getting a modern facelift with two notably ambitious additions:

• Sticker Generator: Powered by generative AI models, this feature creates custom stickers from simple text prompts—mirroring trends set by sticker functions in leading social and chat platforms.
• Smart Object Selection: Using computer vision, Paint now allows for direct object segmentation and manipulation, closing the gap between simple illustration and semi-professional photo editing.

Finally, the Snipping Tool receives AI-powered “perfect screenshot” capabilities. Users can now rely on the tool to automatically crop and resize screen captures, greatly reducing post-screenshot editing. While early tests found the feature impressively accurate, the real breakthrough may be the addition of a color picker—a long-requested utility now available on Copilot+ machines.

Quick Machine Recovery: A Modern Safety Net​

AI isn’t just about enhanced creativity or productivity—Microsoft is investing in fundamental reliability, too. The new Quick Machine Recovery feature, bundled with this update, can diagnose and address system-wide boot failures over the internet. Once a boot issue is detected, the recovery agent leverages cloud intelligence to propose and implement fixes, often without the need for manual intervention or reinstallation media.
A scenario where this shines: critical file corruption or driver failure. Instead of frustrating loops through recovery menus, the PC communicates directly with Microsoft’s cloud, either resolving the issue based on known solutions or escalating for further remedy. For the millions of users who lack the time or expertise to troubleshoot advanced boot problems, this is a significant win.

Who Gets What: A Frustrating Divide​

While Microsoft is quick to tout these AI enhancements as the future of Windows, the fine print is hard to ignore. Many of the headline features—most notably the Windows Settings AI agent, enhanced Click to Do, and paint/photo upgrades—are only arriving for Copilot+ PCs, and even then, sometimes only those running on Snapdragon hardware.
Copilot+ is Microsoft’s brand for PCs built with a new generation of NPUs (Neural Processing Units), designed to handle AI workloads locally. The initial wave features Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips, which Microsoft claims can outpace Apple’s M3 and significantly best legacy x86 chips for AI processing tasks. Reviews from multiple outlets confirm that the new Copilot+ laptops show extremely impressive real-world AI performance, with lightning-fast execution of generative models, vision tasks, and speech processing.
But this comes at the expense of inclusivity. Intel and AMD-based laptops and desktops cannot, at launch, access all of the new AI features—even if they possess recent AI-accelerator hardware. Microsoft describes this as a temporary limitation, promising “future rollout” as drivers and software stacks mature, but as of now, the division is stark. For some users, it’s a bitter pill: expensive, recently-purchased Windows 11 PCs are left out of the AI revolution, at least for now.

Navigating the Rollout: How to Get the Update​

For those lucky enough to be on Copilot+ hardware (or who reside in the US and want to try Copilot Vision), Microsoft’s guidance is clear: enable “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” within Windows Update, then install KB5062660. Once that’s complete, updating the relevant core apps—Photos, Paint, Snipping Tool—via the Microsoft Store is recommended to ensure all new features are live.
It’s important to know the update is rolling out gradually and can take several weeks before being available on all eligible devices. Microsoft itself notes, “the rollout will be gradual, and it may take a month for features to become available.” Power users anxious for new tools can always opt in to the Insider channel, but should heed the usual caveats regarding early software’s stability.
Once updated, Copilot Vision can be enabled by setting the PC language to English (United States). Most features will automatically appear in their respective apps or the operating system’s interface as soon as the update is installed and the PC is restarted.

Privacy, Security, and Trust: What Remains to Be Seen​

With any dramatic uplift in AI-driven features, questions around data privacy, user consent, and transparency become paramount. While Microsoft assures customers that their privacy is “at the center of our product design,” independent assessments suggest the need for vigilance. Features like Copilot Vision, which share users’ screens with a cloud-based or hybrid AI model, inherently introduce risk—particularly in environments dealing with sensitive data.
Experts recommend users:

• Review privacy settings post-update, toggling off any features not explicitly needed
• Avoid using Copilot Vision and Click to Do with confidential or proprietary material until more detailed security whitepapers are published
• Monitor Microsoft’s evolving documentation for updates regarding local versus cloud processing

Microsoft’s record on privacy is generally strong, but user trust is a moving target, especially as AI models become more deeply embedded into operating system workflows. Clear, easy-to-read privacy policies and better controls will be essential for broad business and government adoption of these features.

Performance and Battery Life: Worth the Hype?​

A key claim underpinning Copilot+ and its AI-first architecture is enhanced performance—both in terms of “AI horsepower” and efficiency. Early benchmarks from trusted tech outlets lend credibility to these assertions. For example, Snapdragon X Elite-powered Copilot+ PCs executed in-app photo relighting in under two seconds, versus up to thirty seconds on older Intel-based laptops without dedicated AI silicon. Battery drain during sustained AI tasks remained low, a testament to the NPU’s optimization.
However, not all users will see dramatic improvements in day-to-day scenarios, especially if their workloads do not take advantage of AI at present. The real impact, analysts argue, will become more apparent over the next two years as software across the Windows ecosystem—third-party apps, games, productivity suites—increasingly lean into the AI APIs and copilot experiences Microsoft is rolling out.

The Strategic Stakes: Microsoft Bets on ARM, Partners, and the Future of the PC​

Beyond mere technical enhancements, the 24H2 AI update reveals much about Microsoft’s strategic priorities. The company’s all-in backing of ARM hardware, especially Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, signals a renewed push to rival Apple’s silicon-powered dominance. After a decade of fits and starts, Windows on ARM is rapidly closing gaps in app compatibility and performance, bolstered by a unified AI-first hardware-software pipeline.
By limiting some of the most compelling features to Copilot+ machines, Microsoft is incentivizing both partners and customers to invest in what it sees as the “future platform” for Windows. The gamble, of course, is that potential buyers will prioritize these AI experiences over current investments in Intel or AMD-powered hardware. For those holding out, Microsoft’s promise of “eventual support” will be closely scrutinized—and could become a make-or-break factor for adoption.

Risks, Trade-Offs, and the Road Ahead​

Not everything about this AI-powered update is unambiguously positive. Reviewers and analysts have flagged several concerns that merit attention:

• Fragmentation: The division of features between Copilot+ and other devices risks creating a two-tier Windows ecosystem, potentially confusing users and developers alike.
• Backward Compatibility: Many millions of installed Windows PCs—especially older desktops and budget laptops—may never see these new AI features, perpetuating the cycle of forced obsolescence.
• Transparency: Until Microsoft fully documents which features rely on local versus cloud AI, data privacy concerns will linger.
• Reliability: Debugging AI-driven interfaces remains an emerging science, and initial releases may exhibit quirks or outright bugs—especially in mission-critical scenarios like Quick Machine Recovery.

On the other hand, Microsoft’s delivery of AI-driven productivity, creativity, and system management tools within Windows itself represents a significant leap. The move raises the competitive bar for Google’s ChromeOS, Apple’s macOS, and the wider Linux desktop—the next chapter in the “AI race” among operating system vendors is now unfolding in earnest.

What Should Windows Users Do Next?​

For Windows enthusiasts, IT planners, and general users, the immediate steps are clear:

1. Check hardware eligibility: Only Copilot+ PCs and US-based Windows 11 machines (for Copilot Vision) receive the full feature set.
2. Update proactively: Enable early update toggles in Windows Update, then manually update essential apps from the Microsoft Store.
3. Explore the new AI features: Begin experimenting with Copilot Vision, enhanced Photos/paint/Snipping Tool functions, and the revamped Click to Do, where available.
4. Review privacy settings: Familiarize yourself with in-app and system-wide privacy controls, especially around AI features that operate on-screen or in the cloud.
5. Monitor updates: Follow Microsoft’s communications for announcements on broader hardware support, bug fixes, and feature improvements.

Looking Forward: A New Era Dawns for Windows 11​

The 24H2 update is a statement of intent from Microsoft: AI is not just a buzzword, but a fundamental building block of the Windows experience going forward. From creative tools to productivity shortcuts to system reliability, the new features represent the first tangible fruits of years-long investments in neural processing, software integration, and user-centric design.
The rollout is not without controversy or frustration, predominantly for those on existing hardware who find themselves on the outside looking in. But as Microsoft, its hardware partners, and the growing AI ecosystem converge, the pace of innovation seems certain to accelerate. For now, Copilot+ device owners are at the vanguard—but the landscape of what’s possible on Windows 11, powered by AI, has shifted dramatically for all.
The message is clear: The age of intelligent PCs has arrived. Whether you’re creating, collaborating, or simply clicking, Windows 11’s AI-powered future now beckons from your desktop. The full measure of its impact will unfold in the months and years ahead—one update at a time.

---

Source: Beebom New Windows 11 AI Features are Rolling Out, But Mostly for Copilot+ PCs