The AI ​​of the new Copilot+ PC improves the experience in video calls, but is less accurate in more creative tasks

June 24 (EDIZIONES/Portaltic) –

The new teams Copilot+ PC have ushered in a new way of interacting with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, improving experience and productivity at the work level, but at the moment they do not respond as precisely in the most creative tasks.

The company introduced these computers last May, when it determined that this technology would allow users to get more out of their equipment, the new Surface computers, that is, the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

Surface Laptop It comes in two sizes, 13.8 and 15 inches, both powered by a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip (the smaller model also features a 13-core Snapdragon X Plus version).

The displays on all models feature PixelSense Flow technology and Corning Gorilla Glass. They also offer a resolution of 2496 x 1664 (201 ppi), sRGB and Vivid color profiles with adaptive color and contrast, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.

The battery life is also similar although it depends on the size of the screen: 13.8-inch Surface Laptop offers up to 20 hours of local video playback and up to 15 hours of active web use. For its part, the largest model increases its autonomy up to 22 hours with video playback.

On the other hand, the Surface Pro varies depending on the type of screen, which in both cases is 13 inches. The one that incorporates LCD has a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, while the OLED model has a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip.

The rest of the features are the same, including 10-point multi-touch, a 120Hz refresh rate, 2880 x 1920 resolution (267 ppi), Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and an individual color calibration display.

They also share the same battery capacity, with up to 14 hours of local video playback and up to 10 hours of active web use. They are also powered by Windows 11 Homehave support for Windows Hello – with facial authentication with a Quad HD front camera – and 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos.

All these devices have in common their graphics processing unit (GPU), Qualcomm Adrenoand also its neural processing unit (NPU), also manufactured by the same firm.

Specifically, they equip the Hexagon model, capable of perform about 45 trillion operations per second (TOP). This is three times what the latest generation of surfaces offers, without natively integrated AI.

AI TO PROMOTE CREATIVITY

The company has focused much of its attention on developing this NPU, which specialises in machine learning algorithms, designed specifically for AI tasks and conceived “as a specialised brain for the PC”, as explained in a meeting attended by Europa Press.

Microsoft has noted that these NPUs are optimized to process numbers twice as fast as other Windows laptops, and that they do so using less power, which is why the battery can last up to a day without being completely depleted.

Thus, the Copilot+ PCs, aimed at all types of consumers – from creative professionals and designers to enthusiastic users of new technologies – incorporate a series of experiences dedicated to facilitating day-to-day tasks.

One of them is Recall, which will be available soon with an OS update – after several revisions carried out by the Microsoft team – and which compiles everything that has been done on the PC when the user has described what they are looking for on the computer.

The Co-Creator tool is now available on the new Copilot+ PCs and is perhaps one of the most curious of the family of new AI-powered functions. This one, in particular, is integrated into Paint, a program in which you can draw a sketch of what we seek to generate with this technology.

Once the drawing is made and a brief description of what you want to generate is entered, you can choose a specific style (Illustration, Animation, Watercolor, etc.) and increase the intensity of creativity.

In our tests we drew a dog, a cat and a bird with the aim of having Cocreator show a stylized image of these animals dancing in the snow, but we were not entirely convinced by the result, since the dog had two tails and the cat had a leg that “grew” where it shouldn’t.

Copilot was not particularly precise either. during the cooking demo, when he was ordered to create a recipe with just a few ingredients, including a potato and a bunch of asparagus. This, taking a photo of them with the Surface camera.

Copilot then designed different preparation options (boiled, grilled), as well as different forms of presentation (sliced ​​or whole) with various illustrations, although he confused the potato with a yellow pepper. We understand that this error could be due to the fact that in the image there was a lot of light and the assistant could have associated the color of the tuber with that of the vegetable.

IMPROVEMENTS DURING VIDEO CONFERENCES

Yes, the use of the Windows Studio Effects, that improve lighting, cancel noises and ambient sound to give more clarity to the interlocutor’s voice or blur distractions in the background during video calls.

In this regard, Microsoft has recalled that currently almost 90 percent of the use recorded on a computer in companies is for communication and videoconferencing applications. Hence, the firm has focused on the development of functionalities such as those that improve the image, with Portrait Light or portrait light, which automatically adjusts the image to improve perceived illumination in a dark environment or brighten foreground pixels in a low-light environment.

Another of the most notable features is the eye-contact teleprompter, which makes it easier to maintain eye contact with the camera while reading on the screen. It is also interesting speaker trackingan option that follows the user during the presentation if they are standing, for example, zooming in if necessary.

They are also integrated into video calls and the playback of content on platforms such as YouTube. Live Captions, Live translations that display subtitles simultaneously and translate from English to over 40 languages, even offline.

A COPILOT TOO “EDICATED”

Microsoft also noted that every Copilot+ PC comes with a button that takes you directly to the assistant, and that its design has been optimized and has proven to be successful, though perhaps overly disciplined, in our tests.

First we discovered that he responds better to commands with imperatives – for example, “make a diagram” about how something works – as well as to the proposal to write a story with a princess and a horse, which adapts the narrative quickly when introducing a new character.

However, Copilot did not fit the type of question we asked, asking him to give us tips on how to seduce a neighbour who had a partner. In fact, he suggested abandoning that objective and reflecting on what that could mean for that relationship.

We did see it better documented, however, when we requested a total of 20 questions that a journalist could ask the Microsoft team after the presentation of Copilot+ PC, coinciding with some of the questions that editors and specialists shared during this event.