Windows 11 just got improvements in testing to make the Copilot AI more useful when making changes to the actual operating system environment – in other words, the features we’re all waiting for.
Copilot has a fairly limited repertoire in terms of what the AI can do for manipulating Windows settings (as opposed to the standard tricks in terms of answering questions, creating images, and so on).
The set of settings tricks has gotten considerably tougher, though, with a series of additions just made to preview build 26058 of Windows 11 (in the Canary and Dev testing channels).
That build was actually released a week ago, but Microsoft just ushered in these additional improvements New noticed.
What can Copilot do for you now? There are some important accessibility changes, for example the AI can be instructed to enable Narrator or Live Captions, or voice functionality (Voice Access or Typing).
And you can get Copilot to take out the trash (empty the Trash), enable battery saver mode, or even tell you your device’s IP address.
Here’s the full one list of Copilot’s new capabilities when it comes to handling Windows settings:
- Ask about available wireless networks
- Request system or device information
- Ask for battery information
- Ask for the storage to be cleaned
- Ask to empty the Trash
- Ask to enable Battery Saver
- Ask to show startup apps
- Ask for your IP address
- Ask for system, device, or storage information
And the new accessibility features are as follows:
- Ask to enable Narrator
- Ask to open Voice Access
- Ask to enable Magnifier
- Ask to change the text size
- Ask to start Live Captions
- Ask to enable high contrast
- Ask to start voice typing
This extends Copilot’s existing powers by adjusting settings, including taking a screenshot or switching between the dark and light themes, for example.
Analysis: Expansion Pack
There are 16 new capabilities introduced here during testing, which should make their way into the finished version of Windows 11 soon enough. That more than doubles Copilot’s existing capabilities at the moment – there are currently only twelve ways to get Windows 11- settings via the AI – so it is a welcome extension.
At the same time, progress on this front feels rather slow, considering Copilot and broader AI has been such a major focus for Microsoft since Bing Chat burst onto the scene about a year ago.
For Windows 11 users, Copilot was sold in part for its features related to making it easy and convenient to control different settings and modes, rather than having to dig deep into the Settings app (or elsewhere in the interface). And so far not many features have actually been added.
We’re hoping that Microsoft will gain a foothold on this side of the Copilot experience later this year, with the Windows 11 24H2 update, but for now, a doubling of the numbers is at least a sign of decent forward momentum.