- Windows 11 has a new preview of the beta channel
- It comes with an AI agent in settings to help you change options
- Also a new hardware-related FAQ has also been introduced in Settings
Windows 11 has a new preview that is built up and it comes with a big change: the introduction of AI to the Settings app to help Copilot+ PC owners find and choose the options they need.
This is a new job Microsoft announced last week, but the company just said it was going to test soon, at some point this month. Well, that phase is now set and this ability is debuted in Preview Build 26120.3964 in the Beta channel.
This preview release comes with the full AI agent present in settings, although this is of course only the initial stages of testing. Also note that this is only for Copilot+ PCS, it will not apply to normal Windows 11 -PCs as it utilizes the PEPY NPU on board copilot+ devices. (Microsoft also revealed fresh treats in -depth to non -copilot+ machines, it should also be noted).
As I have covered before, the AI agent works via the usual query model. You enter what you are looking for in settings via a bar at the top of the panel using normal conversation language. For example, you can ask something in the direction of “How do I put the YouTube video playing on my laptop on my TV screen?” And AI will find that relevant setting for screen mirror.
The idea is to make fine -tuning settings or find different options easier, and with some options AI will even recommend specific choices for you.
Another change of the Settings app in this Preview-Build is a new hardware-related FAQ that provides info about your PC specifications and how good they are. This is in System> About Panel within settings, under the list of device specifications.
Question-and-hotels specifically relate to your PC, so if you only have 8 GB of RAM for example and you are concerned that apps or additional PC games can be slowed down there is a section on exactly what that memory load means to you in terms of expected benefit levels.
Analysis: PC spec -cards and AI -Cheal
This is the first time we have seen this hardware FAQ appear in testing, though weird, it is not collaboration with the related ‘PC spec cards’ (small info panels) that carry the individual details of your CPU, GPU, System RAM and Storage (which has been seen in tests before, minus FAQ).
Presumably, these pieces of the puzzle will soon come together and deliver a useful extra to relative PC new joints who may not be so sure what all these specifications mean.
As for the AI agent, it looks nice and gives lots of promise, but there are a few remarkable catches here. First, AI could get things wrong when it comes to the specific recommendations given to certain settings (but hopefully not in terms of the basic findings and viewing of relevant options).
So we have to be careful in that regard and it will be interesting to see how accurate Windows 11 testers find the system and what the initial feedback is – because this could Be one of the best uses of AI Microsoft has found yet. Or the worst if it comes out terribly out of the rails, but Microsoft doesn’t seem too ambitious here – yet – so it shouldn’t happen.
Secondly, only the English language is supported by the setting agent so far. Finally, only Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon processors are supported to begin with, but Microsoft has said the agent will come to Copilot+ devices with AMD and Intel CPUs soon enough. Maybe it will be the next preview release.
