Copilot+ PC: Click to Do and Recall

Windows 11 supports numerous AI capabilities, but the best experiences require a Copilot+ PC, a new class of AI PC that includes a powerful and efficient Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Copilot+ PCs can run sophisticated AI workloads locally--on-device--against Small Language Models (SMLs), so these features don't require an Internet connection or a paid, cloud-based AI service.

Granted, you don't need a Copilot+ PC to use many of the AI features that Windows 11 offers. Those AI features that rely on cloud-hosted Large Language Models (LLMs) are available to all Windows 11 users, albeit with a few limitations:

Connectivity. Your PC must be online to access these AI features.
Subscription. Most of the cloud-based AI features in Windows 11 have usage limits unless you pay for a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription.

With a Copilot+ PC, you get the best of both worlds: All the AI features that Windows 11 offers plus all the local AI features that are unique to AI PCs and Copilot+ PCs.
Windows 11, AI PCs, and Copilot+ PCs
Understanding which AI-based Windows 11 features work for everyone and which require AI PCs or Copilot+ PCs can be confusing. So it may be helpful to understand what's available depending on the type of PC you have.
AI features in Windows 11
Windows 11 includes a growing set of AI features integrated throughout the system and in its in-box apps. Many of these features provide so-called generative AI capabilities, meaning they can be used to create new content or edit existing content.

The in-box apps in Windows 11 ship with an extensive and always growing set of AI features and functionality that's available to all users. Some key examples include:

Copilot in Windows 11. This conversational AI-powered assistant brings the ever-improving productivity and creation capabilities of the cloud-based Microsoft Copilot to your PC.
Copilot in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft's web browser also includes an integrated version of Microsoft Copilot.
Notepad. The Writing tools in Notepad use cloud-based AI.
Paint. The Remove background, Image Creator, and Generative erase all rely on cloud-based AI.
Photos. The Erase and Background tools both use cloud-based AI.
Clipchamp. The Create video with AI wizard, Text to speech tool, Autocaptions, and other features in this web-based video editor all use cloud-based AI.
Snipping Tool. The Scan text tool uses cloud-based AI for Optical character recognition (OCR).

AI features unique to AI PCs
PC makers market laptops and desktop PCs with a CPU, GPU, and NPU integrated into a single system on a chip (SoC) design as AI PCs to differentiate them from their NPU-less predecessors. These PCs provide all Windows 11 features, of course, but they only offer a small subset of the features provided by Copilot+ PCs. In fact, there's just a single unique feature:

Windows Studio Effects. Any modern PC with an NPU of any kind--in other words, an AI PC--can...