They are called PC Copilot Plus and they are the new generation of laptops based on Windows 11whose distinctive feature is the presence of a virtual assistant integrated into the operating system and based on generative artificial intelligence managed by an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) capable of performing more than 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). ChatGPT is involved in this, but in a different guise: Microsoft has in fact brought the heart of OpenAI’s creature into its own operating system, integrating its algorithms into a series of commonly used functions and programs through the chatbot Co-pilot. This is essentially the Windows equivalent of Apple Intelligence – Apple’s artificial intelligence.
The possibilities are many, but all that glitters is not gold. Many ways of using it are in fact still immature, especially if used in Italian. Without forgetting the issue related to software compatibility and the impossibility of using artificial intelligence on a good part of the computers currently in our hands, even if very powerful.
When a computer can be called a “Copilot Plus PC”: the features
THE PC Copilot Plus are easily identifiable. In fact, they have a specific sticker on the body and in the technical sheet, in addition to a Dedicated Copilot button in the keyboard. In order for a computer to boast this sort of recognition, it must meet certain technical requirements:
- at least 16GB RAM next generation (LPDDR5 or DDR5);
- at least 256 GB of internal memory SSD type (a standard that has now become common on any computer);
- a Compatible processor or a system on a chip (SoC, System-on-a-chip). Initially, the only two compatible ones were the Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite produced by the American company Qualcomm. Over the last few weeks, however, solutions made by companies such as Intel And AMD;
- a NPU (Neural Processing Unit) capable of performing more than 40,000 billion operations per second (TOPS, teraflops). This is a specialized computer chip for AI-intensive processes such as real-time translation and image generation. The real brain of the Copilot Plus PC, in short.
Copilot Plus PC and ARM processors
Let’s dive deeper into the processor issue. Many of the Copilot Plus PCs have processors or SoCs with ARM architecture, which until a few years ago we only found on board smartphones and tablets and which was introduced to the personal computer market by Apple in 2021 with its M-series chips.
Compared to traditional architecture x86which had dominated the market for decades both in Windows and Apple computers, ARM processors have demonstrated that they can achieve an overall power comparable to that of x86 processors, but at the cost of significantly lower energy expenditure (after all, smartphone and tablet batteries have always been smaller than computer batteries).
It is important to underline, however, that the PC Copilot Plusto be defined as such, do not necessarily have to be based on ARM architecture processors. It is no coincidence that during the IFA 2024 in Berlin (one of the most important electronics fairs globally), some models based on x86 chips from Intel and AMD were presented.
What can you do with Copilot Plus PCs?
Since these are fully-fledged Windows notebooks, the PC Copilot Plus allow all the operations that laptops have accustomed us to over the years. Nothing different therefore with regard to web browsing, writing sessions, the use of multimedia content, the use of educational and professional applications. If the processor is based on ARM architecture, there may be some limitations in the operation of some software due to the compatibility or otherwise of the software with the ARM architecture (in case of incompatibility, Copilot Plus PCs use an emulator called PRISM). It’s only a matter of time though: Microsoft is working with developers to resolve these issues as well.
The real one game changer but it is Co-pilot. Being able to use a chatbot based on generative artificial intelligence directly within the operating system offers a new way of interacting with the computer. Any search, for example, can go through the chatbot, without the need to open the browser and ask Google. This is just a basic example, because in reality the integration developed by Microsoft is much deeper.
With the function Subtitlesfor example, you can translate in real time any audio coming out of your computer speakers. A pop-up with the translation appears on the screen, which is incredibly useful in the most disparate contexts: imagine having to make a work video call with a person in English and not being very good with foreign languages: you could easily understand what your interlocutor is saying with a convenient text that appears on the screen (and without the other person knowing).
Another example: Paintthe famous graphics application, can generate high-quality images from a simple sketch thanks to Copilot. There is also the possibility of asking Co-pilot to create an Excel table with the family budget, to reply to a specific email, to summarize what is written in a specific Word document. The principle is exactly that of a “co-pilot”, as the name of the assistant suggests Microsoft.
But all that glitters is not gold, at least at the moment. Many functions based on artificial intelligence do not work as they should or are perhaps not available in Italian. The feeling is that the PC Copilot Plus are a bit immature for now, with the AI algorithms that probably needed more time to be refined. As often happens, however, it will be the daily use of millions of users that will train the artificial intelligence through the most classic machine learning mechanism.
The problem of artificial intelligence in Europe
Let’s close with a question that is far from secondary. The European Union is the only institution in the world to have approved a law regulating artificial intelligence. The text provides that AI applications be classified in risk levels: specifically the risk can be minimum, limited, high And unacceptableEach category is associated with a list of obligations based on the possible risks for the user or for the context in which that application is used. Any AI tool classified as “unacceptable risk” will be banned. For example, in EU countries all those applications that involve the acquisition of images from surveillance cameras or from the Internet in order to create databases for facial recognition are banned.
A complex regulation therefore, which imposes on applications such as Copilot restrictions in certain areas of use. Also because the EU has the GDPR on the processing of personal data, a particularly stringent law. It is therefore not excluded that Microsoft will have to sit down with the EU to understand the ways in which its chatbot will be able to function in Windows 11 within the European market. A similar principle that also underlies the delay in the arrival of Apple Intelligence in Europe.
