Microsoft is embarking on an innovative journey by integrating AI shortcuts, referred to as AI actions, into the File Explorer of Windows 11. This enhancement allows users to right-click on files and swiftly access a variety of AI features designed to streamline their workflow. Among these features are tools for blurring backgrounds in photos, erasing unwanted objects, and summarizing content from Office documents.
Currently, four image-related actions are being tested in the latest Dev Channel builds of Windows 11. These include:
- Bing visual search, enabling users to find similar images online.
- Background blurring and object erasure features from the Photos app.
- The remove background option available in Paint.
In addition to these visual enhancements, Microsoft plans to introduce similar AI actions for Office files in the near future. This will allow users to summarize documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and generate AI-driven lists from their files. However, these Office AI actions will initially be accessible only to Microsoft 365 commercial subscribers holding a Copilot license, with consumer support expected to follow at a later date.
While it remains uncertain whether these AI actions can be disabled in the context menu, they will be accompanied by an “Ask Copilot” option, which Microsoft recently added to the right-click menu in File Explorer.
Enhancements Beyond AI Shortcuts
Alongside these AI-powered shortcuts, Microsoft is also experimenting with visual updates to the widgets feature in Windows 11. The Windows Insider team describes these changes as creating “a more organized, personalized, and engaging feed.” Additionally, users can look forward to Copilot-curated stories being introduced into this feed.
This latest Dev Channel build also unveils a new feature called “User Interaction-Aware CPU Power Management.” This OS-level enhancement aims to reduce power consumption on laptops and tablets. According to the Windows Insider team, Windows will now conserve energy by automatically applying efficient power management policies after a period of inactivity. This process occurs seamlessly, ensuring that full performance is restored the moment the user returns to their device.
