As enthusiasts dig into and dissect the latest Windows 11 preview builds, more interesting bits emerge, pointing to upcoming features and new capabilities. One such find is the so-called "Intelligent media search," which should allow users to search for specific parts and phrases in local audio and video files.
Say you have a two-hour video lesson and want to find a certain thing inside it. According to bits discovered by @XenoPanther on X in build 27695, Windows 11 will soon allow you to do so.
Once enabled, Windows 11 will start indexing your local files, setting up an AI model, and transcribing all your media files. After that, you will receive a notification that the system is ready for a "content-based" search in media files.
Here is the full description that was discovered:
Search by spoken words in your indexed video or audio files. By clicking "I agree," you consent to scanning the media files on your device. If needed, the required model will be downloaded and installed in the background. Your media files are being processed Once the AI model is set up, it needs to transcribe your media files and index them before enabling content-based search. We"ll inform you once the process is complete.
For now, there is no information on whether this feature will be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with their powerful NPUs. Windows 11 already has some AI-based features that are available on "traditional" systems with Intel and AMD processors, so we will have to wait for Microsoft to acknowledge the existence of "content-based search," explain how the feature works, and what are the hardware requirements.
Speaking about Copilot+ PCs, it was recently discovered that Windows 11 will let you uninstall Recall if just turning it off is not an option. They have also received support for DirectML and WebNN. If you want to try all those AI features on a Copilot+ PC but spending $999+ is not an option, the good news is that $800 models with an eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor are coming in September 2024.