On Monday, May 20, in the early hours, Microsoft will host an AI event, just prior to the start of Build 2024. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is scheduled to speak about the company’s “AI vision across hardware and software,” according to an email invitation sent to the media.
The event is exclusive to journalists who attend in person and will not be livestreamed. Microsoft’s special event will centre on upcoming Surface hardware and AI-focused changes to Windows. Although the software behemoth is hosting a Surface event geared towards businesses later this week, The Verge has learned from sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the May 20th event will feature the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for consumer use.
The newest Snapdragon X Elite processors from Qualcomm will power these consumer Surface devices, which also come equipped with specialised NPU hardware to speed up AI tasks in Windows 11. Additionally, Microsoft is developing a new AI Explorer feature for Windows 11 that will function as a PC timeline that you can search through. According to Windows Central, it will record everything you do on your computer so you can look up specific moments. This sounds a lot like Windows 10’s Timeline feature, which Microsoft later took out.
As Microsoft has put it, this event will also pave the way for “the year of the AI PC.” For Microsoft’s massive Windows AI push, partners like AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm are all prepared to ship processors; however, we’re still waiting on word on when Windows will be ready to take advantage of these new chips and laptops.
Copilot and other components of Microsoft’s AI initiatives will be featured at the May 20th event. Microsoft recently made available the most recent OpenAI models in Microsoft Office apps to users with its $20 monthly Copilot Pro subscription available worldwide.
Tuesday, May 21st, is when Microsoft Build begins, and it ends on May 22nd. Microsoft claims to be sharing updates on “AI, Copilots, and more” there. The event will be streamed live online and in person in Seattle.
