Key takeaways
- Windows 11’s AI Explorer will have an improved search bar powered by artificial intelligence.
- AI Explorer can search your files, folders, chat logs and web history.
- The AI model will only work locally to protect user privacy.
If you’ve used the Windows search bar many times, you’ll know that it sometimes has trouble finding what you want. Sometimes it will have trouble finding a specific app even if you type in its name; other times it will swear that a specific file is not present on the system, even if you eventually find it yourself. Luckily, it looks like part of Windows 11’s upcoming AI Explorer will feature an improved search bar that will use the power of artificial intelligence to locate what you want.
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Windows 11 AI Explorer gets a dedicated search bar
As reported Windows Central, a source has shared more information about Windows 11’s upcoming AI Explorer. Some of these things we knew from past leaks, such as requiring a Snapdragon X chip to work. Additionally, the app will dig through your files, folders, and even WhatsApp chat logs, storing them in memory so it can recall them when you ask it. This is one of the reasons why your Windows files are not safe from AI.
However, an AI Explorer search bar was previously unknown to us. This is where you’ll chat with AI Explorer and access all the data it has on you. Because it’s powered by AI, you’ll be able to ask it questions in natural English, like “Where is my quarterly report saved?” “. However, because AI Explorer monitors more than just what’s on your PC, it can pick up a ton of different things about you. As Windows Central explain:
Did you look at some web pages about dinosaurs a few days ago, but you don’t remember the names of the websites? Just type “show me the dinosaur web pages I viewed a few days ago” and AI Explorer will be able to display them. How about chatting with a friend about the Fallout TV series, but you don’t remember who it was or what app you used? Type in “find me conversations I’ve had about the Fallout TV show” and AI Explorer will show those conversations and the times you had them.
Windows 11 AI Explorer will only work locally
As you might expect, the idea of an AI model storing everything you do and say in its memory poses a huge privacy risk. This is why Microsoft will only allow AI Explorer to run locally without communicating with an external server. If your hardware does not meet the requirements, Windows 11 will disable the feature and notify you that your PC is not compatible with AI Explorer. And while that’s a lot more reassuring than sending all that data back to Microsoft’s servers, the closed nature of AI Explorer may mean privacy-conscious users will ignore this next-gen feature.
