Windows Search is supposed to be a powerful tool designed to help you find anything on your Windows 11 computer, kind of like Spotlight search in macOS, but it’s a feature that I’ve heard multiple people complain about because it doesn’t work all that well. The good news is that as Windows Latest ReportsIt appears that Microsoft is trying to address the drawbacks of Search using artificial intelligence (AI).
The aim is to improve Windows 11’s search function using AI, allowing you to search within audio and video files. Windows Latest suggests that this feature could be related to Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature, which is also largely powered by AI.
Windows Recall is designed to capture snapshots of your activity on your device and make them searchable for specific content, creating a timeline. It’s gotten mixed reviews so far (to put it mildly), but that apparently hasn’t stopped Microsoft from bringing “intelligent media search” to Windows Search, presumably based on similar technology. The term was discovered by X user @XenoPantherin Windows 11 Preview Build 27695.
These changes may already exist in other industries, but in 27695… “Intelligent media search” references have been addedIntelligent media search availableSearch for spoken words in your indexed video or audio files. By clicking ‘I agree’, you consent to scanning the media files…August 30, 2024
In this early Windows 11 build, there are references to an AI feature that searches the contents of your media files, which, as @XenoPanther noted, will become available once your device downloads the necessary AI models to do so. This process involves first transcribing whatever audio or video you want to search, and then making those transcriptions searchable—which can be useful if, for example, you’re looking for an audio clip that mentions a specific word. Those transcriptions then need to be indexed in some way that makes them searchable.
This feature is not discussed in this article Microsoft blog post announcing the Windows 11 Preview Buildso I imagine it’s still a work in progress, but I do hope that Windows Search gets improved. It could be a really useful feature that actually makes it easier to use your device.
Given the privacy concerns surrounding the handling of sensitive media files, this feature would likely rely on on-device AI to ensure that all transcription and searches are handled locally, rather than being sent to the cloud, making it both more secure and responsive. This means that a new Copilot+ PC with the necessary hardware, such as an NPU, will likely be required.
I’m a little wary of the way AI is being applied, and I hope it’s carefully thought out. But otherwise, I’ve seen users ask for improved Windows Search, and I hope they get it.
