Summary
- Microsoft releases Copilot Vision with multiple app navigation and Highlights for improved computer use.
- Highlights feature shows users where to click and what to type, offering assistance in completing specific tasks.
- Copilot Vision can help users streamline tasks by providing guidance on settings, app navigation, and more.
Say what you like about AI, but I will always support the notion that it's great when used to help with accessibility. Giving people the power to use their computers easier and with more efficiency will always be a positive in my books. That's why I love stuff like automatic captions and translation; it makes life a ton easier for people who need these tools.
That's why, when I heard that Copilot Vision was finally releasing for people in the US, I had to cover it. Copilot Vision introduces two new tools that will help you use your computer better, and I'm all for it.
You can now use Microsoft's advanced AI tools as much as you like for free
Nothing is holding you back now.
Microsoft releases Copilot Vision alongside two of its tools: multiple app navigation and Highlights
In a post on the Microsoft website, the company states that Copilot Vision is making its way to Windows 10 and 11. The latter was a given, but it's surprising to see Microsoft adding new features to its older brother that's leaving support in four months.
Regardless, Copilot Vision works within the Copilot app itself and currently lives within the experiemntal tool section, Copilot Labs. It comes with two new features: the first is the ability to feed Copilot two apps at the same time. This allows you to, say, research what you need for a trip to Japan in a browser window while having everything you learn relayed into a Microsoft Word document in a separate window. Very handy.
The second one is called "Highlights," and it's the one I'm personally the most interested in:
"...with Highlights, you can go a step further and ask Copilot “show me how” for a specific task and it will show you within the app where to click and what to do."
Microsoft goes on to explain that this goes so far as to listening to what the user wants to achieve and then showing them where to click and what to type. If it works as Microsoft claims it does, it should be an amazing way for people who struggle with computers to change settings, open apps, and get more done without having to search up how to do things.
If you want to learn more about how Windows can help out people with accessibility issues (especially if you're not a huge fan of using AI), be sure to check out these 6 Windows features aimed at accessibility you didn't know everyone should use.