Windows 11 24H2 is scheduled to start rolling out with new ARM PCs in June, but the highly anticipated “AI Explorer” won’t be available until September or October, when the update becomes generally available to everyone. In Build 26212, Windows 11’s AI integration is referred to as “Recalls and snapshots,” found within the Privacy & Security settings page.
Leading up to the official announcement, there’s a growing number of mentions of AI features in Windows 11. Albacore, a credible source, has uncovered a hidden toggle for “Recalls and snapshots” within the privacy and security settings in Build 26212.
The interesting aspect of the reference is that the word “Recall” is consistently capitalized. This branding has been consistently capitalized in previous references found in older builds of Windows 11 as well.
Windows Latest also came across references to “Recall AI” on the LinkedIn profile of a purported Microsoft employee, though it wasn’t clear at the time what this indicated.
It’s entirely possible that Microsoft is considering branding the AI integration in Windows 11 as “Recall.” However, the company might also opt to highlight individual features and market the overall experience as “AI PC.”
“AI Explorer” is another marketing name being considered for the Windows 11 AI upgrade.
Another reference pertains to “snapshots.” However, the snapshots feature is part of the Recall integration, and it’s not capitalized in the references. This suggests it won’t be used as the marketing name for AI in Windows.
What makes AI Explorer / Recall appealing?
The concept of Windows 11’s AI Explorer or Recall is indeed intriguing. It essentially records all your activities on your PC, making them searchable later on.
For instance, you could navigate through a timeline interface to review the apps you opened, documents you accessed, or movies you watched, and then revert back to a “snapshot” of that moment.
Let’s say you were working on your company’s quarterly reports but can’t remember where you saved them. With AI Explorer or Recall, you could quickly locate the documents based on where they were last edited.
AI Explorer is also expected to be easily accessible, possibly appearing at the top of the screen for convenient use.
Another practical application of this AI integration could be retrieving browsing history. For example, if you were researching articles about ancient civilizations last week but can’t recall the websites, you could simply type a query like “show me articles about ancient civilizations I viewed last week,” and AI Explorer would retrieve them for you.
Since AI Explorer / Recall AI records your screen, it doesn’t require API integration with apps and can function continuously.
With AI Explorer, you can use everyday language to search for what you need. For instance, simply type ‘find that recipe Lucy sent me on WhatsApp last month,’ and AI Explorer will retrieve it.
Of course, Microsoft prioritizes your privacy. It won’t transmit your data to the cloud, as the feature operates locally on hardware with NPU (Neural Processing Unit).