According to the latest leaks, Microsoft may introduce a new feature called "Smart Media Search" in Windows 11.
Recently, a Twitter user @XenoPanther discovered information about this feature in the latest Windows Insider preview. This new feature is said to allow users to search for content through "spoken word searches in indexed video or audio files."
Sounds cool, right? However, it's important to note that after clicking "I agree," users consent to having their media files scanned on the device. To enable this feature, the system will download and install the necessary AI models in the background. Once the models are installed, they will begin transcribing and indexing your media files, allowing you to perform content-based searches. The system will inform you of the completion time for the entire process.
Currently, this feature is still in the planning stage, and its specific implementation details remain unclear. There are speculations that it might be integrated with C o P i l o t +, which could require a dedicated neural processing unit for AI computations. However, whether users can choose specific files or folders for search, or whether all media files must be processed by AI, remains uncertain. If the latter is true, transcribing a large number of media files at once could put significant pressure on the hardware.
Let's talk about privacy issues. Although this feature is "opt-in," allowing AI to comprehensively scan your local media content for indexing and transcription sounds like a privacy and security nightmare.
However, if users can select specific files or folders for processing, it might have practical uses. For example, recording meetings or briefings and then transcribing them specifically, a function already implemented by some third-party cloud services like Otter.ai.
Key Points:
🌟 Microsoft is developing the "Smart Media Search" feature in Windows 11, allowing spoken word searches for local video and audio files.
🔍 Users must agree to scan media files, and the system will automatically download and install AI models for transcription and indexing.
🔒 Privacy concerns are significant, and it is unclear whether users can select specific files for processing.