Windows 11 Could release a new cursor for the AI Explorer

The Windows giant plans to announce the “AI Explorer” alongside Windows 11 AI PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite on May 21. A recent leak also suggests a new cursor explicitly designed for AI actions.

What is AI Explorer, and why does it need a new cursor?

AI Explorer, distinct from File Explorer, is a new feature designed to leverage NPU chips with a capacity of 45 TOPs to record everything you do, see, and use on your Windows 11 PC. This includes apps you open, websites you visit, emails you read, documents you edit, and PowerPoint presentations you create. Windows 11’s AI Explorer captures and stores all this activity locally, necessitating computers with powerful NPUs.

How does AI Explorer work? Based on pre-release references, it can understand what’s on your screen, suggest actions for you, and make all your activities searchable.

According to a new .dll file discovered by Microsoft watcher Albacore on X, Microsoft is developing new cursors for AI Explorer, though it’s unclear how or where they will be used. Changing the cursor will be more intuitive than ever. This new function could lay the foundation for the future of Windows 11 by applying AI to utility functions.

While this feature is intriguing, it might remind somehow, the iPad changes its cursor depending on the context, which iPadOS achieves without AI. We’ll see what other secrets AI Explorer holds. What we’ve seen so far is promising for the future of Windows 11.