On Monday, May 20th, Microsoft is hosting an AI event as a lead-up to Build 2024. In an email invitation to the media, Microsoft announced that CEO Satya Nadella will discuss the company's hardware and software advancements in AI. While the event will not be livestreamed, it will be exclusively available to attending journalists. The event will mainly focus on upcoming AI-centric Surface hardware and Windows updates. In addition to a business-focused Surface event later in the week, sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have informed The Verge that the consumer versions of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will also be featured in the May 20th event.

These consumer Surface devices will be equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X Elite processors, incorporating dedicated NPU hardware for enhanced AI capabilities in Windows 11. Microsoft is also developing an AI Explorer feature for Windows 11, which will function as a searchable timeline of PC activities. Similar to the now-removed Timeline feature in Windows 10, the AI Explorer will allow users to search through their PC's activities and moments. This event will lay the foundation for what Microsoft has dubbed "the year of the AI PC. " Key partners such as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm have prepared processors to support Microsoft's ambitious AI initiatives in Windows, but details about when Windows will fully leverage these advancements in chips and laptops are still awaited. Furthermore, the May 20th event will encompass other significant aspects of Microsoft's AI initiatives, including Copilot. Microsoft recently launched the globally available Copilot Pro subscription, priced at $20 per month, which enables users to access the latest OpenAI models within Microsoft Office applications.