New report suggests next Xbox could have baked in AI functionality

We're in an AI age and have been for a year or two, and while we've heard how artificial intelligence will make game development easier for studios (and mess up social media posts for tech giants) we've not seen it in a consumer-facing way just yet.

That could change with the next console generation, though, as Microsoft is reportedly looking to add a Neural Processing Unit to the next Xbox to help process complex tasks.

Microsoft may lean into AI with the next Xbox

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Over at WindowsCentral, reliable Microsoft reporter Jez Corden notes that "Reliable sources tell us that the next Xbox will sport an NPU for handling some AI tasks, such as automatic super resolution, for example, without detracting from the CPU or GPU."

"The next Xbox will also have some form of Copilot, offering guidance in-game without having to use websites like ours (RIP Windows Central)"

While Corden notes that he's not entirely sure who is providing the NPU architecture, he suggests it'll be AMD.

The option to grab game guides while playing is likely to be appealing to many, but with Google's recent attempt to condense the internet down into AI-based snippets being a relative disaster for anyone who doesn't want to eat rocks, there's no guarantee the information provided would be correct.

It's also perhaps not surprising to see Microsoft nudge the Xbox toward AI, given it maintains a significant investment in OpenAI, and is reportedly building its own large language model (LLM). Whether Sony follows suit remains to be seen - the PS5 offered the option to view guide videos right on the dashboard in supported games when it launched.