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Microsoft has started integrating various AI capabilities into its products and services. You’re probably thinking of CoPilots, which recently rolled out with Windows 11. The copilot is capable of answering complex questions and configuring system settings. However, a number of AI integrations have been announced that will be coming to Microsoft’s apps and services.
We’ll share all the AI-based functionality coming to Microsoft’s apps and services. A number of integrations still need to be made available with native apps and their products. The AI upgrade aims to improve the ecosystem experience. So let’s take a closer look at how Microsoft is implementing AI in its Windows and apps.
Snipping Tool gets OCR support.
This tool has recently been updated with major improvements, making it more useful. You can now use this tool for text extraction with OCR support. You can copy or edit the extracted text. If you take screenshots and don’t want to share sensitive text, you can mark that text for redaction and leave it blank.
It’s already a useful feature. After you take the screenshot, you can use the doodle to highlight, and other options include scaling. You also have the option to save the screenshot or copy it to your clipboard.
Microsoft Paint gets co-makers
The company recently made a major AI upgrade to Microsoft Paint, which offers features such as removing background layers; these updates make the platform more useful even for beginners who need basic image editing tools. However, these updates include several elements that make Paint more modern. Integrating AI into the platform is a basic implementation to get the job done. Please note that this tool is not completely free. You have a few credits to try out, but once they run out you have to pay for more credits.
There are two major changes with AI in MS Paint:
- Background Remover: You can easily remove the background from an image. Optionally, you can use an automatic background remover with similar online tools. It is more useful to have this native feature because the background and foreground are kept in multiple layers. This keeps the subject sharp. However, this feature is still in preview and has some issues, such as edge detection.
- Co-creator: This is an AI-powered art generation tool that uses the latest DALL-E AI models from OpenAI. You can create images using natural language prompts. By writing a prompt you can generate images. This works similarly to Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot, Image Creator and Designer. Since there are layers, you can further enhance and customize the images using MS Paint.
All these features are achieved through Microsoft Paint’s layers, which not only help in making multiple changes but also adjust transparent layers to merge multiple elements into one. Microsoft is shifting its focus from the alternative, Microsoft Paint 3D, which shares some similarities with a more modern user interface.
After this update, Microsoft Paint becomes useful for many users, especially those who want simple photo editing software and beginners who cannot afford Photoshop. However, for advanced background removal, layers, and creating images with clues, users can still hope for Adobe’s FireFly capabilities, including Generative Fill and Generative Expand.
Microsoft Photos gets background blur
The Photos app also gets a few new basic editing features, including background blur. The Photos app has already received some new features that enable iCloud and OneDrive integration, allowing users to access their photos in the Microsoft Photos app. When you edit an image, you have the option to blur the background. There is also an option for selection and a slider to adjust the amount of blur.
Background blur works very well! pic.twitter.com/pDx7NyooGl— Romeshwar Prasad (@RomeshwarPrasad) September 27, 2023
Based on the intensity of the blur, once you are satisfied, you can save the image to your computer, which will then be saved locally as a copy of the image. This tool works surprisingly well, but some bad edge detections need to be fixed. Microsoft Paint also improves its AI-powered search capabilities to help find specific images easily.
Windows 11 AI Verdict
As Microsoft continues to leverage OpenAI’s exclusive access to AI models, it will integrate several AI features such as Windows CoPilot, Edge CoPilot, and several other products and services including Microsoft 365 Apps and Teams. These AI-powered functionalities not only improve the workspace but also improve productivity. These AI capabilities help users complete tasks.
Additionally, Microsoft has brought real-time transcription to Microsoft Teams, which offers live transcriptions. With CoPilot it also helps answer questions, including those from the database. Many native apps such as the Snipping Tool, MS Paint and MS Photos offer various AI capabilities to improve the Windows 11 experience. Additionally, Microsoft plans to add more AI features in future releases of Windows 11 and its services.