Microsoft recently introduced Windows Copilot, an integrated AI (artificial intelligence) Assistant in its Windows Operating System. The Redmond giant is now reportedly planning to bring AI-enhanced capabilities to its in-box Windows 11 apps, including the Paint, Photos, and Snipping Tool.
Microsoft Could Soon Bring More AI Features to Windows 11
A new report published by Windows Central, citing sources familiar with Windows development, said that some AI-embedded features will require dedicated hardware, such as NPUs (Neural Processing Units) or VPU (Vision Processing Unit). In contrast, others may be delivered through platforms embedded in Windows.
Windows 11 Paint AI Integration
Microsoft is working on to bring generative AI to the Windows 11 Paint app, which could include the ability to create a canvas based on text prompts given by the user.
The Paint AI integration will be powered by the same technology behind Bing’s Image Creator, a tool that generates images based on natural language instructions.
According to an internal mock-up posted by Windows Central, there is a “Magic Paint” button in the toolbar, clicking on which will open a sidebar that the users can use to enter a description of an image for the AI to generate. They can then transfer the generated image to their canvas for further edits.
Photos App
Besides Paint, Microsoft is also testing the integration of AI into the Photos app, which will allow users to identify people or objects in images. It will also enable the ability to cut unnecessary people or objects, isolate them from photos, and paste them elsewhere. This feature is similar to what Apple introduced in the Photos app via iOS 16.
Snipping Tool & Camera
The Snipping Tool app may receive optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which will quickly identify text in photos or screenshots and make copying and pasting information to the clipboard easier. Additionally, the Camera app may also get the OCR technology, which will allow users to choose text in a photo taken on the device.
PaiIt is unclear when Microsoft will launch these AI integrations on Windows 11, as there are still in the experimental stages. The company is holding an event on September 21, 2023, where we can expect more details about the AI products to be revealed. Until then, stay tuned!
