CNN
—
If your artistic style is more stick figure than Picasso, Microsoft has a solution to boost your creativity. It’s all about adding artificial intelligence to your painting applications.
The company is rolling out new AI tools for Paint as part of the Windows 11 update.
Microsoft, like its big tech competitors, is incorporating AI into its consumer products, from virtual chatbot assistants to note-taking and editing tools.
But…MS Paint? It is one of the simplest applications created by Microsoft and has remained largely unchanged since its introduction in 1985. It’s very rudimentary.
But maybe that’s the point. The promise of AI is to help people save time on tasks. If you want something that looks sharp but don’t have the ability to do it yourself, using the most basic of apps to create something beautiful is…well, similar to what AI was created for.
And one of the most enduring elements of the AI boom is the appeal of AI-generated artwork.
Since OpenAI’s Dall-E image creation tool was first announced in 2021, the concept of text-to-image artwork, where users input an idea and AI generates a corresponding image, has only captivated people. It has become the focus of people. Some big tech products.
The latest Windows update will bring new features to Paint, including generative fill. The tool allows users to add AI-generated graphics to their artwork by inputting what they want to see, Microsoft product manager Dave Grochocki said in a blog post. Masu. Wednesday. Users will be able to create and edit AI images on top of their existing artwork.
The update will first be made available to users enrolled in the Windows Insider program, which allows users to preview new products from the company. To use Generative Fill, users also need a computer with Microsoft Copilot+, the company’s latest AI software.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for additional comment.
The update will also give more users in Europe access to Image Creator, the Dall-E-powered AI image generator coming to Paint in 2023 through a partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI.
Paint is one of the latest go-to tech apps to incorporate AI that could revolutionize art, but so far it’s been used to create a variety of effects, including a ton of weird AI spam on social media. is being produced.
For example, during Meta’s recent quarterly earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged how much AI content there is on Facebook and Instagram, and said that he is aware of how much AI content there is on Facebook and Instagram, and that he is He said he plans to continue providing more AI-generated images.
“We’re going to be adding a whole new category of content, either AI-generated content, AI-summarized content, or a type of pre-existing content that’s been put together by AI in some way,” Zuckerberg said. “And I think that’s going to be very exciting over time for Facebook and Instagram and maybe threads and other types of feed experiences.”
Paint has been around since Microsoft first launched its Windows-branded operating system in 1985. This artistic application has gone through changes over the decades, but ultimately remains a core part of Microsoft’s products. Not to mention the cultural aesthetics of the early digital age and the internet boom.
The Paint revamp is another example of Microsoft looking to stay ahead of the AI race. Mustafa Suleiman, CEO of Microsoft AI, previously told CNN that Microsoft is making significant changes to its virtual assistant Copilot to make it more convenient and user-friendly. The update was introduced in October.
Microsoft users will also be able to take advantage of AI capabilities in Notepad, Microsoft’s writing platform, allowing them to rewrite and edit their writing using new technology. For example, users can type a sentence and ask the AI tool to rewrite it, change its tone or length, etc.
In October, Apple announced the first set of AI features for iPhone as part of the iOS 18.1 software update. Apple’s editing tool, Writing Tools, is similar to the AI capabilities of Microsoft’s Notepad.
Another new feature in MS Paint is generation erasure. This is an AI tool that allows you to remove unwanted objects from images without distorting the background. The generation/erase feature is available on all Microsoft PCs with Windows 11.
