Microsoft Ushers in AI-enabled Upgrades for Windows 11: Harnessing Creativity Through Technology

Microsoft is reportedly developing artificial intelligence (AI) support for Windows 11, which could include automation features. The technology giant's operating system offers apps like Photos and Paint for viewing and editing images, and a report suggests that these apps could soon incorporate features like optical character recognition (OCR) and generative AI for creating images on the fly. A Windows Central report, based on anonymous sources, states that Microsoft is planning to add AI functionalities to four apps - Photos, Camera, Paint, and the Snipping Tool, which is used for taking screenshots. These apps are pre-installed on Windows 11, and the upgrades could be introduced through Microsoft Store app updates or regular OS feature updates. The company is thought to be contemplating adding generative AI support to the Microsoft Paint app that could enable it to produce and edit images using real-time prompts. Microsoft previously integrated image generation features into its AI-enhanced Bing app and OpenAI's DALL-E text-to-image model.  The Photos app and the Snipping Tool could also gain OCR support, mirroring current smartphone features. This upgrade could prove useful to millions of users and remove the need for online OCR services. A leaked image from an internal build of the Camera app with OCR support has also appeared in the report. As of now, it remains uncertain when Microsoft will make these updates available to Windows users. Some of these enhancements might require specific hardware for neural computations to function consistently. Major software enhancements are expected for Windows 11 next year, which is when many AI features could potentially be added. However, some of these proposed updates are still in the "experimental" phase, which implies that their rollout could be delayed, according to the report.