Microsoft begins October by presenting a series of innovations designed to transform user interaction with its digital tools, including one of its most emblematic programs.
From the incorporation of new functions in Copilot Plus PCs to improvements in Microsoft Paint, these updates seek to facilitate and enrich the user experience within the universe of Copilot tools.
Join us to explore in detail all the new features that Microsoft has to offer.
Bing Generative Search: The answer to Google
Microsoft has launched its new generative search feature on Bing, allowing users to get summary answers to their queries more efficiently.
This tool relies on a combination of artificial intelligence models to aggregate information from various sources on the web and generate a comprehensible summary.
For example, when searching for “What is slapstick?”, it will not only respond with the results page, but also offers examples (movies, actors from this subgenre of cinema) and links to relevant sources.
This functionality can be easily activated by searching for “Bing generative search” in the search engine, but for now it is only available to users in the US.
Like Google’s AI Overviews feature, Bing generative search also allows users to turn off AI-generated answers and return to traditional results.
Will Google AI Overviews suffer the same fate?
When Google launched its AI Overviews, the inaccurate, laughable or downright dangerous responses were immediate. So much controversy led to the withdrawal of the tool for several weeks.
Microsoft claims that its tool improves accuracy when interpreting the intent of user queries, although several errors have been documented in the generated results.
Despite concerns about possible decreased traffic to originating sites, Microsoft promises to continue investigating how these new features affect publishers and content creators.
What’s new in Copilot: You can now “see”
The Copilot update marks a significant change to the interface, which becomes warmer and more personalized. With a Copilot Discover home page, users can access useful searches and tips based on their conversation history.
This is partly due to the restructuring of the consumer version of Copilot, which has allowed Microsoft to experiment more with customization.
In addition to a friendlier design, voice functionality has been added, similar to what OpenAI offers in ChatGPT.
Users can have more natural conversations with the AI assistant, including the option to interrupt and ask questions during the interaction. This approach makes the experience more conversational and fluid.
Another of the most notable innovations is Copilot Vision, which allows the AI assistant to “see” what the user is viewing on the web. This means that users can ask questions about the content, images and texts they are viewing in real time.
However, this functionality is initially restricted to certain types of websites and will not work with sensitive or paid content.
Additionally, Microsoft has introduced Copilot Daily, a feature that offers news and weather summaries in audio format, allowing users to start their day with relevant information without having to read.
Think Deeper has also been introduced, allowing Copilot to answer complex questions with detailed explanations, which is useful for making informed decisions.
Microsoft renews Paint with AI
The image editing tool, Microsoft Paint, has received significant updates that bring it closer to capabilities similar to those of Adobe Photoshop.
Two generative tools have been introduced: Generative Fill and Generative Erase. These features allow users to precisely add or remove objects from their images using an adjustable brush.
Generative Erase, for example, allows you to erase unwanted elements from an image, while Generative Fill allows you to add new AI-generated elements based on textual descriptions.
Both tools are designed to make image editing more accessible and less dependent on advanced editing software. This is in addition to the smart defunding introduced earlier in the year.
In addition, the Microsoft Photos application has incorporated a new super resolution feature that uses AI to improve the quality of pixelated or blurry images, allowing up to eight times the original resolution.
This improvement puts the Photos app in direct competition with popular image editing tools.
To enjoy this functionality you must have a Copilot+ PC (that is, with a processor with integrated NPU) and Windows 11 with the latest updates.
What to expect from Microsoft in the future?
The updates announced by Microsoft are a clear indication of its intention to continue leading in the field of artificial intelligence and user experience.
Combining powerful tools like Bing generative search and Copilot with improvements to popular apps like Paint and Photos demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to using AI to make technology more accessible and useful.
With a focus on personalization, interactivity and continuous improvement, Microsoft is building a future where AI becomes an indispensable assistant in the daily lives of its users.
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