Perhaps not the first name that springs to mind when one thinks of artificial intelligence, Microsoft is nonetheless at the cutting edge of the field.
Microsoft isn't the world's largest market capitalization for nothing. While for many people, the company is only known for its Windows operating system and Office suite, it has many other strings to its bow. For some years now, it has been focusing on artificial intelligence, and is determined not to be left behind by its competitors. The proof is in the pudding today, with the forthcoming update of one of Windows' flagship applications, Microsoft Photos. From the outset, the tool may seem simple, almost simplistic, and for many, it's just used to view a few photos from time to time.
The AI has taken care of removing the people in the background... and the little dog's leash!© Microsoft
Once updated, the Microsoft Photos application will be equipped with a now almost classic feature, but one that still works just as well and is generally known as the "magic eraser". Instead, Microsoft has christened it Generative Erase, which amounts to practically the same thing. It allows you to select portions of a photo for deletion... but not just any old way. Artficielle intelligence is actually called in to ensure that the object removed from the image does not leave an empty area: the AI takes care of replacing the content so that the background blends in perfectly with the rest of the image.
For the time being, the Microsoft Photos update is reserved for members of the Windows Insider program, but it should soon join more open channels. In fact, Microsoft is committed to making it a tool accessible to almost everyone, since in addition to a version for Windows 11, there is talk of a version for Windows 10 and one for Windows 11 for ARM. While we wait for all Windows users to be able to try it out, Microsoft is releasing a double image to illustrate the functionalities of Photos doped with artificial intelligence.
