This was announced by Microsoft through the Windows Blog on November 6, reporting that these new functions are now available for users of its Insiders program in the Canary and Dev channels.
Although today many of us only remember the Windows Paint drawing tool for its use in Internet memes, often through drawings or texts written in a tacky or humorous way, Microsoft does not abandon this application and, on the contrary, brings it to its new era by introducing new artificial intelligence functions.
In version 11.2410.28.0, Paint specifically introduces two AI tools: generative fill and generative erase. Additionally, the Cocreator features are updated and the list of countries that can access Image Creator is expanded. Of course, the hardware will have to be taken into account: generative erase will be available for all PCs with Windows 11, but generative filling will require (at least initially) a Copilot+ PC with a Snapdragon chip.
The generative fill function allows you to enter figures created automatically based on the drawing you have previously made. In the video example given by Microsoft, we see that on a green landscape similar to that of the classic XP background, the system generates a castle based on the user’s written input, who writes “medieval castle.”
The software should be able to generate this figure maintaining the style detected in the already drawn landscape. This tool provides just “enough artificial intelligence to help you make your creative vision a reality while maintaining full control of the result,” they say from Microsoft.
On the other hand, the generative erase function allows you to erase unwanted objects or figures in the drawing, filling in the free space automatically taking into account the drawing. For example, we can erase a bird in the sky and obtain a clear sky since the software will recognize that blue area surrounding the object as such. Thus, the AI ”fills in the empty space left so that it appears that the object was never there.”
Other improvements
In addition to these two great new features, the new Paint also introduces new features for Cocreator and Image Creator. To use Cocreator it will be necessary to have a Copilot+ PC with a Snapdragon chip. Image Creator, which is still in preview phase, is available for any PC with Windows 11, and now Microsoft is expanding the list of countries that can access the preview. Spain is not on the list.
Regarding Cocreator, a tool that allows you to work on a work from the beginning together with AI, Microsoft has “improved the underlying broadcast-based model for Cocreator to deliver better results faster and with built-in moderation.” Regarding Cocreator, there is no further news apart from the expansion in the list of countries with access to the tool.
Apart from this, Windows has also given more AI features to its notepad. In its version 11.2410.15.0, it has introduced the Rewrite function: «We introduce the possibility of rewriting content in Notepad with the help of generative AI. You can rephrase sentences, adjust the tone and modify the length of your content according to your preferences to refine your text,” the company explained.
