Microsoft on Wednesday introduced a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature in its Windows 11 operating system. Currently available in preview, the tech giant has added an AI-powered rewrite feature to Notepad. With this capability, the note taking app can edit text and present three versions of the modified content depending on the user’s preferences. Currently, it is only available to Windows Insiders living in select regions. Furthermore, those who have access to this feature also have a limited number of credits to test it.
Microsoft tests AI-powered notepad
In its Windows Insiders blog post, Microsoft detailed the new capability in the Notepad app. Notepad was originally added to the Windows OS in 1983 as a text editor, providing a quick place to write and edit text. Over the years, the tech giant has changed very little in its appearance and functionality.
However, that’s about to change with the new AI Rewrite feature. With it, eligible users can refine their text by rewording sentences, adjusting tone, or modifying the length of the content. Users also have the option to have the AI replace only a portion of the text instead of the entire text. The company said it is using the GPT AI model for this feature, without specifying the specific large language model (LLM).
AI rewrite feature in Notepad
Photo Credit: Microsoft
To use the feature, users need to highlight the text they want to change. Then, when right-clicking on the selected text, they will see a new “Rewrite” option. It can also be activated using the Ctrl+I shortcut. Once the AI toolbar opens, users can choose from the above mentioned rewriting options.
Specifically, Windows Insiders living in the US, France, UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany will get 50 credits to test this feature. However, Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, as well as Copilot Pro customers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand can use AI Credits to access the feature. They get a total of 60 credits per month.
Microsoft highlights that this feature comes with pre-built content filtering and it automatically removes text that may be harmful, offensive, or inappropriate. Additionally, Rewrite uses cloud-based Azure to process and generate text. The tech giant said the online service does not store text or generate content after processing.
