New AI experiences enter Windows 11’s Paint, Notepad [Video]

In October, Microsoft unveiled a roadmap for next-generation AI experiences within Windows 11. Today, two of those — in Paint and Notepad — begin rolling out to testers.

Microsoft’s October AI roadmap included tweaks to Paint, Notepad, and Search. Microsoft Recall was expected soon, too. Recall, of course, has been delayed again until December, as Microsoft works to ensure it’s secure and private.

For now, three new features are debuting in the Canary and Dev Channels within Windows 11: AI rewriting within Notepad, plus Generative Fill and Generative Erase within Microsoft Paint.

Generative Erase is already within the Photos app, and the addition to Paint looks very similar. In Paint, you can highlight a section of the image and Paint will “erase” it, intelligently filling in the background. I find this especially useful in Photos, in case I need to touch up and remove a bit of dust. (In general, however, I leave images untouched for authenticity’s sake.)

Generative Fill, however, …