In October, Microsoft unveiled a roadmap for next-generation AI experiences in Windows 11. Today, two of them — in Paint and Notepad — have begun rolling out to testers.
Microsoft’s October AI roadmap included tweaks to Paint, Notepad, and Search. Microsoft Recall is also expected soon. Recall, of course, that it has been postponed again until December, as Microsoft works to ensure its security and privacy.
Right now, three new features are making their debut in the Canary and Dev channels in Windows 11: AI Rewrite in Notepad, as well as Generative Fill and Generative Erase in Microsoft Paint.
Geneative Erase is already in 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 make touch-ups and remove a bit of dust. (In general, I leave photos untouched for authenticity.)
Microsoft
However, generative mobilization is more interesting. Paint already includes Creator, which produces a 1024 x 1024 image that can be added to the screen via a layer, an addition Microsoft has made previously. However, these additions do not flow naturally or blend with the existing content of the scene. The Generative Fill feature allows you to first select or map a specific area of an image with the Selection tool, and then “fill” it with AI-generated art. The magic of Genetic fill is that it’s designed to integrate AI art into the scene, so it looks more natural.
Microsoft is also making Cocreator faster by using the local NPU. Microsoft said Geneative fill will only be available for PCs running Copilot + Snapdragon, but Geneative Erase will be available for any Windows Insider’s PC.
Microsoft
You’ll see generic erase and fill features in other programs, like Photoshop — but Paint is simpler and, more importantly, free.
As for the notepad, well, if you want some AI help creating a note, AI can help you. It is not designed to actually “write” for you, but simply to change the pitch and length of the highlight.
The new additions are part of Paint (version 11.2410.28.0) and Notepad (version 11.2410.15.0).
