Notepad gets a handy AI-driven Rewrite feature, and Paint has to fill-and-erase options.

For now, the new AI-powered features are limited to Windows Insiders signed up to the Canary or Dev channels, but they give everyone a glimpse of what’s on the horizon.

For users of Paint, Generative Fill apes the powerful options found in much more professional image editing tools. After selecting an area of an image, you can use a text description to choose what you’d like to add to your creation.

Writing in the company bog, a spokesvole said: "Whether you’re a seasoned artist looking to add intricate details or a hobbyist experimenting with new ideas, generative fill helps you fine-tune your digital art, with just enough AI to assist you in realising your creative vision while remaining in full control of the output."

Users can use the Selection tool in Paint's toolbar to make a Rectangle or Free-form selection. Upon selecting the area, a small menu will appear anchored to it. Users can then select the Generative Fill option on the menu, use the text box to describe what they want to add to the selection, and hit Create.

Generative Erase does what it says on the tin. It allows you to remove elements from an image and fill the background in for you.

The Notepad Rewrite feature allows users to “rephrase sentences, adjust the tone, and modify the length of your content based on your preferences to refine your text.”

Vole said: "To get started, select the text you want to rewrite, then right-click and choose the Rewrite option, select Rewrite from the menu bar, or use the Ctrl + I keyboard shortcut. Notepad will generate three variations of the rewritten text for you to choose from. Select one, or if you want to refine the output further, you can customise rewrite settings and click Retry to generate additional versions.

Options to make your content longer or shorter and modify the tone or format let you easily adjust your content for specific goals. Previous versions are still preserved in the current dialogue, so you can quickly revert to earlier versions if needed. If you prefer, you can disable the rewrite feature in app settings.

While Paint's Generative Erase and Notepad's Rewrite features are being made available to all Canary and Dev channel users, Microsoft points out that "Generative fill will initially be available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs."

This step suggests that Microsoft is keen on integrating AI deeply within its ecosystem, even in the most traditional applications. It remains to be seen how the broader user base will receive these features once they exit the Insider phase.