Microsoft is expanding AI capabilities across its native Windows 11 applications with new features for Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool. These additions represent Microsoft’s ongoing integration of AI into everyday productivity tools, though many require either a Microsoft 365 subscription or a specialized Copilot+ PC with a neural processing unit (NPU).
The big picture: Microsoft is adding AI-powered content generation to Notepad while enhancing Paint and Snipping Tool with intelligent selection features.
- Notepad is gaining the ability to generate written content from scratch through a new ‘Write’ option in version 11.2504.46.0, currently available only to Windows 11 testers.
- The feature also includes ‘Rewrite’ functionality that allows users to refine AI-generated text by changing its length or tone.
Key details: The new Notepad writing feature requires Microsoft’s credit-based system that limits usage based on subscription level.
- Users need either a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscription to access the feature, with Personal or Family plans providing 60 AI credits monthly.
- These credits are shared across all Microsoft applications that utilize AI-powered features.
Where hardware matters: Many of the new AI features are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs with specialized neural processing hardware.
- The Snipping Tool is receiving a ‘perfect screenshot’ function that intelligently refines roughly selected screen areas.
- Paint is gaining two Copilot+ exclusive features: an object selection tool and a sticker generator that creates images based on text descriptions.
- Paint is also adding a new welcome experience that will be available to all Windows 11 users regardless of hardware.
Behind the concerns: The article notes potential drawbacks to these additions.
- There are concerns that adding more complex features could make Notepad less streamlined and potentially slower.
- The hardware and subscription requirements create a tiered experience across the Windows 11 user base.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...