Techme101.com

Microsoft is reportedly incorporating AI into its Paint application, which will have a Midjourney-like ability to create art in real-time. Although the program has been a mainstay for the tech giant for the past 40 years, it has received few updates over the years.
The popular AI image generator allows you to type a text prompt to create an image in a style of your choice. It has risen to become one of the biggest names in AI alongside DALL-E and Stable Diffusion.
There has been speculation from credible Windows leaker @PhantomOfEarth on X that Paint may be getting a significant update. According to the Windows Latest blog, Microsoft could test a new “Live Canvas Panel” within the Paint app resembling Midjourney. This new addition could resemble Leonardo.Ai’s Live Canvas, an AI-powered feature that instantly generates sketches or digital art using your prompts.

The upcoming AI feature for Paint might be something known as “LiveCanvas”. Not sure what it will do. https://t.co/YwQcC3EPnY
— PhantomOcean3 (@PhantomOfEarth) February 26, 2024

However, @PhantomOfEarth stated they were unsure what “Live Canvas” could do. Mayank Parmar of Windows Latest further reported that any sketches could be turned into detailed images and would work instantly.
It’s worth mentioning that Microsoft has already introduced an AI-powered feature known as Paint Cocreator within the Paint application, leveraging OpenAI’s DALL-E text-to-image technology. Like other AI-based image generators, Paint Cocreator will cook up images based on your descriptions.
The product is not free, however. According to its support page for the tool, Microsoft imposed a credit system as virtual currency. By Joining Cocreator, you start off with 50 credits. Each time you create an image, one credit is used. 
Hence, it remains to be seen whether this development will pan out, as there is still little information regarding release dates, whether this would be a paid feature, or how the program would look.
Microsoft branches further into AI
In recent months, Microsoft has been looking to get a larger share of the AI market. The $3 trillion company updated its built-in Photos app with a Google Magic Eraser-like “Generative Erase” feature on Windows 10 and 11.
The tech giant also ramped up marketing of its AI assistant Copilot with an advertisement designed for the Super Bowl, launching on YouTube. The ad highlighted the various ways in which Microsoft expects users to engage with Copilot.
Featured image: Canva
The post Microsoft Paint may get Midjourney-like AI art generation feature appeared first on ReadWrite.

The CEO of fintech giant Klarna has warned that the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is “happening right now” as he confirms the company’s AI-powered chatbot is already handling the work of 700 human employees, reports tech.eu.
Klarna announced a partnership with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, last year and has now confirmed their chatbot has handled 2.3 million customer service chats in 35 different languages in its first four weeks of operation. This is the equivalent of 700 full-time customer service operators.
The success of the AI-powered chatbot has led to a Klarna spokesperson confirming plans to reduce the number of customer service agents it currently outsources to 2,300 from around 3,000.
In a press release, Klarna claims the bot has a customer satisfaction rating that is on par with its human equivalent. It also has higher accuracy than humans, with a 25% decrease in repeat inquiries. The time in which support tickets are resolved has also been cut from 11 minutes to less than two.
Posting on X, CEO and founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski, said: “As more companies adopt these technologies, we believe society needs to consider the impact.
“While it may be a positive impact for society as a whole, we need to consider the implications for the individuals affected.
“We decided to share these statistics to raise awareness and encourage a proactive approach to the topic of AI.
“For decision-makers worldwide to recognize this is not just ‘in the future,’ this is happening right now.”
Klarna believes its AI-powered chatbot will help drive $40 million in profit improvements in 2024 alone.
Are humans at risk of being replaced by AI?
Fears of AI eventually being able to replace humans in the workplace are already becoming a reality, it seems.
Earlier this year, an analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) found that 60% of jobs in advanced economies may be impacted by AI, with roughly half of those jobs at risk of succumbing to the technology’s advanced power. The other half likely benefit from AI in the workplace.
The report stresses the need for countries to act quickly to implement specific policies surrounding the use of AI in specific markets. It also urges stronger economies to embrace and prioritize AI innovation while developing regulatory frameworks, which will help “cultivate a safe and responsible AI environment, helping to maintain public trust.”
But as Klarna provides a rather compelling use case for other companies to consider following suit and replacing at least part of their workforce with AI, there is an argument that it might be too late.
Featured Image: Klarna
The post Klarna’s AI-powered chatbot is already taking on the load of 700 human workers appeared first on ReadWrite.

Meta reportedly plans to showcase and demo its first true augmented reality glasses at its fall developer conference this year.
According to Business Insider, several anonymous sources claimed that the AR team is being pushed to have the high-tech glasses showcased during Meta’s annual Connect conference for third-party developers. 
Internally known as “Orion,” these glasses are different from the recently introduced Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and the Meta Quest headsets. For one, the glasses do not feature AR properties, while the headsets are mainly used for VR gaming and mixed-reality experiences.
However, the Orion project, managed by Meta’s Reality Labs division responsible for AR, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and all metaverse-related initiatives, has already been in development for several years.
Originally known as Oculus VR, Reality Labs is a division of Meta Platforms specializing in creating virtual reality and augmented reality hardware and software. This includes producing the Quest headsets and developing online platforms like Horizon Worlds. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a picture on Threads showing supposed prototypes of the glasses on his desk. 
Business Insider reported that a source told them that at least the two glasses frames pictured — were much thicker than the available Meta smart glasses.

Quite a few glasses prototypes on Mark Zuckerberg’s desk.
Could some of these have AR, or at least a HUD? pic.twitter.com/YPKtdDV25s
— David Heaney ᯅ (@Heaney555) February 5, 2024

In 2023, Meta announced the roadmap ahead of its plans to release the AR glasses in 2027. Before then, we may see a third generation of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2025 that come with a “neural interface band” as an input device.
Other AR glasses are being developed
Samsung has also joined the market, as the company recently secured a UK trademark for the term “Samsung Glasses,” covering product categories like augmented reality headsets, smart glasses, and virtual reality headsets. 
Meanwhile, Apple’s first headset, the Vision Pro, has had a slow uptake after it was released earlier this year. At an entry point of $3,499, the new device could become a niche product that will present its challenges. Research found Vision Pro costs considerably more to manufacture than the retail price of many other similar wearables.
Featured image: Canva
The post Meta could demo its first AR glasses this fall appeared first on ReadWrite.

Record sales in the US have led to Samsung revising sales targets for the Galaxy S24, as reported by Android Headlines.
Korean media reports that the tech giant had set itself an ambitious target of selling 12 million units in the first three months of its January 2024 launch. However, that figure has since been revised to 13 million thanks to huge demand worldwide, not least in the US. It aims to sell 35 million units this year.
The initial success of the S24 series is down to pre-order records being broken in several markets, including India, South Korea and Europe — while sales in the US are at a record high in eight years.
The S24 series’ early success also runs sales records of previous launches, falling just short of the record set by the Galaxy Note 10 by only three days.
In South Korea, over one million units were sold in just 28 days, beating the previous quickest time to reach that figure by the Galaxy S7 in 2017, which was 37 days. In comparison, the Galaxy S23 took approximately seven weeks to reach one million sales.
Meanwhile, Ice Universe has claimed the S24 series is expected to “sell more than 10 million units within one month of launch,” with sales of more than 3.2 million units in North America.

Samsung Galaxy S24 series is expected to sell more than 10 million units within one month of launch.Especially in Apple’s home market of North America, sales exceeded 3.2 million units, setting a new record eight years after the Galaxy S7 series.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) February 28, 2024

Samsung is fighting back after Apple takes the top spot
With the Galaxy S24 series taking the smartphone market by storm at rapid speed, this is fantastic news for Samsung.
Rival Apple toppled Samsung as the world’s leading smartphone provider in 2023 after over a decade of playing second fiddle to the Korean tech giants.
In Q4 of 2023, the iPhone enjoyed a 1% year-on-year increase in sales, while Samsung’s unit sales dipped by 12%, representing a significant decline in growth, particularly in European markets.
But early sales figures of Samsung’s latest release will likely give the company a welcome boost ahead of a year in which Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 16.
Featured Image: Samsung
The post Samsung revises Galaxy S24 targets after record sales in U.S. appeared first on ReadWrite.