Generative AI is no longer the buzzword it was in late 2022, as tech companies, both big and small, continue to build their products with some form of generative AI in mind. Unsurprisingly, giant corporations like Google and Microsoft also want to have a significant chunk of the AI pie and have already integrated the tech into their productivity suites —Google Workspaceand Microsoft 365. We’ve knownsince last yearthat Microsoft is readying generative AI chops for OneDrive, but its wider implementation has now been pushed to April. In a sign of things to come, a recent beta of the OneDrive app for Android contains strings mentioning a Google Photos-esque “Magic Erase” feature.
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The folks over atAndroid Authoritydug into Microsoft OneDrive 7.1 (Beta 1) for Android, uncovering strings related to this generative AI-based object eraser functionality. Similar to the Google Photos implementation, OneDrive will use a brush tool to let users remove certain elements of the photo. Microsoft’s generative AI tech will then automatically fill the removed area of the image.Auto applyis mentioned in one of the strings, which saves users the trouble of tapping the erase button after making their selection on the picture.
Meanwhile, one of the strings reveals the warnings users will be given before using Magic Erase on OneDrive:
This feature uses AI to infill the removed area and may not be perfect or what you expect. If you find the results to be unexpected, please send us feedback.
Unfortunately, Magic Erase isn’t live in the app just yet, so Android Authority was unable to pull up any screenshots. But since strings have already been included in the app’s beta, its wider appearance shouldn’t be far away.
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Microsoft saidlast monththat Copilot in OneDrive will be available on the web by late April, so it’s possible that OneDrive’s mobile apps will also get the same treatment around the same time, possibly with Magic Erase included. It’s still unclear if this new AI tool will offer suggestions to remove obstacles from the picture, something that Google does quite well, as shown above.
