Microsoft recently hosted several events where it showed it’s serious about AI, and after the grand unveiling of its new AI assistant, Windows Copilot, the company has now introduced a new AI bot, Cocreator, to help generate images in the iconic Paint app.
TweakTown reports that Cocreator has been known in the Windows sphere since test versions of the feature were released in September via the Canary and Dev channels, two release channels of the Windows Insider program that allow users to log in to view potential Windows versions and features to provide feedback before widespread release. Following these releases, a version was released via the Beta Channel (a third Windows Insider release channel) and last week a Cocreator version made its way via the Release Preview Channel (Windows Insider’s fourth and final release channel that sees features before they’re integrated in upgrades for all users).
Cocreator is powered by Dall-E, just like Bing Image Creator, and works in a similar way. You give Cocreator a description of what you would like to see composed, select the art style if you have one in mind, and Cocreator will attempt to create it.
TweakTown calls the results “impressive” and other early reactions to the new tool are positive, no doubt due in part to the use of the latest version of OpenAI’s Dall-E.
One of the first demonstration options was spotted and posted by in Canary and Dev).
The latest Paint app update in WIP Canary/Dev (11.2309.28.0) adds a new first run experience for Paint Cocreator. https://t.co/pjmpcKa4iA pic.twitter.com/X1I8aaHT4HOctober 24, 2023
How to try Paint Cocreator for yourself
Cocreator is still being tested, it seems, and to be able to try it, Microsoft will ask you to sign up for the waitlist in the Cocreator side panel – and once it’s approved, you’ll receive an email. Microsoft does not indicate which panel this is, but Nerds Chalk writes that you can alternatively get Paint Cocreator by first opening the Windows Insider program (which you’ll need to sign in to if you’re not) and installing the latest Canary or Dev build. Then you should be able to update your Paint app via the Microsoft store > Library.
Whichever route you take, Cocreator is still being tested and the version you see will be a preview, sensitive to possible changes and developments. That said, now that Cocreator is spotted in the Release Preview channel, it should appear in a Windows 11 update soon. The new Paint is already a fan favorite, and this development is sure to make it a better equipped playground for creators. It has already undergone a major overhaul with the addition of a layers feature and now Cocreator.
Considering Microsoft was ready to retire the standard (but beloved) Paint a few years ago, but it might just turn out to be one of the most successful apps to draw users to Windows yet . I have many fond memories of playing in Paint when I was a kid, and with its suite of new features, perhaps it will spark the imagination of children and adults alike today.