Summary
- Microsoft’s upcoming OneDrive update will include a Magic Erase feature powered by generative AI tech, similar to Magic Eraser in Google Photos.
- While Magic Erase isn’t live in the OneDrive app yet, strings in the beta version indicate that it could arrive imminently.
- Microsoft is also readying Copilot in OneDrive, which will be widely available by the end of April, as per the company.
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 Workspace and Microsoft 365. We’ve known since last year that 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 at Android Authority dug 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 apply is 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.
Microsoft’s Magic Eraser rival could arrive by April
Magic Eraser suggestions in Google Photos
Microsoft said last month that 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.
Google Photos has supported Magic Eraser for all Pixel owners and Google One subscribers since last year. In addition to letting you manually select the area you want to remove, Google’s offering also provides automatic suggestions to remove distractions and/or photobombers from your image, thus saving you the trouble of manually drawing over the area with the onscreen brush. Accuracy may vary based on factors like the smartphone you own, but these suggestions are pretty decent on most occasions.
