AI services Archives

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Microsoft fires employee who interrupted CEO’s speech to protest AI tech for Israeli military

An employee named Joe Lopez was terminated after protesting during Microsoft's Build developer conference, expressing concerns about the company's technology being used in the Gaza conflict. His disruption led to a series of pro-Palestinian protests at the event, resulting in multiple interruptions of executive talks and Microsoft cutting audio from a livestreamed session. Outside the venue, demonstrators gathered to amplify their message. Microsoft has a history of responding firmly to employee protests related to its operations in Israel and recently acknowledged providing AI services to the Israeli military but stated that there is no evidence of its technologies being used to target civilians. Following his protest, Lopez received a termination letter that he could not open, and an advocacy group claims Microsoft has restricted internal communications regarding terms like “Palestine” and “Gaza.” Microsoft has not commented on the protests during the conference.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Microsoft fires employee who interrupted CEO’s speech to protest AI…

During Microsoft's annual Build developer conference in Seattle, software engineer Joe Lopez interrupted CEO Satya Nadella's address to protest the company's technology supply to the Israeli military amid the Gaza conflict. Lopez was escorted from the venue after shouting at Nadella. He later sent a mass email to colleagues challenging Microsoft's claims about its Azure cloud platform's use in Gaza. The conference saw multiple interruptions from pro-Palestinian protests, and demonstrators gathered outside. Microsoft acknowledged providing AI services to the Israeli military but stated there was no evidence linking its technologies to harm in Gaza. Lopez reportedly received a termination letter following his protest, and the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid claimed Microsoft has restricted internal communications related to Palestine and Gaza.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Windows 95 chime composer Brian Eno denounces Microsoft for its ties to Israeli government

Renowned musician Brian Eno announced he will donate the earnings from his Windows 95 startup chime to support those affected in Gaza. This decision follows scrutiny of Microsoft’s contracts with the Israeli government amid ongoing humanitarian crises. Eno criticized Microsoft for its involvement in operations contributing to violations of international law and called for the company to suspend services supporting such actions. Microsoft acknowledged its contracts with Israel’s Ministry of Defense but claimed an internal review found no evidence of its technologies targeting civilians in Gaza. Following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, significant casualties have been reported in Gaza, with estimates of over 52,000 to as high as 109,000 deaths. Human rights organizations have accused Israel of war crimes. Protests by Microsoft employees have occurred, demanding accountability for the company's actions. Eno emphasized the need for artists and corporations to consider the implications of their contributions.

AppWizard

April 26, 2025

Oblivion Remastered hit 4 million players in less than a week, with a big chunk of them buying the game on Steam

Bethesda has announced that over four million players have engaged with the remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. The remaster has achieved nearly 200,000 concurrent players on Steam, ranking it at the top of Steam's best-sellers list and second on the SteamDB best-selling tracker. The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee has called for a boycott of Xbox products due to Microsoft's provision of cloud and AI services to the Israeli military.

Winsage

March 23, 2025

Microsoft Paywalls Its AI Features in Notepad and Paint

Microsoft has announced that access to certain features in Notepad and Paint will now require a paid subscription to a Microsoft 365 account. Users will need this subscription to access new AI enhancements, including an image generator in Paint and AI-driven text rewriting in Notepad. Windows users without a subscription will still have access to core functionalities, but subscription-required features will be grayed out. Ram Bala, an associate professor of business analytics, notes that this aligns with a broader "freemium" strategy due to the high operational costs of deploying AI features. Bala highlights a trend in the tech industry toward usage-based pricing models for AI services. Microsoft has made significant investments in AI, incorporating features across its applications, but some initiatives, like the Copilot feature, have faced delays and privacy concerns.

Winsage

December 14, 2024

Rising to the TOPS: How will NPUs and Windows AI grow in 2025?

In 2024, Microsoft introduced the "Copilot+ PC" branding for AI-capable laptops, while Apple launched Apple Intelligence. These developments have led to mixed outcomes, with features like real-time translations and on-device speech-to-text being beneficial, but others, such as Windows Recall, still proving their value. By 2025, mainstream developers are expected to integrate on-device AI into Windows applications, influencing consumer purchasing decisions. The term "TOPS" (Trillions of Operations Per Second) is becoming important for evaluating the AI performance of Windows laptops, with a minimum of 40 TOPS required for Microsoft's "Copilot PC+" designation. Qualcomm's Copilot+ PCs reported around 45 TOPS, significantly higher than Intel's 11 TOPS. By the end of 2024, premium Windows laptops are expected to see a three- to four-fold increase in NPU performance compared to 2023 models. Analysts speculate further performance improvements may occur towards the end of 2025. Despite the potential for a two- to three-fold enhancement in on-device AI performance, experts caution against overemphasizing TOPS figures, which may not accurately reflect real-world performance. The lack of a unified API for leveraging NPU capabilities in Windows complicates matters for users of Copilot+ laptops without Qualcomm chips. Although AMD and Intel have released competitive chips, Qualcomm currently holds an advantage with exclusive support for certain applications. Microsoft is promoting its low-level machine learning API (DirectML) and the Windows Copilot Runtime, which may enhance the Copilot+ PC ecosystem. While cloud-based AI solutions remain an option, the cost of these services is expected to rise, making on-device AI more appealing. The introduction of ChatGPT Pro highlights the financial implications of cloud access compared to on-device NPU usage, which incurs no additional costs. The pace of on-device AI adoption in Windows' software ecosystem is anticipated to accelerate in 2025.

Winsage

November 27, 2024

Don’t be misled by retailers this Black Friday: Double-check for these AI specs on any Windows 11 Copilot+ PC

Consumers should be cautious when shopping for laptops during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as retailers may use misleading marketing terms. For example, HP's entry-level devices labeled with the "Copilot" logo may confuse buyers into thinking they are purchasing a "Copilot+ PC." Similarly, Office Depot's "Cloud Enabled AI" designation for entry-level laptops can be ambiguous since any Windows 10 or 11 device can access AI services online. A laptop with a low-end Intel Pentium processor and 4GB of RAM is marketed as "Cloud Enabled AI," which could mislead consumers seeking a Copilot+ PC. To qualify as a Copilot+ PC, specific hardware configurations are required: a processor with a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU), such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus or Elite chips, or AMD and Intel processors with NPUs. The NPU should offer 40 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) or more. Additional requirements include a minimum of 16GB of RAM, at least 256GB of Solid-State Drive (SSD) storage (preferably NVMe), Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0, Secure Boot, and BitLocker encryption enabled.

Winsage

November 20, 2024

Windows and Office get smart: An overview of Microsoft’s AI services

Microsoft is integrating artificial intelligence across its software ecosystem, particularly in Windows and Office applications. The AI assistant Copilot is accessible via the taskbar or Start menu and operates through the Edge browser, allowing users to engage with AI for tasks like generating text and creating images. Copilot is embedded in Microsoft Edge, enabling users to ask questions and receive answers powered by Bing, with options for different conversational styles. The Edge integration offers enhanced capabilities such as summarizing web content and utilizing plugins for travel and dining searches, which are not available in the standalone app. Microsoft's Paint application has been upgraded with Cocreator and Image Creator features that use AI to generate images based on user descriptions, leveraging Dall-e technology from OpenAI. The Image Creator operates through Microsoft’s cloud resources, while Cocreator processes locally on Copilot Plus devices. The Windows Photo Viewer has a generative erase function that allows users to remove unwanted objects from photos, intelligently filling in gaps left behind. Microsoft has developed PCs with Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to handle AI tasks locally, enhancing performance and addressing data privacy concerns. The Designer feature has expanded from PowerPoint to Word, providing AI-driven design suggestions, but requires a paid Microsoft 365 subscription. The Copilot Pro subscription allows for text generation, template creation, and data analysis in Excel, though some limitations exist. AI capabilities have also been integrated into tools like Clipchamp and Teams for video creation and communication management. Microsoft has paused the rollout of the Recall feature, which tracks user activity through screenshots, due to privacy concerns.

Winsage

November 20, 2024

Microsoft debuts new Copilot software, touts AI growth at Ignite Conference

Microsoft unveiled significant updates to its cloud and AI services at the Ignite conference in Chicago, including enhancements to Microsoft 365 Copilot, new AI agents, and plans to use Nvidia’s Blackwell GB200-powered AI servers. Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot. New features include Copilot Actions for summarizing meetings and consolidating communications, and advanced AI agents like the Interpreter for Teams and Employee Self-Service Agent. Microsoft introduced the Azure AI Foundry SDK for building AI applications and announced the Windows 365 Link, a compact PC for cloud services, set to retail for starting in April 2025. The company also launched the Microsoft Security Exposure Management platform and enhanced security for AI applications with the Data Loss Prevention feature for Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft’s shares have increased by 12% over the past year.

Winsage

November 12, 2024

Clues to Windows Intelligence found in Windows 11 builds

Microsoft is expected to rebrand its AI features as "Windows Intelligence," although official confirmation is still pending. A placeholder page for Windows Intelligence was found in a Windows 24H2 build. This rebranding aims to create a cohesive framework for managing AI technologies across Microsoft's platform. Microsoft has previously used the term "Windows Intelligence" for security updates, which are delivered through Windows Update. The new branding will encompass AI-related features beyond security. The initiative follows similar branding strategies by Apple, although "Windows Intelligence" may not be easily abbreviated like "Apple Intelligence." Microsoft has integrated AI technology into various applications, including updates to Copilot and generative AI capabilities in Notepad and Paint.