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Microsoft finds a use for AI in Windows 11 that you might not hate: better weather predictions that could help keep you dry
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Microsoft’s been busy, what with working on the next major Windows 11 update (24H2) and debuting the next generation of AI-focused Copilot+ PCs at Build 2024. However, there’s another piece of work that likely flew under your radar: an improved weather model powered by its AI technology that’ll benefit Windows 11 and Windows 10 users.

The new upgraded model was developed by Microsoft’s Start weather team, and brings in improved rain and cloud prediction. This follows a recent initiative to implement better AI-assisted prediction models for more accurate weather forecasting over a 30-day period. 

Microsoft publicized the improvement in an official Bing blog post and described how its Start team kicked off the improvements, dubbed ‘precipitation nowcasting,’ in late 2021. The team’s model combined data from local radar installations and satellite data to make this advancement.

Better predictions thanks to model improvements

The new model from the Microsoft Start team is an improvement on the previous iteration, which had some flaws due to the satellite weather data necessary for the model only being available 85% to 95% of the time. Then there was the additional complication that this data was drawn from a variety of sources

The predecessor of the new model was much smaller and only predicted a factor called simulated radar reflectivity. The new model is four times the size of the older one and jointly predicts two factors – both satellite and simulated radar reflectivity. This enables the model to better fill in gaps in the data

This is explained in the blog post, as well as the fact that the radar predictiveness model was prioritized and given six times the weight of AI training as the satellite predictiveness model.

The Start team found that their new model, designed to predict precipitation and cloudiness better, offers a substantial improvement in F1-score compared to the radar-based model. (The F1-score is a metric for measuring a machine learning model’s performance by assessing aspects like precision and recall).

They also found that the newly devised model produced predicted satellite images that scored better than those of a persistence forecast (one that assumes that future weather will be like the present) after 15 minutes. This indicated to them that predictions can be especially useful in places and times where satellite outages last longer than 15 minutes. 

The good news for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users is that the new and improved Start weather model that uses both satellite and radar prediction has now been fully integrated into Microsoft’s Weather products. The refreshed model will now power the weather icons on the Windows taskbar, lock screen, and anywhere else the forecast appears in your OS (like the MSN feed)

This is a way of using AI that I think most people can get behind, as predicting the weather is notoriously difficult, and we can all use a more accurate weather forecast when it comes to making those important decisions – like whether we need our raincoat or umbrella when we’re venturing out.

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Google Workspace is getting a talkative tool to help you collaborate better – meet your new colleague, AI Teammate
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If your workplace uses Google Workspace productivity suite of apps, then you might soon get a new teammate – an AI Teammate that is. 

In its mission to improve our real-life collaboration, Google has created a tool to pool shared documents, conversations, comments, chats, emails, and more into a singular virtual generative AI chatbot: the AI Teammate. 

Powered by Google's own Gemini generative AI model, AI Teammate is designed to help you concentrate more on your role within your organization and leave the tracking and tackling of collective assignments and tasks to the AI tool.

This virtual colleague will have its own identity, its own Workspace account, and a specifically defined role and objective to fulfil.

When AI Teammate is set up, it can be given a custom name, as well as have other modifications, including its job role, a description of how it's expected to help your team, and specific tasks it's supposed to carry out.

In a demonstration of an example AI Teammate at I/O 2024, Google showed a virtual teammate named 'Chip' who had access to a group chat of those involved in presenting the I/O 2024 demo. The presenter, Tony Vincent, explained that Chip was privy to a multitude of chat rooms that had been set up as part of preparing for the big event. 

Vincent then asks Chip if I/O storyboards had been approved – the type of question you'd possibly ask colleagues –  and Chip was able to answer as it can analyze all of these conversations that it had been keyed into. 

As AI Teammate is added to more threads, files, chats, emails, and other shared items, it builds a collective memory of the work shared in your organization. 

Google Workspace

(Image credit: Google)

In a second example, Vincent shows another chatroom for an upcoming product release and asks the room if the team is on track for the product's launch. In response, AI Teammate searches through everything it has access to like Drive, chat messages, and Gmail, and synthesizes all of the relevant information it finds to form its response. 

When it's ready (which looks like about a second or slightly less), AI Teammate delivers a digestible summary of its findings. It flagged up a potential issue to make the team aware, and then gave a timeline summary, showing the stages of the product's development. 

As the demo is taking place in a group space, Vincent stated that anyone can follow along and jump in at any point, for example asking a question about the summary or for AI Teammate to transfer its findings into a Doc file, which it does as soon as the Doc file is ready. 

AI Teammate becomes as useful as it's customized to be and Google promises that it can make your collaborative work seamless, being integrated into Google's host of existing products that many of us are already used to.

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Google’s Project Astra could supercharge the Pixel 9 – and help Google Glass make a comeback
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I didn't expect Google Glass to make a minor comeback at Google I/O 2024, but it did thanks to Project Astra. 

That's Google's name for a new prototype of AI agents, underpinned by the Gemini multimodal AI, that can make sense of video and speech inputs, and smartly react to what a person is effectively looking at and answer queries about it. 

Described as a “universal AI” that can be “truly helpful in everyday life”, Project Astra is designed to be proactive, teachable, and able to understand natural language. And in a video ,Google demonstrated this with a person using what looked like a Pixel 8 Pro with the Astra AI running on it. 

By pointing the phone's camera at room, the person was able to ask Astra to “tell me when you see something that makes sound”, to which the AI will flagged a speaker it can see within the camera's viewfinder. From there the person was able to ask what a certain part of the speaker was, with the AI replying that the part in question is a tweeter and handles high frequencies. 

But Astra does a lot more: it can identify code on a monitor and explain what it does, and it can work out where someone is in a city and provide a description of that area. Heck, when promoted, it can even make an alliterative sentence around a set of crayons in a fashion that's a tad Dr Zeus-like.

It can can even recall where the user has left a pair of glasses, as the AI remembers where it saw them last. It was able to do the latter as AI is designed to encode video frames of what it's seen, combine that video with speech inputs and put it all together in a timeline of events, caching that information so it can recall it later at speed. 

Then flipping over to a person wearing the Google Glass 'smart glasses', Astra could see that the person was looking at a diagram of a system on a whiteboard, and figure out where optimizations could be made when asked about them. 

Such capabilities suddenly make Glass seem genuinely useful, rather than the slightly creepy and arguably dud device it was a handful of years ago; maybe we'll see Google return to the smart glasses arena after this. 

Project Astra can do all of this thanks to using multimodal AI, which in simple terms is a mix of neural network models that can process data and inputs from multiple sources; think mixing information from cameras and microphones with knowledge the AI has already been trained on.

Google didn't say when Project Astra will make it into products, or even into the hands of developers, but Google's DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said that “some of these capabilities are coming to Google products, like the Gemini app, later this year.” I'd be very surprised if that doesn't mean the Google Pixel 9, which we're expecting to arrive later this year.

Now it's worth bearing in mind that Project Astra was shown off in a very slick video, and the reality of such onboard AI agents is they can suffer from latency. But it's a promising look at how Google will likely integrate actually useful AI tools into its future products.

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Apple and Google have teamed up to help make it easier to spot suspicious item trackers
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As part of iOS 17.5, Apple is finally rolling out its Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers specification, allowing mobile users to locate suspiciously placed AirTags and other similar devices. Simply, this update has been a long time coming. 

To give a quick breakdown of the situation at large, Bluetooth trackers were being used as a way to stalk people. Google announced that it and Apple were teaming up to tackle this problem. The former sought to upgrade its Find My Device network quickly but decided to postpone the launch, partly to wait until Apple finished developing its new standard.

With iOS 17.5, though, Apple states that your iPhone will notify you if an unknown Bluetooth tracker device was placed on you. If it sniffs something out, an “[Item] Found Moving With You” alert will appear on the smartphone screen. 

Upon detection, your iPhone can trigger a noise on the tracker to help you locate it. An accompanying notification will include a guide showing you how to disable the gadget. You can find these instructions on Apple’s support website.

Supporting devices

The detection tool can locate other Find My accessories so long as the third-party trackers are built to the specifications that Apple and Google are on. Devices not on the new network aren't compatible and will not work. Third-party tag manufacturers like Chipolo and Motorola are reportedly committing future releases to the new standard, which means the iOS feature will also detect forthcoming models.

Android devices have been capable of detecting Bluetooth trackers for some time, and Google is currently rolling out its long-awaited Find My Device upgrade to smartphones. Thanks to the Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers specification, it’ll work in conjunction with Apple’s network.

Part of iOS 17.5

There is more to iOS 17.5 than just the security patch. 

First, it’s introducing a dynamic wallpaper celebrating the LGBTQ+ community just in time for Pride Month. Second, the company is adding a new game called Quartile to Apple News Plus. It’s sort of like Scrabble, where you have to make up words using small groups of letters. 

Moreover, Apple News Plus subscribers can download audio briefings, entire magazine issues, and more for offline enjoyment. When you're back online, the downloaded content list “will automatically refresh.”

Besides these, 9To5Mac has confirmed even more changes like the Podcasts widget receiving support for dynamic colors. This alters the color of the box to match a podcast’s artwork. The publication also confirms the existence of Repair State, a “special hibernation mode” that lets people send in their iPhone for service without disabling the Find My connection. 

To install iOS 17.5, head over to your iPhone’s Settings menu. Go to General then Software Update to receive the patch. And be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best iPhone for 2024.

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Microsoft could turbocharge Edge browser’s autofill game by using AI to help fill out more complex forms
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Microsoft Edge looks like it’s getting a new feature that could help you fill out forms more easily thanks to a boost from GPT-4 (the most up-to-date large language model from the creators of ChatGPT, OpenAI).

Browsers like Edge already have auto-fill assistance features to help fill out fields asking for personal information that’s requested frequently, and this ability could see even more improvement thanks to GPT-4’s technology.

The digital assistant currently on offer from Microsoft, Copilot, is also powered by GPT-4, and has seen some considerable integration into Edge already. In theory, the new GPT-4 driven form-filling feature will help Edge users tackle more complex or unusual questions, rather than typical basic fields (name, address, email etc) that existing auto-fill functionality handles just fine.

However, right now this supercharged auto-fill is a feature hidden within the Edge codebase (it’s called “msEdgeAutofillUseGPTForAISuggestions”), so it’s not yet active even in testing. Windows Latest did attempt to activate the new feature, but with no luck – so it’s yet to be seen how the feature works in action. 

A close up of a woman sitting at a table and typing on a computer (a laptop)

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Gorodenkoff)

Bolstering the powers of Edge and Copilot

Of course, as noted, Edge’s current auto-fill feature is sufficient for most form-filling needs, but that won’t help with form fields that require more complex or longer answers. As Windows Latest observes, what you can do, if you wish, is just paste those kind of questions directly into Edge’s Copilot sidebar, and the AI can help you craft an answer that way. Furthermore, you could also experiment with different conversation modes to obtain different answers, perhaps. 

This pepped-up auto-fill could be a useful addition for Edge, and Microsoft is clearly trying to develop both its browser, and the Copilot AI itself, to be more helpful and generally smarter.

That said, it’s hard to say how much Microsoft is prioritizing user satisfaction, as equally, it’s implementing measures which are set to potentially annoy some users. We’re thinking about its recent aggressive advertising strategy and curbing of access to settings if your copy of Windows is unactivated, to pick a couple of examples. Not forgetting the quickly approaching deprecation date for Windows 10 (its most popular operating system).

Copilot was presented as an all-purpose assistant, but the AI still leaves a lot to be desired. However, it’s gradually seeing improvements and integration into existing Microsoft products, and we’ll have to see if the big bet on Copilot pans out as envisioned. 

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OpenAI is working on a new tool to help you spot AI-generated images and protect you from deep fakes
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You’ve probably noticed a few AI-generated images sprinkled throughout your different social media feeds – and there are likely a few you’ve probably scrolled right past, that may have slipped your keen eyes. 

For those of us who have been immersed in the world of generative AI, spotting AI images is a little easier, as you develop a mental checklist of what to look out for.

However, as the technology gets better and better, it is going to get a lot harder to tell. To solve this, OpenAI is developing new methods to track AI-generated images and prove what has and has not been artificially generated.

According to a blog post, OpenAI’s new proposed methods will add a tamper-resistant ‘watermark’ that will tag content with invisible ‘stickers.’ So, if an image is generated with OpenAI’s DALL-E generator, the classifier will flag it even if the image is warped or saturated.

The blog post claims the tool will have around a 98% accuracy when spotting images made with DALL-E. However, it will only flag 5-10% of pictures from other generators like Midjourney or Adobe Firefly. 

So, it’s great for in-house images, but not so great for anything produced outside of OpenAI. While it may not be as impressive as one would hope in some respects, it’s a positive sign that OpenAI is starting to address the flood of AI images that are getting harder and harder to distinguish.

Okay, so this may not seem like a big deal to some, as a lot of instances of AI-generated images are either memes or high-concept art that are pretty harmless. But that said, there’s also a surge of scenarios now where people are creating hyper-realistic fake photos of politicians, celebrities, people in their lives, and more besides, that could lead to misinformation being spread at an incredibly fast pace.

Hopefully, as these kinds of countermeasures get better and better, the accuracy will only improve, and we can have a much more accessible way to double-check the authenticity of the images we come across in our day-to-day life.

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Clippy goes rogue – infamous paperclip assistant returns to Windows 11 in order to help declutter the OS
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Clippy is back on the desktop, in a fashion, with the iconic assistant (originally in Office 97) coming to Windows 11 in order to debloat the OS – via a third-party utility, we should swiftly add.

The idea to resurrect Clippy comes from a German software developer Belmin Hasanovic, who has drafted in the assistant – the icon of which is an animated paperclip, as you may recall – for their Winpilot open-source utility.

As Tom’s Hardware reports, Winpilot has a new version out (v2024.5.6) which incorporates Tiny11 Builder, a separate tool that allows for creating a highly streamlined installation of Windows 11.

Besides that new ability, Winpilot offers a range of features mainly revolving around removing various bits of bloat from Windows 11, from getting rid of default apps you might not want to more advanced tweaking.

Winpilot can also handle tightening up privacy settings, and stripping out Copilot functionality from Windows 11 if you’re really not keen on the desktop-based AI assistant (that Microsoft very definitely is keen on).

Where does Clippy come into this? It’s the Winpilot assistant that offers help, tips, and suggested options, appearing on top of the app’s interface. Clippy also lets you know what Winpilot has done to your system when it comes to debloating measures and the like.

Analysis: Clippy cheekiness

Naturally, this is all very tongue in cheek, and there’s some (intentional we presume) irony in the fact that a debloating utility has what is – let’s face it – an element of bloat. As Tom’s observes, having used the Winpilot tool, the Clippy speech bubbles obscure some of the utility’s actual interface at times, which is something the developer needs to address, surely.

The dev describes Clippy as the “manic cousin of Microsoft Copilot” and it does come out with various jokes and somewhat colorful language – so it is entertaining in some respects. But as noted, it seems like there’s work to be done in reining Clippy in.

If this tool looks at all familiar to you, it might be because it’s been around for some time. Winpilot is the new name for the old app, BloatyNosy, which in turn was previously known as ThisIsWin11. As the old BloatyNosy name suggested, this is about removing bloat and ensuring privacy, but as ever with third-party utilities, we’d be cautious about using them.

The less far-reaching tweaks Winpilot can make are likely to be fine, but when it comes to pulling out bits of the core interface of Windows 11 like Copilot, you need to tread carefully, and be wary about unintended side effects. Particularly with future Windows 11 updates, for example – where changes Microsoft makes could break things in respect of Winpilot’s tweaking (or that’s certainly not an unimaginable scenario).

Big fans of Clippy out there (you know who you are) may also be interested to learn that the assistant has been brought to the Windows 11 desktop before – not as a feature to get rid of Copilot, but rather, to replace the AI.

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Logitech has built an AI sidekick tool that it hopes will help you work smarter, not harder, with ChatGPT
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In a move that shows how mainstream artificial intelligence (AI) is these days, Logitech has launched its free Logi AI Prompt Builder software tool that isn’t yet another AI chatbot, but instead designed to help Logitech users get the most out of an existing chatbot, ChatGPT. 

Logitech is also working on the hardware side of making AI-specific peripherals, launching a wireless mouse that’s equipped with an AI prompt button: the Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse.

Who can access the Logi AI Prompt App and where

The Logi AI Prompt Builder can be accessed via the existing Logi Options+ app. This is freely available to anyone using a Logitech keyboard or mouse that’s supported by the English version of the Logi Options+ app, which includes Logitech MX, Ergo, Signature, and Studio Series devices.

Logitech has set up a site detailing the new AI tool, and you can click ‘Download Now’ to get the Logi Options+ app. Once you download and install this, you can designate a keyboard shortcut that you’d like to use to quickly open up the Logi AI Prompt Builder. Then, users can open it through the Logi Options + app or by using their keyboard shortcut, enabling them to receive recommendations about the text they've selected to converse with ChatGPT about.

A close up shot of Logitech's new AI-specific mouse, set on a table and the various parts labelled

(Image credit: Logitech)

Logi AI Prompt Builder will then offer you suggestions for commonly-used ChatGPT prompts, such as ‘Rephrase’ and ‘Summarise.’ You can also customize your queries within the tool, and ask it to make suggestions that take into account the sort of tone, style, complexity, and length of answer that you’d like. The latter of these is also offered by other generative AI tools like Microsoft’s own digital AI assistant, Windows Copilot. According to Logitech, this app will make for a smoother and less disruptive workflow, especially for those who make use of AI tools, thanks to you having to make fewer clicks and being able to work faster. You can check out how the tool works for yourself before downloading and installing it by watching a demo that Logitech has put on the Logi AI Prompt Builder site. 

I could see this having use beyond helping people work with ChatGPT, as other generative AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet might also offer better responses thanks to Logitech’s suggestions. 

Logi AI Prompt Builder is now live and accessible for free for any user with a suitable Logitech device, and is available for both Windows and Mac users via the Logi Options+ app. The dedicated Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse is currently available exclusively on the Logitech.com website for $ 49.99 in the US and £54.99 in the UK.

A man sitting at a table with a computer and the AI tool on his screen, in a room filled with modern decor

(Image credit: Logitech)

A vote of confidence for generative AI

This launch has piqued my interest greatly because it’s a pretty substantial move from a company that mostly specializes in PC peripherals, which suggests that it’s not just computer manufacturers that are making products that embrace our AI future. It’s also pretty indicative to me of companies like Logitech being convinced of generative AI’s staying power.

It’s one step closer to AI being a normal part of our work and everyday lives, and reminds me of Microsoft’s plans to add a Copilot button in the keyboards of new laptop models. I’m keen to try a tool like this for myself and see if my workflow becomes smoother, because if that’s the case, Logitech, Microsoft, and others could be on to something.

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Google Maps is getting a new update that’ll help you discover hidden gems in your area thanks to AI – and I can’t wait to try it out
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It looks like Google Maps is getting a cool new feature that’ll make use of generative AI to help you explore your town – grouping different locations to make it easier to find restaurants, specific shops, and cafes. In other words, no more sitting around and mulling over where you want to go today!

Android Authority did an APK teardown (which basically means decompiling binary code within a program into a programming language that can be read normally) which hints at some new features on the horizon. The code within the Google Maps beta included mention of generative AI, which led Android Authority to Google Labs. If you’re unfamiliar with Google Labs, it’s a platform where users can experiment with Google’s current in-development tools and AI projects, like Gemini Chrome extensions and music ‘Time Travel’. 

So, what exactly is this new feature that has me so excited? Say you’re really craving a sweet treat. Instead of going back to your regular stop or simply Googling ‘sweet treats near me’, you’ll be able to ask Google Maps for exactly what you’re looking for and the app will give you suggestions for nearby places that offer it. Naturally, it will also provide you with pictures, ratings, and reviews from other users that you can use to make a decision.

Sweet treat treasure hunter 

I absolutely love the idea and I really hope we get to see the feature come to life as someone who has a habit of going to the same places over and over again because I either don’t know any alternatives or just haven’t discovered other parts of my city. The new feature has the potential to offer a serious upgrade to Google Maps’ more specific location search abilities, beyond simply typing in the name of the shop you want or selecting a vague group like ‘Restaurants’ as you can currently. 

You’ll be able to see your results into categories, and if you want more in-depth recommendations you can ask follow-up questions to narrow down your search – much in the same way that AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot can ‘remember’ your previous chat history to provide more context-sensitive results. I often find myself craving a little cake or a delicious cookie, so if I want that specific treat I can specify to the app what I’m craving and get a personalized list of reviewed recommendations. 

We’re yet to find out when exactly to expect this new feature, and without an official announcement, we can’t be 100% certain that it will ever make a public release. However, I’m sure it would be a very popular addition to Google Maps, and I can’t wait to discover new places in my town with the help of an AI navigator.

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ChatGPT might get its own dedicated personal device – with Jony Ive’s help
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Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, is reportedly seeking funding for an AI-powered, personal device – perhaps not unlike the Humane AI Pin – and ex-Apple design guru Jony Ive is apparently getting involved as well.

This is as per The Information (via MacRumors), and the rumor is that Altman and Ive have started a “mysterious company” together to make the device a reality. The report doesn't mention much about the hardware, except to say it won't look like a smartphone.

As we've seen with the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, having an AI assistant running on a device means you don't necessarily need a display and traditional apps – the artificial intelligence engine can do everything for you, no tapping or scrolling required.

Altman and Ive are said to be seeking around $ 1 billion in funding, so this is clearly a major undertaking we're talking about. It's not clear how much involvement OpenAI would have, but its ChatGPT bot would most likely be used on the new device.

Previous rumors

A close up of ChatGPT on a phone, with the OpenAI logo in the background of the photo

ChatGPT could find itself in a new device (Image credit: Shutterstock/Daniel Chetroni)

This hasn't come completely out of the blue: back in September The Financial Times reported that Altman and Ive were “in talks” to get funding for a new project from SoftBank, a Japanese investment company.

SoftBank has a stake in CPU company Arm, which might be tapped to provide components for the hardware – which can't run entirely on AI cloud magic of course. All this is speculation for the time being, however.

In January, Sam Altman was spotted touring around a Samsung chip factory, so all the indications are that he's planning something in terms of physical hardware. It remains to be seen just how advanced this hardware is though.

During his time with Apple, Jony Ive led the design teams responsible for the iPod, iPhone, iPad and MacBook, so whatever is in the pipeline, we can expect it to look stylish. We can also expect to hear more about this intriguing device in the years ahead.

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