Microsoft is empowering developers to build innovative image processing capabilities into their Windows applications with the introduction of AI-powered imaging APIs in its Windows Copilot Runtime. Announced at the Microsoft Ignite conference, these APIs will enable developers to integrate AI capabilities such as image super resolution, image segmentation, object erase, and optical character recognition (OCR) into their apps.

The new APIs will be powered by on-device models, ensuring secure and rapid integration of AI capabilities into Windows applications. Most of the APIs will be available in January through the Windows App SDK 1.7 experimental release. Additionally, Microsoft's custom-built generative AI model, Phi 3.5 Silica, will be included in the Windows Copilot Runtime, enabling text intelligence capabilities such as text summarization, text completion, and text prediction.

This move is expected to have significant implications for the tech and startup community, as it opens up new possibilities for developers to create innovative image processing applications for Windows. With the ability to integrate AI capabilities seamlessly, developers can now focus on building more sophisticated and user-friendly applications that can revolutionize various industries.