The Microsoft Store may not be an application Windows users launch every day, but it may be worth taking a look at. This is applicable to those running Windows Insider builds of Windows 11.
Microsoft’s new AI Hub is available from the left navigation menu in the Microsoft Store app. This section of the Store offers a curated section that highlights the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft.
The AI Hub is designed to help users discover and learn about AI-powered apps that can help them be more productive, creative, and informed. It seems apps have to simply include AI in some way to be included in this section.
As the popularity (and funding) of AI-powered apps increases, we’re likely to see a lot more apps arrive in the AI Hub. Below are some examples of AI-powered applications, not all of which are in the store yet, but does provide an idea of the vast possibilities there are to improve workflows, particularly for creators.
Productivity
- Writing: AI-powered apps can help you with tasks like writing, research, and organization. For example, Grammarly can help you improve your grammar and spelling, while Otter.ai can transcribe your meetings and presentations.
- Research: AI-powered apps can help you with research by finding relevant information and summarizing it for you. For example, Wolfram Alpha can answer your questions in a comprehensive and informative way, while Crayon can help you track your competitors.
- Organization: AI-powered apps can help you stay organized by managing your tasks, notes, and files. For example, Notion can help you create a central hub for all of your work, while Evernote can help you capture and organize your thoughts.
Creativity
- Photo editing: AI-powered apps can help you edit your photos with ease. For example, Adobe Photoshop can help you remove blemishes and improve the lighting in your photos, while Pixlr can help you create collages and other creative edits.
- Video editing: AI-powered apps can help you edit your videos with professional-looking results. For example, Adobe Premiere Pro can help you add transitions, effects, and titles to your videos, while iMovie can help you create simple yet effective videos.
- Music creation: AI-powered apps can help you create music without any musical training. For example, Amper Music can generate original music based on your input, while GarageBand can help you record and mix your own music.
Information
- Staying up-to-date on the news: AI-powered apps can help you stay up-to-date on the latest news. For example, Google News can curate a personalized feed of news articles for you, while Flipboard can help you discover new and interesting stories.
- Learning new things: AI-powered apps can help you learn new things by providing you with personalized learning experiences. For example, Duolingo can help you learn a new language, while Khan Academy can help you learn math, science, and other subjects.
- Making informed decisions: AI-powered apps can help you make informed decisions by providing you with data-driven insights. For example, IBM Watson can help you predict customer behavior, while Tableau can help you visualize data.
Featured App
While featured apps will change over time, right now, I’m seeing the Luminar Neo app featured at the top of the AI Hub section. To give you an idea of the king of apps Microsoft is featuring, the details of what this one can do, is detailed below.
Luminar Neo is a creative photo editor that combines the impressive power of proprietary neural engine with creative tools that get the job done. Work with RAW files, apply stunning photo effects, enhance your photos, use creative filters and much more. Make your photos look just like you imagined them and enjoy the editing process.
Luminar Neo is based on a new engine designed to accomplish any creative tasks with maximum performance and flexibility. Experience the leading-edge AI technologies, a flexible workflow, and high-quality editing results:
- Sky AI — replace the sky automatically
- Sky Enhancer AI — realistically enhance the sky
- Accent AI — apply automatic content-aware image enhancements
- Skin AI — automatically detect and remove skin imperfections while preserving pores, texture, and hair
- Body AI — slim or add volume to a subject’s torso
- Supercontrast — precisely adjust tonal contrast in different tonal ranges independently
- Structure AI — realistically enhance the detail and clarity of an image only in areas where enhancements will improve image quality
- Atmosphere AI — realistically simulate weather effects like fog, mist, and haze using content-aware 2D to 3D depth reconstruction
- Sunrays — realistically emulate sun glow and sun rays
- Portrait Bokeh AI — simulate bokeh in portrait photos based on image depth reconstruction
- Face AI — retouch facial features
- Golden Hour — emulate the golden light of sunset
- Foliage Enhancer — enhance the colors of foliage and greenery
- Details — bring crystal-clear sharpness and details
- Dramatic — add a powerful cinematic effect
- Remove Powerlines — automatically remove power lines from your image
- Remove Dust Spots — automatically remove spots on your image caused by dust on your lens or sensor
- Relight AI — emulate a 3D light source (flash), allowing you to relight the scene in post-production
It probably doesn’t surprise many to see Microsoft leveraging this hub to push its own Bing Chat LLM, but disappointingly, it does little more than push you to the Edge browser.
If you are interested in learning more about AI or finding AI-powered apps that can help you in your work or personal life, I encourage you to check out the Microsoft Store AI Hub.
