Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently went on record saying that AI still needs to prove its worth if society is to adopt it long-term, but he presumably thinks his company has cracked it with its latest innovation: AI coloring books.

A new Microsoft Paint feature currently rolling out to Windows Insiders allows you to generate coloring book pages based on the text prompt you enter. The example Microsoft uses is "a cute fluffy cat on a donut," to which the AI tool will spit out a set of slightly different options based on your prompt.

You can then choose which image you want, add it to your current workspace, copy or save it. Presumably you can also print it out for the purpose of entertaining your kids. No doubt the kind of real-world impact the Microsoft chief was alluding to.

The coloring book feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, and Microsoft is also adding a fill tolerance slider that lets you adjust the precision with which the Fill tool adds color to your canvas.

As well as Paint’s new Coloring book feature, Microsoft has also improved its Write, Rewrite and Summarize AI functionality in Notepad, which integrates with GPT to fine-tune your writing and summarize complex notes. You’ll need to sign into your Microsoft account to use cloud features, but results will now appear more quickly and let you interact with the preview without having to wait for its full response. Again, you’ll need to be Windows Insider in the Canary and Dev channels on Windows 11 to take advantage of the updates initially.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-now-create-ai-generated-coloring-books-in-microsoft-paint-163512527.html?src=rss

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After being one of the first countries in the world to block Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot, Malaysia has now lifted its ban. Along with Indonesia, the country moved swiftly to temporarily halt access to X's frequently controversial AI chatbot earlier this month, after multiple reports emerged of it being used to generate deepfake sexualized images of people, including women and children.

At the time, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the restrictions would remain in place until X Corp and parent xAI could prove they had enforced the necessary safeguards against misuse of the above nature.

Malaysian authorities appear to be taking X at its word, after the MCMC released a statement confirming it was satisfied that Musk’s company has implemented the required safety measures. It added that the authorities will continue to monitor the social media platform, and that any further user safety breaches or violations of Malaysian laws would be dealt with firmly.

At the time of writing, only Malaysia and Indonesia have hit Grok with official bans, though UK regulator Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X under the country’s Online Safety Act, in the wake of the non-consensual sexual deepfake scandal. X has since changed its image-editing policies, and on January 14 the company said Grok will no longer allow "the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis."

Earlier this week, the UK-based non-profit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), estimated that in the 11-day period between December 29 and January 9, Grok generated approximately 3 million sexualized images, around 23,000 of which were of children.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/malaysia-lifts-ban-on-grok-after-taking-x-at-its-word-144457468.html?src=rss

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It only seems right that cloud gaming should welcome virtual pilots, and that’s definitely now the case if GeForce Now is your streaming platform of choice. One of the most frequently requested features from its community according to NVIDIA, flight control support has now been added to its GeForce Now offering, meaning you can live your Top Gun fantasies without worrying about your rig buckling under the pressure.

The first compatible peripheral is the Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS One — which incidentally NVIDIA is giving away to five winners of a competition it’s currently running, along with a month of GeForce Now Ultimate — with more to be supported over time. A dedicated row in the GeForce Now app will highlight games that you can play with flight controls, one of which will be Team Jade’s Delta Force, which arrives on the service soon.

Last year NVIDIA started using RTX 5080 GPUs to power its $20-per-month GeForce Now Ultimate servers, allowing for 5K streaming up to 120fps. Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar called the update a "cloud gaming revelation" and was blown away by how sharp and smooth the experience was.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/geforce-now-adds-support-for-flight-controllers-171047006.html?src=rss

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Waymo’s fully autonomous robotaxis are now accepting passengers in Miami. The city was one of five named in expansion plans last year, and joins the likes of Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area on Waymo’s existing network.

Waymo says that nearly 10,000 Miami residents have signed up so far, and that it will send out invites to new riders on a rolling basis" in the weeks and months to come. The autonomous ride-hailing service will initially cover a 60-square-mile area that includes neighborhoods like the Design District and Wynwood, with Waymo planning to expand to Miami International Airport soon.

Waymo started testing robotaxi rides in Miami in November, without passengers initially, which allows it to spot local potential issues and local quirks, and adjust the driving algorithm so things go smoothly once humans are involved. The company insists that autonomous vehicles are safe and reliable, claiming a "ten-fold reduction" in serious injuries caused by crashes compared to human drivers in its current areas of operation.

Waymo’s Florida expansion will move to Orlando next, with the Texas cities of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas also on the agenda for 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/waymo-is-now-available-in-miami-162515070.html?src=rss

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