John Roach

Remember when software wasn’t connected to the internet? Didn’t think so. In a handful of years, this will also be true for software that doesn’t come with an intelligent copilot assistant, according to Kevin Scott, Microsoft’s chief technology officer.

About five years ago, artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI pitched Microsoft on a bold idea that it could build AI systems that would forever change how people interact with computers. At the time, nobody knew it would mean AI systems that create pictures of whatever people describe in plain language or a chatbot to write rap lyrics, draft emails and plan entire menus based on a handful of words. But technology like this was possible.

When designers at the toy company Mattel were asked recently to come up with a new Hot Wheels model car, they sought inspiration from DALL∙E 2, an AI system developed by OpenAI that creates custom images and art based on what people describe in plainspoken language. Using the tool, designers can type in a prompt such as, “A scale model of a classic car” and DALL∙E 2 will generate an image of a toy vintage car, perhaps silver in color and with whitewall tires.