Microsoft's Innovative Design Software Uses AI to Bring Zany Ideas to Life

Microsoft announced a trio of new Surface devices at its press event Wednesday, but the company also revealed an innovative new graphic design software app. 

Microsoft Designer is a graphic design application that seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365, Bing, and Microsoft Edge. The purpose of this software is to give non-designer people quick access to a vast array of graphic design options without having to rack up mountains of student debt or spend too much time in design classes. 

To that end, the software is powered by a pair of AI superstars, a proprietary artificial intelligence designed specifically for this system, and the infamous Dall-E 2. You may remember Dall-E 2 from when it captured the hearts of the entire Internet a couple of months ago, as it creates graphic images from simple text prompts. 

In other words, Designer is built from the ground up to allow average consumers to create “stunning social media posts, invitations, digital postcards, and graphics” from just an initial idea, with no real expertise required. 

Once you start with an idea, the AI does the heavy lifting, creating properly-sized templates with plenty of design options to choose from. Add your own images and the software automatically puts them in the right place. Finally, you can upload the images anywhere you want in just a few clicks. 

Designer will be available as a standalone option within Microsoft 365, but web users will be able to access the software via Bing and Microsoft Edge. 

The service is currently available in an early-access format. You can add your email here and join the waitlist, though Microsoft says the current free preview does not include all of the features of the final product.