So my first responses to this headline were naturally "what" and "why" and "how???" and "I need to kill Satya Nadella with my bare hands", but reading the article makes it slightly more clear what's going on with this big AI push in windows.
The idea is that you can take text that was copied and paste it into a converted formal. Whether that's just capitalizing things or changing the programming language it's written in, the Magic of AI(tm) will make it happen. This feature currently exists as "advanced paste", one of the power toys, which are little bonus features for windows that microsoft locks behind Knowing That They Exist (more info here). They're mostly pretty useful, and honestly things that should just be built into the OS at this point.
But! Here's where things take an interesting turn:
There are prerequisites to use the feature, though. You’ll need to add an OpenAI API key in PowerToys, and you’ll need to buy credits for your OpenAI account if you don’t have any. (API credits are different from a paid ChatGPT account.)
By integrating this feature with AI, they can charge money for it. Microsoft knows they're the #1 productivity company for businesses, they're just trying to figure out new ways to squeeze more pennies out of each and every one of them. I wouldn't be surprised if this creeps into more and more AI features. Look at how cool this thing is! See what great results it has (who cares if they're factually accurate)! Oh by the way you've used up your free credits, don't worry we'll fill up your company pool for you in the background, keep using those AI tools!
Right now you have to be a power user, know how to get and enter in an API key, but it's not hard to see how this is a vector for abusive sales tactics. It'll be the same as OneDrive now, constantly nagging you to "finish setting up" your microsoft account by giving them your credit card details so they can charge you for using the AI tools.
the standard operating procedure of tech companies for the last decade and a half has been to come out with a product, give it away wildly below the cost it takes to maintain it, and then when they have displaced other options - monetize the fuck out of it
it is the Wal-Mart strategy writ large
alternatively the "first one free" meme around addiction
capitalism and addiction: a match made in hell
OpenAI giving itself away for free and integrating it into everything was an immediate sign that this was going to be their strategy: get a bunch of companies and individuals to integrate it into their workflow and then pull the rug after they're deep in
MS and everyone else in the LLM game is doing the same thing with their own spin on it