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Microsoft's mobile keyboard app SwiftKey gains new AI-powered features | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/22/microsofts-mobile-keyboard-app-swiftkey-gains-new-ai-powered-features/

Along with AI advances in Windows 11 and Bing, Microsoft also this week announced it's bringing new AI-powered features to its SwiftKey mobile keyboard

Microsoft's mobile keyboard app SwiftKey gains new AI-powered features | TechCrunch

Along with AI advances in Windows 11 and Bing, Microsoft also this week announced it's bringing new AI-powered features to its SwiftKey mobile keyboard

30 comments

1bluepixel

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I was actually thinking just this morning that if there's ONE area where AI could really make a difference, it's in predictive text on keyboards. How many times do I have to type "Roman Empire," say, before the keyboard suggests "Empire" the next time I type "Roman"? The keyboard doesn't even recommend my own last name when I type my first name.

Except reading the article, this is anything BUT that. It's some AI-generated art stuff so you can create custom stickers or some useless shit like that.

SmashingSquid

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I think that’s what Apple did with ios17. they just prefer to use words like machine learning instead of AI. It definitely is improved, I was able to finally switch back after using Gboard for years.

Blastasaurus

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Most of the hype is machine learning by definition, AI is just so much catchier.

GigglyBobble

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AI is also the broader term. It also covers algorithmic approaches and knowledge representation.

iMike

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I can confirm it’s much better in iOS 17

BrianTheeBiscuiteer

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It shouldn't take AI to guess that if I redo the word three times then your suggestions are shit.

raptir

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Doesn't Google Keyboard already do this? It definitely auto-completes common phrases for me. I mean stupid example but I post about Diablo 3 and 4 a decent amount and if I type Diablo it predicts the next word as 3 or 4.

TheGreenGolem

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Yepp, it learns over time from my inputs too. I started to recognize my own phrases/word order in suggestions. It's probably a setting somewhere.

beeb

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Been using SwiftKey for years (since the very beggining, probably 10 yrs at this point) and it always had very good predictive performance (i.e AI in its own right).

RheingoldRiver

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do you use the swiping function of it? I've found that to be TERRIBLE at "prediction based on context" e.g. understanding if I want "if" or "of" it does the one that doesn't make sense in context. and it doesn't understand that if I type a word, and then delete it and retype it, maybe it should give me something different the 2nd time around (particularly irritating for if/of).

beeb

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I use it occasionally when I have only one hand available. Never had much trouble with it but I noticed you must be quite precise when swiping. As for suggestions, usually one of the three words at the top is the one I need so I rarely need to delete a word unless I really mistyped it badly.

Andy

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Your example was probably not a real case, but I checked with my swiftkey and after "Roman" it suggested "reigns" "catholic" and "Empire"

Denalduh

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I believe it's based on your personal keyboard predictions.

x4740N

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Samsung keyboard suggested empire after typing Roman and I don't believe I have ever used "roman empire" in a sentence before excluding this comment

chemicalprophet

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I think it's been ai this entire time and the crowd-sourced iq is so fucking dismal this is what we get. I've had it suggest weird internet slang I've never used...

CookieJarObserver

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Can they not?

cmbabul

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You know they gotta

kubica

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At this rate I'm seeing Microsoft rebranding itself as mAIcrosoft. Goddammit they are obsessed.

TheMauveAvenger

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They're only doing what everyone else is right now. B2B companies in particular are going nuts with it. I know several companies that pivoted their entire near-term strategy to focus on the value AI/ML can bring to their customers.

agent_flounder

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Gartner Hype Cycle. I think we are getting close to the "peak of inflated expectations" on generative AI for sure. I feel like ML has kind of been around for ages now but maybe companies are just treating everything as an AI/ML nail now. Idk.

doublejay1999

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You should have seen them when they noticed the internet.

Paradox

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I miss Swype more and more every passing day

mojo

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Sadly Google Keyboard is the only good keyboard app left. I have internet permission blocked on it so I have actual privacy, and there's not too much bloat. I was excited by a really nice FOSS keyboard app called FlorisBoard, but unfortunately it looks like it was abandoned right before they released the update that fixed auto correct. They even had glide typing working.

NiaTheCat

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LimitedDuck

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I need my GIF button

tb_

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The one thing that keeps me on Gboard is the swipe-from-backspace. The way you can select multiple words depending on how far you swipe is such a great feature.

Last I checked SwiftKey (finally) got it as well, but it felt far less accurate.
Samsung's keyboard only has the hold-to-delete-quicker which is just awful.

MusketeerX

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Nice, I've been using it for years and didn't even know about this feature!

just_another_person

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mojo

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All of the internet access is offline, it can't connect at all

cooopsspace

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My custom OS let's you block the keyboard outright from the internet, and I have.

And it shows because not even the gif keyboard works.

just_another_person

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mojo

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That's mobile background data, that's a different thing. I use a custom ROM that lets me completely revoke the network permission. It's not available on stock afaik.

surfb

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Just installed SwiftKey, used to have the app when it wasn't from microsoft. The translation function works well, thanks for the tip.