Microsoft introduces Covision, an AI-enhanced camera for Android devices

Covision can be seen in Edge Canary for Android.

by Flavius Floare

Flavius is a writer and a media content producer with a particular interest in technology, gaming, media, film and storytelling. He’s always curious and ready to take on… read more

Updated on January 19, 2024

After introducing Cocreator in Microsoft Paint, and Cowriter in Microsoft Notepad, the Redmond-based tech giant introduces Covision, for Microsoft Edge for Android.

Spotted by tech enthusiast, @Leopeva64, the new tool is touted as a widget for Edge, and when accessed it opens the camera of the mobile device. However, according to the tech enthusiast, Covision is not working yet, and the widget is still in development, so it might take a while until Microsoft announces it.

Covision comes with some interesting features, though. While playing around with it, @Leopeva64 discovered the widget has no less than 4 functionalities, all AI-enhanced, of course.

These functionalities will allow users to use their mobile devices to enhance the pictures they take with their cameras. They are all wrapped up in a single category, called AI camera, which includes:

• Identity
• Chat
• AI Avatar
• AI Paint

While they have yet to be officially announced by Microsoft, these features are surely a sign Microsoft Edge for mobile is planning on adding and making use of AI to enhance the mobile experience of using the browser.

We don’t know what these capabilities inside the AI camera are made for, and we can only guess.

• AI Avatar will most likely revolve around creating an avatar that can be used in pictures, or virtual spaces, or even apps.
• AI paint is going to revolve around editing the pictures taken with the AI camera with extra features or transforming the existing pictures into various art forms, in a way similar to Cocreator.
• Chat might revolve around using pictures you take to identify objects and places with Copilot.
• Identity might revolve around a personalized profile of you made by Covision or Copilot, and based on it, you could get personalized suggestions for anything visually related.

However, we don’t know for sure if these features will end up this way, as this is just a guess. But we shouldn’t wait long enough for Microsoft to unveil them, as the Redmond-based tech giant already has big AI plans for this spring, including the announcement of the next Windows version, which is going to be AI-enhanced, of course.

Covision is currently available (but not functional) in Edge Canary for Android. We don’t know if Covision will be only on Android, but most likely not, as the Copilot app is now available to Android, and iOS mobile devices.