The preview version of Microsoft’s web browser Edge from the Canary channel can beautify images in websites with artificial intelligence. The downside, however, is that the AI runs on Microsoft’s server farms. So every displayed image ends up with Microsoft. However, the settings allow adjustment to better protect privacy if necessary.
In the Microsoft Edge preview version (Canary), the settings for image enhancement with server-side artificial intelligence can be manually adjusted. To protect privacy, it is possible to switch it off.
(Image: Screenshot / dmk)
Some time ago, Microsoft built experiments with artificial intelligence to improve the video quality of low-resolution videos into the beta version of Microsoft Edge. It works locally on the computer’s GPU and calculates improved images for videos with a resolution of less than 720p. Microsoft calls the function “Video Super Resolution” and requires graphics cards from the Nvidia RTX 20/30/40 series or RX5700 to RX7800 from AMD. Laptops must also be connected to the power grid and the video must not have any DRM protection.
Microsoft Edge: server-side image enhancement saves local resources
In the English-language version of Edge, the function can be called up directly from the settings. Twitter users noticed the adjusted description of the function in the settings.
Microsoft now clarifies: “Image URLs are sent to Microsoft’s server for super resolution”. As a functional description, the programmers write: “Use Super Resolution to improve the clarity, sharpness and contrast in images from the web”. The German Edge preview can be identified by the address edge://settings/privacy/enhanceImages persuade them to activate the AI function, which is deactivated by default in the German browser version. It can also be activated or deactivated for specific websites.
Microsoft does not explain why the image enhancement AI runs on Microsoft’s servers instead of locally as with video beautification. Saving resources, for example for laptops, might be an argument. Anyone who is willing to give up their own privacy can at least decide for themselves using the current opt-in solution in the German versions.
Microsoft often struggles with privacy issues. At the end of April, it became known that the “Follow Creator” function had incorrectly sent all visited URLs to a Bing API.
(dmk)