Microsoft Word's new AI-powered editor will help you write better

Microsoft Word is getting a new AI feature beyond the existing 'spell check'. Word is set to feature a new AI-powered editor in the form of a new feature called "Ideas" that is aimed at helping writers on all kinds of documents.

While the spell check feature in itself is pretty useful, it doesn't always cut it. Microsoft's new "Ideas" feature is available the cloud-based Word Online and offers pointers to aid users in improving their write-ups.

The new "Ideas" feature goes beyond your standard grammar checking apps that comb through obvious mistakes; you can call it a Grammarly on steroids.

Word's text editor helps users in creating tables and graphs and writing more concise and readable text. It also encourages real-time collaboration if multiple users are tagged in a document through email notifications. This AI-powered tool uses machine learning to suggest a rewrite, while also helping the user write for inclusive texts.

This new cloud-based feature also provides information about estimated reading times and decode acronyms using the Microsoft Graph as well as ensures that a piece is gender-inclusive. Moreover, Ideas can automatically extract key points from documents, which is excellent news for readers going through extensive briefs and news summaries.

In an official blog post, Microsoft's AI writer John Roach explained: Writing requires a dash of uniquely human creativity. Artificial intelligence alone cannot do it for us, at least not very well. But AI can - and already is - helping us do things like making sure we spell words correctly and use correct grammar. As the AI in these products is becoming more sophisticated, they are helping us do more than spot a misspelt word."

A preview of Ideas in MS Word will roll out to Microsoft Office 365 users in June, followed by a general release in the fall.