Microsoft Designer app faces backlash as AI-powered brush removal tool disappears

Recently, Microsoft removed the AI-powered brush removal tool from the Designer app, an AI-infused platform that is used to create graphic products and designs.

Designer’s Image Creator had an AI-powered brush removal tool, which allowed users to redefine their AI-generated images and eliminate any unwanted element of the image after prompting the AI chat. This surprising move left a lot of users disgruntled as the tool in the Designer app was popular.

At the time of launch in 2023, Microsoft Designer, though released with limited availability, garnered a lot of attention due to its AI capabilities, and users had to sign up for a waitlist to get access.

However, as the company made it available to a wider audience, a lot of users got access to features like Image Creator from Designer and integration of Microsoft Copilot.

Now that Microsoft has removed the AI-powerful brush removal tool, users do not like it and are quite disappointed.

The level of discontent and disappointment is evident from the posts on social media and Reddit as well. One of the users said:

Yes, they did. And yes, I am very disappointed. I, too, often used it to remove unwanted parts in the pictures generated (extra fingers, suspenders that I don’t want, texts describing characters floating on their heads, etc.)

Another one said:

I had noticed before that the Designer app for Android never had it in the first place, I guess they decided to fix the issue by removing it in the desktop version as well? It’s a pity at any rate, I wonder if it’s going to become Copilot Pro feature or what else.

A user also pointed out that the brush removal tool in Microsoft Designer is better than the one available in Canva, which made people speculate that the Redmond tech giant might be working on a paid version of the app.

When we checked the app ourselves, we didn’t find the tool, which confirms that Microsoft has indeed removed the tool. However, the reasons for its removal and the chances of it coming back remain unclear.

So, if you want to remove the background or unwanted element from an image, you need to use Remove Background and Blur Background to get that done.

This is not the first time Microsoft has added or removed features; recently, it introduced features, including Automatic super-resolution (Auto SR) and Speak for Me for Windows Insiders in Canary and Dev channels.

Microsoft has been actively involved in the AI business for quite some time, and it has joined hands with OpenAI to supersede AI-powered functionalities.

Given OpenAI’s substantial daily expenditure of up to $700,000 to sustain ChatGPT, which is evidently very expensive, it is logical to consider that Microsoft may be contemplating introducing a paid version of the app.

Another reasonable explanation for the tool’s removal could be a proactive stance to reduce the number of deepfakes on the internet.

If we consider this an actual reason, it also makes sense and shows the Redmond tech giant’s strong commitment to preventing potential misuse of its technology.

So, whether it was to prevent misuse, add it to a paid version, or make some improvements and then add them back, users are waiting for clarification from Microsoft to know if they will ever be able to use the AI-powered brush removal tool.

Have you also experienced this change in Microsoft Designer? If yes, share with us your experience using the tool and how the removal has affected you in the comments section below.