Microsoft Word to get AI-powered text prediction feature next month

It will help users to write more efficiently by predicting text quickly and accurately, the company claims

Microsoft is planning to add a new Microsoft Editor feature in Word for Windows to lessen the work for users while creating a document.

Called 'text predictions', the new feature is expected to be rolled out in March.

Microsoft first announced a beta of text predictions in September last year, but an update to the Microsoft 365 roadmap suggests that the company wants the new feature to reach all Word users on Windows next month.

According to Microsoft, the new feature will help users "write more efficiently by predicting text quickly, timely and accurately".

It will also help reduce spelling and grammar errors and will learn over time to give users the best recommendations based on their writing style.

The feature will work in the same way as the Smart Compose feature offered to Google Docs users.

The functionality will use machine learning algorithms to predict text in real-time as the user types in a document. The suggestion will appear in grey font and to accept them, the user will need to hit the TAB key; to ignore the suggested text, the user presses the ESC key.

According to Microsoft, the predictive text feature will improve over time as it learns more about the user's writing style.

Initially, the feature will be launched for English-speaking users only, and will be turned on by default, although Word users can also disable it completely in case they don't want to use the feature.

As well as Office 365 users, the predictive text feature will also come to Outlook, allowing users to write emails faster.

Concerning privacy, the company says that the data collected by the feature will not "leave the tenant boundary," and no human users will be able to see it, unless it is "donated as part of the feedback mechanism".

In addition to predictive text, Microsoft is working to introduce a new commenting feature on Word for Windows and Mac.

This functionality will enable users to share their comments "with co-authors only once they're complete, enjoy improved @mention notifications, and be more productive with a consistent commenting experience between Word, Excel and PowerPoint".

This feature is expected to roll out for Windows and Mac users in the coming months.