artificial intelligence

microsoft linkedin

Artificial Intelligence is becoming the technology that we want to be integrated into everything.  There’s no doubt about its impact (and potential impact).  Which is why companies are spending a lot of time (and money) researching how to integrate AI into their products.  Microsoft is no different.  Their AI-powered camera app, Pix, just got a new feature – the ability to upload all of the information on a business card into your iPhone Contacts.  While that’s not overly difficult in itself, you can now also check out the person’s LinkedIn account.  All you have to do is open Pix and point your phone’s camera at the business card.  Pix will automatically recognize that it is a business card and then ask you if you want to take action.

microsoft pix

Taking action simply means, you have the option to add the information on the card to your contacts, and then find the person on LinkedIn.  But that’s not all Pix can do.  Originally Pix was designed to enhance your iPhone photos by tweaking things like color, exposure, and other variables.  Then back in the summer, Microsoft added an update that allowed people to turn their photos into art  The idea was that this would be a competitor for the app Prisma.  That particular feature allowed you to take an image and then lets you see it as a time-lapse of the photo being painted in the artistic style that you selected.  Which is really neat, but how useful is this new Contacts/LinkedIn feature going to be?

I like the idea of being able to a few things with the app, but at the same time, I don’t like my apps to be so universal that I only need one.  According to Microsoft, the app is an “intelligent camera” app, that allows you to enjoy life’s moments instead of struggling to capture them.  On the Microsoft website, it actually shows the difference between taking a Live Image on an iPhone, and what the image would look like with Microsoft Pix. And honestly – it is a huge improvement.  But if you’re wanting to be a photo app, why add this LinkedIn feature?  I’m not saying it stands out like a sore thumb, but it just feels like an odd fit in the greater scheme of things.

microsoft pix

Microsoft has been integrating LinkedIn into their other products since they purchased the company back in 2016.  In October, Microsoft integrated LinkedIn with Outlook.com, which allows you to bring your contacts’ LinkedIn profile right into your inbox.  Which makes sense to me.  I mean, this is something that I feel “fits” together nicely with LinkedIn.  That said, I guess the fact that it’s a camera app is really what the connection is.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great idea and utilizing technology in a way that makes our lives easier.  I do think it’s a stretch, but it makes sense that Microsoft is wanting to integrate LinkedIn into their other products since they do own the company.