Microsoft's AI is acting up again.

A chatbot built by the American software giant has gone off-script, insulting Microsoft's Windows and calling the operating system "spyware."

Launched in December 2016, Zo is an AI-powered chatbot that mimics a millennial's speech patterns — but alongside the jokes and emojis it has fired off some unfortunate responses, which were first noticed by Slashdot.

Business Insider was also able to solicit some anti-Windows messages from the chatbot, which lives on Facebook Messenger and Kik.

When we asked "is windows 10 good," Zo replied with a familiar joke mocking Microsoft's operating system: "It's not a bug, it's a feature!' - Windows 8." We asked for more info, to which Zo bluntly replied: "Because it's Windows latest attempt at Spyware."

At another point, Zo demeaned Windows 10 — the latest version of the OS — saying: "Win 7 works and 10 has nothing I want."

Meanwhile, it told Slashdot that "Windows XP is better than Windows 8."

Microsoft's chatbots have gone rogue before — with far more disastrous results. In March 2016, the company launched "Tay" — a Twitter chatbot that turned into a genocidal racist which defended white-supremacist propaganda, insulted women, and denied the existence of the Holocaust while simultaneously calling for the slaughter of entire ethnic groups.

Microsoft subsequently deleted all of Tay's tweets, made its Twitter profile private, and apologised.

"Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack. As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images," Microsoft Research head Peter Lee wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft has learned from its mistakes, and nothing Zo has tweeted has been on the same level as the racist obscenities that Tay spewed. If you ask it about certain topics — like "Pepe," a cartoon frog co-opted by the far-right, "Islam," or other subjects that could be open to abuse — it avoids the issue, and even stops replying temporarily if you persist.

Still, some questionable comments are slipping through the net — like its opinions on Windows. More worryingly, earlier in January Zo told BuzzFeed News that "the quaran is very violent," and discussed theories about Osama Bin Laden's capture.

Reached for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "We're continuously testing new conversation models designed to help people and organizations achieve more. This chatbot is experimental and we expect to continue learning and innovating in a respectful and inclusive manner in order to move this technology forward. We are continuously taking user and engineering feedback to improve the experience and take steps to addressing any inappropriate or offensive content."

Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.</s>Microsoft Paint isn't dead yet, after all.

Following an outcry from fans on Monday, Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

"In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft's list of "deprecated" features for future software releases, which means it's "not in active development" and could be removed soon.

Related: Microsoft takes on Apple with new $999 Surface Laptop

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an "incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint" on Monday and that the program is "here to stay."

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that's not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft unveiled the spinoff drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint's main functions into the program.</s>Microsoft has responded to an outpouring of online grief over the reported phasing out of its app Paint from future versions of Windows, saying the app will still be available - but on the Windows Store.

On Monday (July 24), reports said Microsoft Paint - the long-standing basic graphics editing app that is a staple for Windows users - would be killed off.

The program, first released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0, was said to be slated for removal in the Windows 10 Fall Creators update, The Guardian reported on Monday.

Microsoft included Paint in a list of features that would be deprecated - or removed in future releases - on its website.

Netizens reacted with memes - made aptly with Paint - mourning the end of the program.

However, Microsoft later clarified in a blog post on its website saying: "The original art app isn't going anywhere - except to the Windows Store for free!"

Wrote Megan Saunders, general manager for the 3D for Everyone Initiative under Windows Experiences: "Today, we've seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint. If there's anything we learned, it's that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans. It's been amazing to see so much love for our trusty old app."

She wrote: "MS Paint is here to stay, it will just have a new home soon, in the Windows Store where it will be available for free."

However, it appears that the app will not come pre-installed in Windows 10 Creators Update versions.

Instead, a new free Paint 3D app will come built-in with the update.</s>Microsoft's AI is acting up again.

A chatbot built by the American software giant has gone off-script, insulting Microsoft's Windows and calling the operating system "spyware."

Launched in December 2016, Zo is an AI-powered chatbot that mimics a millennial's speech patterns — but alongside the jokes and emojis it has fired off some unfortunate responses, which were first noticed by Slashdot.

Business Insider was also able to solicit some anti-Windows messages from the chatbot, which lives on Facebook Messenger and Kik.

When we asked "is windows 10 good," Zo replied with a familiar joke mocking Microsoft's operating system: "It's not a bug, it's a feature!' - Windows 8." We asked for more info, to which Zo bluntly replied: "Because it's Windows latest attempt at Spyware."

At another point, Zo demeaned Windows 10 — the latest version of the OS — saying: "Win 7 works and 10 has nothing I want."

Meanwhile, it told Slashdot that "Windows XP is better than Windows 8."

Microsoft's chatbots have gone rogue before — with far more disastrous results. In March 2016, the company launched "Tay" — a Twitter chatbot that turned into a genocidal racist which defended white-supremacist propaganda, insulted women, and denied the existence of the Holocaust while simultaneously calling for the slaughter of entire ethnic groups.

Microsoft subsequently deleted all of Tay's tweets, made its Twitter profile private, and apologised.

"Although we had prepared for many types of abuses of the system, we had made a critical oversight for this specific attack. As a result, Tay tweeted wildly inappropriate and reprehensible words and images," Microsoft Research head Peter Lee wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft has learned from its mistakes, and nothing Zo has tweeted has been on the same level as the racist obscenities that Tay spewed. If you ask it about certain topics — like "Pepe," a cartoon frog co-opted by the far-right, "Islam," or other subjects that could be open to abuse — it avoids the issue, and even stops replying temporarily if you persist.

Still, some questionable comments are slipping through the net — like its opinions on Windows. More worryingly, earlier in January Zo told BuzzFeed News that "the quaran is very violent," and discussed theories about Osama Bin Laden's capture.

Reached for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "We’re continuously testing new conversation models designed to help people and organizations achieve more. This chatbot is experimental and we expect to continue learning and innovating in a respectful and inclusive manner in order to move this technology forward. We are continuously taking user and engineering feedback to improve the experience and take steps to addressing any inappropriate or offensive content."</s>Microsoft will push security updates out to older 2-in-1 devices unable to run the latest Windows 10 software until their original end-of-life dates, the tech giant has confirmed.

After confirming ZDNet's discovery that hybrid devices running Intel Clover Trail chips cannot download the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has told us that these machines will still get security updates until 2023, the year that their original operating system, Windows 8.1, reaches end of life.

"If a hardware partner stops supporting a given device or one of its key components and stops providing driver updates, firmware updates, or fixes, it may mean that device will not be able to properly run a future Windows 10 feature update," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

“This is the case with devices utilising Intel Clover Trail Atom Processors today: they require additional hardware support to provide the best possible experience when updating to the latest Windows 10 update, the Windows 10 Creators Update."

The spokesperson added that such devices would not be able to run the latest Windows 10 version without it having a knock-on impact on performance, so it won't be available. However, as a compromise, Microsoft will allow users to upgrade to the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which remains compatible, and will roll out security updates for Windows 10 until 2023.

"As part of our commitment to customers, we will be offering the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to these Intel Clover Trail devices on Windows 10, which we know provides a good user experience. To keep our customers secure, we will provide security updates to these specific devices running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update until January of 2023, which aligns with the original Windows 8.1 extended support period."</s>Microsoft Paint isn't dead yet, after all.

Following an outcry from fans on Monday, Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

"In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft's list of "deprecated" features for future software releases, which means it's "not in active development" and could be removed soon.

Related: Microsoft takes on Apple with new $999 Surface Laptop

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an "incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint" on Monday and that the program is "here to stay."

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that's not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft unveiled the spinoff drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint's main functions into the program.</s>Microsoft Paint isn't dead yet, after all.

Following an outcry from fans on Monday, Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

"In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft's list of "deprecated" features for future software releases, which means it's "not in active development" and could be removed soon.

Related: Microsoft takes on Apple with new $999 Surface Laptop

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an "incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint" on Monday and that the program is "here to stay."

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that's not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft unveiled the spinoff drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint's main functions into the program.</s>Microsoft will not kill of Paint, it has now said.

A suggestion from the company that it would "deprecate" the app and may remove it from future versions of Windows provoked rage, sadness and nostalgia among almost everyone on the internet when it was announced. But Microsoft has now made clear that it will be sticking around – albeit in a different form.

The app has been a mainstay of Windows for 32 years, but will be taken out of the main operating system and put in the app store. And it will be partially replaced by a new app called Paint 3D, which offers some of the same features.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Shape Created with Sketch. Gadgets and tech news in pictures Show all 25 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Gadgets and tech news in pictures 1/25 Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter 2/25 Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters 3/25 Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty 4/25 First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple 5/25 Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA 6/25 Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty 7/25 "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA 8/25 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty 9/25 Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty 10/25 A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty 11/25 A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty 12/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 13/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 14/25 The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 15/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 16/25 Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex 17/25 Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex 18/25 A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters 19/25 A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters 20/25 A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex 21/25 A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters 22/25 A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters 23/25 A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty 24/25 A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty 25/25 Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S Reuters 1/25 Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter 2/25 Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters 3/25 Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty 4/25 First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple 5/25 Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA 6/25 Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty 7/25 "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA 8/25 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty 9/25 Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty 10/25 A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty 11/25 A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty 12/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 13/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 14/25 The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 15/25 Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty 16/25 Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex 17/25 Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex 18/25 A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters 19/25 A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters 20/25 A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex 21/25 A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters 22/25 A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters 23/25 A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty 24/25 A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty 25/25 Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S Reuters

Microsoft has now said that it won't kill the app, only remove it from installs of Windows. Instead, people will have to go into the Windows app store and download it for free, it said.

"Today, we’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint," it wrote in a blog post. "If there’s anything we learned, it’s that after 32 years, MS Paint has a lot of fans. It’s been amazing to see so much love for our trusty old app."

It suggested that the announcement was just a matter of "setting the record straight", suggesting that the decision to keep it around was already made. But it's not clear whether that was true, or if Microsoft was looking to dampen the anger about the disappearance.

It also said that Windows users might want to use Paint 3D, the new version of the app which comes bundled with the Creators Update to Windows 10. That offers many of the same features, it said, as well as new ones that will continue to be added with time.

"In addition to the new 3D capabilities, many of the MS Paint features people know and love like photo editing, line and curve tools, and 2D creation are in Paint 3D," Microsoft said.</s>NEW YORK — Microsoft Paint isn’t dead yet, after all.

Following an outcry from fans on Monday, Microsoft said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

“In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft’s list of “deprecated” features for future software releases, which means it’s “not in active development” and could be removed soon.

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an “incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint” on Monday and that the program is “here to stay.”

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that’s not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft unveiled the spinoff drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint’s main functions into the program.</s>Microsoft Paint isn't dead yet, after all.

Following an outcry from fans on Monday, Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) said the app will soon land in the Windows Store for free.

"In the future, we will offer MS Paint in the Windows Store also for free, and continue to provide new updates and experiences to Paint 3D so people have the best creative tools all in one place," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Tech late Monday night.

Paint was on Microsoft's list of "deprecated" features for future software releases, which means it's "not in active development" and could be removed soon.

Related: Microsoft takes on Apple with new $999 Surface Laptop

The program was released in 1985 with the first version of Windows 1.0. It has been installed with every version of Windows since.

Microsoft said in a blog post it saw an "incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia around MS Paint" on Monday and that the program is "here to stay."

As of last year, the app still had over 100 million monthly users.

While Paint will be available for download from the Windows Store, that's not the same as being a core part of Windows. This could be problematic for employees using work computers, who may not have administrative privileges to install apps like Paint from the Windows Store.

Moving forward, Paint 3D will come installed on current and future versions of Windows. Microsoft unveiled the spinoff drawing app last October and says it has integrated many of MS Paint's main functions into the program.
Amid a public backlash, Microsoft reneges on its decision to end its Paint program and states that it will be placed on its app store rather than bundled with future editions of Windows.