Microsoft Research outlines AI as a Living Medium for interactive text shaping
Microsoft Research presented its "AI as a Living Medium" project, which treats generative AI not as a static answer box but as a manipulable material. The approach expands interaction beyond prompting, allowing users to select, move, mix, transform, and rearrange text, diagrams, and other media much like editing a photo or sculpting clay.
Key points
- Microsoft Research proposes AI as a "Living Medium" enabling direct manipulation of generated content.
- Prototypes include Texterial (text‑as‑clay), Live Artifacts/LiveCanvas, and MagicCopy for cross‑app data reshaping.
- User study involved 16 participants; Texterial earned an Honorable Mention at CHI 2026.
The research includes several prototypes: "Texterial" explores text‑as‑clay and text‑as‑plants interactions; "Live Artifacts" and the "LiveCanvas" system keep generative mechanisms embedded in content so that text, images, or audio can update automatically based on time, location, or live data; and "MagicCopy" lets users move data across apps while preserving structure and context. A user study with 16 participants evaluated MagicCopy, and Texterial received an Honorable Mention Award at CHI 2026. The authors stress that while AI can handle preparation and transformation, humans must still decide purpose, correctness, and final adoption.
From AI as an 'Answering Tool' to 'Material for Thinking'? Reading Microsoft Research's 'Living Medium'
note.com · 22 October 2026
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