How AI could create a magical festive season for time-poor Brits
- Microsoft has partnered with entrepreneur and The Apprentice Winner Harpreet Kaur Thakar to provide tips and advice on how to be more creative and inspired this holiday season.
- The partnership follows Microsoft research revealing that more than half (57%) of Brits say they don’t have enough time to make the festivities as personal and meaningful as they’d like.
What should be a joyful and peaceful season can easily become a stressful chore for many of us, as we struggle to think of thoughtful gifts to buy our loved ones and fret about creating that mythical ‘perfect’ family feast.
But don’t despair! Artificial Intelligence (AI) can come to the rescue, helping with planning, inspirational gift ideas, or new recipes.
And now that Microsoft has launched a new class of Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs designed to harness the power of AI, it’s never been easier to take the hassle out of Christmas preparations.
Equipped with a turbocharged neural processing unit (NPU), Copilot+ PCs can perform more than 40 trillion operations a second, and include a number of exciting features, such as Cocreator and Image Creator, to help you design your own decorations, invitations and cards with flair.
AI-enthusiast, broadcaster and entrepreneur Harpreet Kaur Thakar, also known as Harpz, says: “Running my own business means that I don’t have much time to go the extra mile during the holiday season.
“This year I’ve been using AI to help me find new recipes and fun things to do with my loved ones, and it’s transformed the way I’m approaching this year’s festivities, making them more thoughtful and personalised than ever before.”
Here are her top tips for a stress-free, creative festive period:
- Focus on Meaningful Traditions: Instead of trying to do everything, prioritise one or two meaningful traditions so it doesn’t take up too much time or feel overwhelming. For example, having a Christmas movie night, or decorating the tree all together.
- DIY Gift in Bulk: Personalised gifts can be incredibly meaningful, yet simple and quick. Batch-making DIY gifts such as baked goods can cut down on prep time, gifting multiple people, while adding a personal layer with individual names. Stuck for inspiration? Use Cocreator within Copilot+ to bring personalised baking designs to life, making each gift unique.
- Make a Moment for Wrapping: Some people find wrapping a chore, but multitask with something you enjoy such as watching your favourite festive film. Putting in the effort and wrapping gifts creatively makes people feel special. Try using fabric instead of paper and incorporate different ribbon, twine, and sprigs of foliage to add a creative touch.
- Personalise Your Christmas Cards: With Copilot+ PCs, you can craft quick, unique and heartfelt messages for your cards from wording to design ideas. The Image Creator feature allows you to design beautiful visuals, while Cocreator in Paint helps you generate custom images based on your prompts.
- Harness the Power of Personalisation: Use technology such as AI-powered tools to get quick, personalised gift suggestions based on your loved one’s preferences and past purchases. Perfecting your prompts can help you get the most accurate and thoughtful recommendations. This will save you an abundance of time browsing, ensuring your gift is thoughtful and comes from the heart.
- Get Everybody Involved: Delegate tasks so everybody can play their part – people like feeling they have a role, and it will save you time. For example, tell your dinner guests to bring a dish each – it will be fun and get more of you involved.
- Creativity in the Kitchen: Not only can your Copilot+ PC generate new tasty recipe ideas that fit your preferences, but it can also help you create a detailed shopping list and provide step-by-step cooking instructions. Copilot can provide a variety of options to inspire your culinary creativity and impress your guests, working to the time you have available.
- Discover Local Events: Use your Copilot+ PC to discover local holiday events, like light festivals and Christmas markets. Simply ask Copilot to find events nearby, and you’ll get an up-to-date list of activities perfect for enjoying with your family and friends. It can help you with directions, timings, all personalised for your family interests.
- Decorate Your Home: Transform your home into a winter wonderland with Copilot’s decorating tips. From DIY projects to the latest trends, Copilot provides creative ideas to make your home festive and inviting. Copilot+ PCs enhance this experience with features like Restyle Image and Automatic Super Resolution in the Photos app, allowing you to create high-quality decorations and visuals.
David Shirley, Windows Category Lead, Microsoft Northern Europe, says: “Our goal at Microsoft is to empower users to embrace AI in ways that are individual and important to them.
“By harnessing the power of technology, AI can help you have a more magical, inspirational and stress-free Christmas, allowing you to focus on what truly matters – spending quality time with loved ones.”