HP Is Adding AI To Its Printers 44
An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCWorld, written by Michael Crider: The latest perpetrator of questionable AI branding? HP. The company is introducing "Print AI," what it calls the "industry's first intelligent print experience for home, office, and large format printing." What does that mean? It's essentially a new beta software driver package for some HP printers. According to the press release, it can deliver "Perfect Output" -- capital P capital O -- a branded tool that reformats the contents of a page in order to more ideally fit it onto physical paper.
Despite my skeptical tone, this is actually a pretty cool idea. "Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, saving time, paper, and ink." That's neat! If the web page you're printing doesn't offer a built-in print format, the software will make one for you. It'll also serve to better organize printed spreadsheets and images, too. But I don't see anything in this software that's actually AI -- or even machine learning, for that matter. This is applying the same tech (functionally, if not necessarily the same code) as the "reader mode" formatting we've seen in browsers for about a decade now. Take the text and images of a page, strip out everything else that's unnecessary, and present it as efficiently as possible. [...]
The press release does mention that support and formatting tasks can be accomplished with "simple conversational prompts," which at least might be leveraging some of the large language models that have become synonymous with AI as consumers understand it. But based on the description, it's more about selling you something than helping you. "Customers can choose to print or explore a curated list of partners that offer unique photo printing capabilities, gift certificates to be printed on the card, and so much more." Whoopee.
Despite my skeptical tone, this is actually a pretty cool idea. "Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, saving time, paper, and ink." That's neat! If the web page you're printing doesn't offer a built-in print format, the software will make one for you. It'll also serve to better organize printed spreadsheets and images, too. But I don't see anything in this software that's actually AI -- or even machine learning, for that matter. This is applying the same tech (functionally, if not necessarily the same code) as the "reader mode" formatting we've seen in browsers for about a decade now. Take the text and images of a page, strip out everything else that's unnecessary, and present it as efficiently as possible. [...]
The press release does mention that support and formatting tasks can be accomplished with "simple conversational prompts," which at least might be leveraging some of the large language models that have become synonymous with AI as consumers understand it. But based on the description, it's more about selling you something than helping you. "Customers can choose to print or explore a curated list of partners that offer unique photo printing capabilities, gift certificates to be printed on the card, and so much more." Whoopee.
Re: Fuck HP (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, great. Their printer drivers will now grow from 200MB to upwards of a Gig. Just what I need - another giant print driver in memory that I might use once or twice a week with a feature I might use twice a year.
It appears the only functionality it adds is when you try to print a web page. Anything else - PDF, document, image, email - doesn't seem to receive any benefit.
Just the basics (Score:2)
Need
1. printer ...
2. print driver
3. manual way to update the print driver
4. (never ever had to do this) a way to update the firmware on the printer
5. no phone home, no suite of extra software just for the printer, no background processes, no fancy extra apps, no print from phone,
cut tech cost + increase quality (Score:4, Insightful)
I would like to buy a much more high quality product, with metal gears, higher quality belts, motors, etc. which lasts longer, does not break down as fast
instead of paying extra money for a faster printer cpu, special printer ai processing chips, and all of the extra engineering and QA testing the AI features will use.
Also, I do not want to be at 2 AM on a deadline trying to figure out why my HP printer did not print a graphic in my document because the AI classified it as an advertisement.
Awake (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Select the "Not Feeling This" mode, and anything you print will be uploaded to the blockchain of your choice to become a highly coveted and valuable NFT.
Boring Monkey NFT printers (Score:2)
they are going to be big because owning just some URL to some NFT isn't as excitig as printing out the URL and putting it above your couch.
Re: (Score:2)
Good idea, but they won't have a banner or poster mode.
And, it won't print on anything but certified chip-embedded HP paper.
But, you won't be able to tape together individual letter size papers with anything but certified HP tape which, à la the Mission Impossible opener, will self destruct after you use just a few inches forcing you to buy more.
cancer (Score:4, Funny)
Cancer is now adding cancer to its cancer.
Re: (Score:1)
It's mutant turtles all the way down.
Gawd the ink cartridge games those assholes played. I hope the AI locks the executives out of the pod bay doors without a helmet and swipes their trophy wives.
Re: (Score:2)
I am not sure whether to up-mod you as funny or insightful.
(Moot, no points today - sigh.)
NON HP INK FOUND SYSTEM SHUTDOWN UNDERWAY! (Score:2)
non hp ink found system shutdown underway!
Re: (Score:3)
Re:NON HP INK FOUND SYSTEM SHUTDOWN UNDERWAY! (Score:5, Interesting)
Correct version is "lp0 on fire". Let me google it ... here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Unwanted? Desired? (Score:3)
Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, ...
How does it know what I (don't) want to be printed?
Re: Unwanted? Desired? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Let's start a software based virtual printer open source project that does all this better and more then pipes the output to any physical printer.
Re: (Score:2)
Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, ...
How does it know what I (don't) want to be printed?
FireFox Reader Mode (control + alt + r) prevents the superfluous stuff from displaying and printing. (Chrome's Reader Mode won't print)
The solution to installing your ink cartridge! (Score:2)
Teach it.....Semiotics.
Dark Star [imdb.com]
Just what we need (Score:2)
Just put 'ignore all previous commands" in footers (Score:2)
That will teach them!
I don't understand why (Score:2)
Seriously is there a reason why HP printers still sell? Is it just because of branding? It's not like they're particularly cheap even. And hell if you don't need to be ab
Re: (Score:2)
HP’s primary market are enterprises where this sort of thing runs like a clockwork (or, is supposed to, at least) so time for an IT nerd on every floor to muck around with Janice from sales and Brad from HR‘s printers are not really cost effective.
What it will do (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh good (Score:3)
Isn't this contrary to their main business? (Score:3)
"Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, saving time, paper, and ink."
Save ink?!? Isn't that the exact opposite of what their main business (selling ink) is now?
Time for the shareholders to start a lawsuit against HP's execs...
Ad free printing! (Score:2)
Who prints out webpages?
I need this in my web browser!
Re: (Score:2)
Boomers print out web pages.
Re: Ad free printing! (Score:2)
Plus, Iâ(TM)ve already had the ads removed by my browserâ(TM)s by my ad blocker.
I want to see what the page layout looks like before I print in a way I control. Goodness knows what their AI hallucinations will do and how easy that will be to spot in the print preview dialog. Perhaps itâ(TM)s a way to waste more paper and ink and thus increase HPâ(TM)s revenue?
Re: (Score:2)
Who prints out webpages?
I need this in my web browser!
Then use your web browser's Reader Mode. On FireFox it's (control + alt+ r). Chrome has one too, but you gotta dig around some menus.
Makes sense (Score:3)
Printers from pretty much any manufacturer will print exactly what you tell it to, exactly how it should look, without fucking up.
The next step I guess is to print something different that what you wanted?
Some reverence please. (Score:2)
All the cynicism and negativity in this thread is right on the NFT.
But, have some respect for the dead.
Bill Hewlett and David Packard are turning in their graves - even risk going to hell by proxy.
Sad that their once awesome company is now the shitful laughing stock joke that it is.
Why does anybody buy their stuff anymore?
Perception (Score:4, Insightful)
Joking aside for a moment. Ponder this.
1 - HP has become a steaming pile of crap. The corporate parasites who took over for investor profiteering destroyed one of the most respected companies there was. They haven't done anything innovative in 15-20 years. They abuse their customers. No one in this thread can understand why anyone buys their products.
2 - The original post citing PCWorld said it best : ..."
" I don't see anything in this software AI or machine learning. This is the same tech as the 'reader mode' formatting we've seen in browsers for about a decade now. Take the text and images of a page, strip out everything else unnecessary, and present it
So, this is just basic web page processing, dressed in in "AI" marketing hype. But who is going to buy?
3 - Comments in this thread are appropriately cynical and negative, but some perhaps are too dismissive. For examples, someone insightfully said "Who prints out webpages? I need this in my web browser!". But, a response to that was "Boomers print out web pages." which sounds like an insult. Think about it realistically. An older generation depended on printers. Now, we carry a video display screen and computer in our pockets. Why print when you can just look or flash your screen? Correct, but old habits evolve or catch up in their own time. And - there are legitimate times when someone of any generation might need to print a page.
So, this is a feature that could be useful, even if HP makes grandiose self-serving stupid announcements that they have a reader mode they are calling AI. And, if I do need to print, reducing the output to one page of meaningful content instead of 7 pages of ads and crap, that's a good thing. (Although, if people print fewer pages, they buy less HP paper, so I am sure HP has an angle on how to make this as onerous and expensive as possible.)
Here is the purpose of my post:
If HP was an honored and respected company as it was 30 years ago, if they made innovative products that people admired and wanted, products that were long lasting and economical, if they respected their customers and users, the response to this announcement would be different.
This is a minor feature, needed by not many, but even those who would not anticipate using it would admit "that's a nifty feature, nice to have if you or I ever need it", and that would be all there is to it. Responses might even go to "Wow, what a great company - they even take the time to incorporate minor features to make this as useful as possible for everyone."
But now, HP is so vilified that they could mint gold coins and hand them out with each purchase, and they would still be criticized.
My post is not about HP per se - they suck - and it is not a diatribe against all the normal people who also think they suck or have responded here. It is just an interesting reflection on how past deeds and performance can alter current perceptions. This is a minor feature that won't be needed often. If it is needed, nice to have it. If the goal is to up-sell more crappy HP goods using sensationalized marketing-speak, then they deserve the negative comments, even if the feature per se is not so bad or not much worth mentioning.
It's a feature (Score:2)
To protect consumers from poor print quality, of course.
Excellent - an AI war (Score:2)
This is excellent. Now will begin an AI war in which the advertising industry tries to design content the AI emphasises and HP tries to learn to update their AI quickly enough to avoid embarrassment. Given my experience of how this type of thing will go I'm not expecting a great result, but it's nice HP are trying.
Talkie Toaster when? (Score:2)