Antidote 12. When AI revolutionises writing support

Last updated on 27 May 2025

The famous Antidote software, a key reference in terms of correction and drafting assistance, has just announced a major update to the software.

AsA loyal user of Antidote for several years, I have never been disappointed by this software, which has always stood out for its rigour and precision. With the release of Antidote 12, Computer Druid, however, is taking a new step. A major and spectacular evolution.

This new edition does not just correct your texts; it dramatically improves them by harnessing the full potential of AI.

🔄 Update May 2025 : Antidote 12 continues to evolve! New features make reformulation even more flexible, refine correction, and enrich dictionaries with thousands of new terms. Integration with Microsoft 365 is also simplified.

I invite you to discover the new features of Antidote 12, innovative features that may transform the way you write!

AI at the service of your pen

The great novelty of Antidote 12 is advanced integration of generative artificial intelligence. It is an AI designed in-house by Druide informatique, which it has been perfecting in its enchanted cauldrons for several years. Gone are the days when a proofreader simply pointed out your mistakes.

Antidote 12 therefore offers a "Reformulation" mode that works wonders. Powered by generative artificial intelligence, this mode offers five parts to refine your text:

• Rewrite: Explore different ways of formulating a sentence or paragraph, offering four variants from the closest to the furthest away from the original.
• Retouch: Makes more subtle adjustments, such as simplifying complex sentences or replacing heavy formulations.
• Spice up: Suggests alternatives for inclusive writing, replacing for example ‘I question the editors’ with ‘I question the editors’ or ‘I question the editors’.
• Moderate: Softens the tone of a message, ideal for sensitive emails or situations requiring diplomacy.
• Shorten: Proposes changes to condense the text, without summarizing it.

I find Druide informatique’s approach particularly relevant. AI does not automatically transform the text, but offers suggestions that you are free to accept or not. This processing takes place via the publisher’s servers, ensuring the confidentiality of data that is not reused for model training.

🔄 Since the recent update of May 2025, reformulation becomes even more flexible. You can now select only the parts that interest you in a suggestion by double-clicking in the tooltip. No need to accept or reject a block reformulation!

Another practical novelty: you can request a reformulation directly during a correction session, without switching to Reformulation mode.

The Style section is also enriched by a new reformulation button which offers alternatives to avoid repetitions, lighten heavy turns or transform abbreviated doublets (reader) into more elegant inclusive formulas.

But that is not all, when Antidote offers an update to its software, it does not do things halfway.

A proofreader smarter than ever

Beyond reformulation, Antidote 12 also improves its correction functions.

The "Correction Express" allows on-the-fly correction directly in your browser. It is very practical to use and this function had been expected for some time.

A small Antidote vial appears in the input field, reporting errors and offering suggestions. A simple click on the vial opens the text in the full Antidote interface for further corrections.

The latest improvements further enhance the accuracy of the corrector, for example a refined detection of the vexing tone.

Thanks to new neural engines, error detection is more accurate than ever, especially for the English version of the software.

The Anti-Oops! : a Digital Safeguard

One feature that particularly appealed to me was the Anti-Oups!. Imagine a benevolent assistant checking your emails before they are sent, not only detecting classic errors, such as shells or the absence of an attachment in your message, but also, and this is new in this edition of Antidote, the potentially vexing tone of certain passages.

A bargain to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and tensions in our professional email communications. Anyone who has never regretted a message sent too quickly to a colleague, to a director or to the … Academic Inspectorate.

Deep integration with online tools

Antidote 12 now integrates seamlessly with many online applications, such as Google Docs, Outlook and Gmail. The new Correction Express even allows you to get diagnoses directly in your browser, without having to open the main application.

Integration with the Microsoft ecosystem takes a leap forward with the New Universal Connector. It greatly facilitates installation in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, both on-premises and online versions, on both Windows and Mac.

Once added from your applications, the Antidote tab remains permanently displayed in the ribbon, providing permanent access to correction and reformulation tools without further manipulation

Enriched language resources

Incidentally, Antidote’s dictionaries and guides have also benefited from significant updates. More than 5,200 new words and phrases have been added to the English dictionary, while the English version has been enriched by 6,800 new entries.

The language guides welcome new articles, while the optional English module introduces Antidote’s first bilingual guides: "French and English" and "English and French". These new articles provide a better understanding of the subtleties and differences between the two languages. Antidote also speaks and corrects English.

The guides also added new etymological remarks clarifying the origin of mysterious phrases such as ‘bayer aux crows’ or ‘give the cat its tongue’.

A versatile educational tool

The use of Antidote 12 in education offers many interesting opportunities to improve French language learning and proficiency. Several universities, like Angers, have integrated it as part of an inclusive policy for students affected by a DYS written language disorder.

For students, AI-assisted reformulation allows them to explore different ways to express their ideas, improve their style and gain clarity. Enriched dictionaries and guides provide comprehensive linguistic support, facilitating the learning of vocabulary and grammatical rules.

Antidote 12 is also a useful tool for teachers. It will allow you to facilitate the correction of copies. It can also offer examples and explanations on the language to enrich the courses.

It can finally and above all allow you to create quality teaching materials without the slightest fault.

Subscription software

With Antidote 12, Druide informatique adopts a subscription model. Moreover, Antidote 12 is not provided individually. It is one of the ingredients of a set called Antidote+ which offers Antidote Web and Antidote Mobile at the same time. Antidote Web offers all Antidote 12 tools, but online.

It is therefore particularly interesting for those who have a computer with insufficient capacity to install Antidote 12 or for tablet users. Antidote Mobile proposes to install Antidote’s dictionaries and guides on an iPhone or iPad.

There are two versions of Antidote+: Antidote+ Personnel has an annual rate of EUR 59; Family Antidote+ (for 5 users from the same family) costs EUR 99 per year.

Perpetual licensees of an earlier edition benefit from upgrade or discount options on the subscription.

My opinion

As a journalist and passionate about educational technologies, I do not hide that I was thrilled by this new edition of Antidote.

The software pushes the boundaries of what I expected from a writing tool. The integration of generative AI opens up interesting opportunities to improve the quality of our writing.

The reformulation function is particularly impressive. It not only corrects errors, but also improves the style and clarity of the text. It’s like having a personal writing coach just a click away!

By intelligently integrating generative AI, Antidote is no longer content to be the best spell and grammar corrector on the French-speaking market: he becomes a veritable editorial assistant who pushes the boundaries of writing aid.
Fidel Navamuel – Tice Tools

One before and one after for IT writing tools

Antidote 12 represents a leap forward significant in the area of drafting tools. By combining the power of AI with a solid linguistic base, it offers valuable assistance to anyone looking to improve the quality of their writing.

Feel free to share your experiences with Antidote 12 in the comments. Have you ever had the opportunity to test its new features? What are your impressions? I look forward to your feedback!

 

The copy of Antidote 12 that I used for this test was provided to me as a preview for no consideration by the Mysoft Company which distributes the Antidote software in France. I thank her.