Microsoft Corporation is making strides to enhance the work experience by integrating AI technology into familiar applications, and providing insights into how AI could revolutionize the workplace. This week, the tech giant announced the expansion of its Microsoft 365 Copilot preview and the release of its 2023 Work Trend Index report titled, “Will AI Fix Work?”
Microsoft 365 Copilot, introduced earlier this year, incorporates generative AI capabilities into everyday applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. With the preview expansion, more customers will have access to these transformative features.
Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index
The 2023 Work Trend Index report highlights the impact of an accelerating work pace on human innovation and how AI can help. The report suggests that early adopters of AI technology could potentially break the cycle of overwhelming workloads and foster an environment conducive to creativity and productivity.
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, emphasized, “This new generation of AI will remove the drudgery of work and unleash creativity. There’s an enormous opportunity for AI-powered tools to help alleviate digital debt, build AI aptitude and empower employees.”
Among the report’s key insights were the detrimental effect of ‘digital debt’ on innovation, the potential for an AI-employee alliance to boost productivity, and the need for AI aptitude across all job roles.
To address these issues and empower businesses in the AI era, Microsoft is launching the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program, which will see 600 enterprise customers worldwide benefit from an invitation-only paid preview program. The program will include new features like Copilot in Whiteboard, which uses natural language to generate and organize ideas and create designs, and Copilot in Outlook, which offers tips and suggestions to help users write more effective emails.
In a bid to help every customer become AI-ready, Microsoft is also rolling out the Semantic Index for Copilot to all Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 customers.
Microsoft’s 365 Copilot is a game-changer. Introducing a range of capabilities that harness the power of AI to boost productivity and unlock creativity. Two key methods of integration bring this technology to life. Embedding within the Microsoft 365 suite for an enhanced user experience and the introduction of a new tool, Business Chat. This AI assistant can generate status updates. Things like similar content based on user prompts and data from meetings, emails, and chat threads.
Microsoft 365 Copilot’s current features:
- Unleashing Creativity: Copilot makes the process of creation more efficient. In Word, Copilot generates a first draft based on user prompts, saving time on writing and editing. Users maintain control over the final product, choosing to keep, modify or discard what Copilot generates. Similarly, in PowerPoint, Copilot can create visually pleasing presentations based on simple prompts. In Excel, Copilot assists with data analysis and visualization, creating professional-looking graphics in seconds.
- Unlocking Productivity: Copilot alleviates the burden of time-consuming tasks. In Outlook, it can summarize long email threads and draft suggested replies, enabling users to manage their inbox more effectively. Within Teams, it can provide real-time meeting summaries. It can identify key discussion points, areas of agreement and disagreement, and suggesting action items. Copilot can also automate repetitive tasks and help create chatbots within the Power Platform.
- Upleveling Skills: Copilot aids in skill development. Enabling users to utilize the full functionality of Microsoft 365 using natural language commands. This feature helps users improve their existing skills and quickly learn new ones.
On top of this, GitHub data indicates that Copilot has proven to be a productivity booster. Among developers who use GitHub Copilot, 88% reported increased productivity, 74% said they could focus on more satisfying work. 77% said it helped them spend less time searching for information or examples.
Additionally, Copilot contributes to a new organizational knowledge model by harnessing underutilized data and insights. It does this via Business Chat, which works across all business data and apps. Business Chat provides the information and insights users need from a sea of data, ultimately saving valuable time. Business Chat can be accessed from Microsoft 365.com, Bing when signed in with a work account, or from Teams.
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