Did you miss Microsoft’s AI announcements? Here is a recap summarising everything you need to know.
The way we work is changing. AI is transforming the modern workplace unlocking a new wave of productivity growth, and Microsoft is at the forefront of its innovation. Despite escalating competition from Google, Microsoft and OpenAI remain the leading partnership in AI advancements.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said,
“We formed our partnership with OpenAI around a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratize AI as a new technology platform.”
He also added,
“AI will radically transform how computers help us think, plan and act. Just as we can’t imagine computing today without a keyboard, mouse or multi-touch, going forward, we won’t be able to imagine computing without Copilots and natural language prompts that intuitively help us with continuation, summarisation, chain-of-thought reasoning, reviewing, modifying, and acting.”
At the beginning of the year, Microsoft announced the third phase of its long-term partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment to accelerate the power of next-generation AI. Since then, Microsoft has released a profusion of AI advancements in its technologies. From Azure AI infrastructure and Open AI Service to Copilot capability across Security, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365.
Let’s summarise Microsoft’s recent advancements in the AI space.
Microsoft’s AI Announcements so far and it’s only April…
Reinventing Office 365.
Microsoft 365 and related cloud services deliver a 30% year-on-year revenue increase for the company, representing more than a third of companywide revenue. This continuous growth reflects the transition of its Office franchises more than 10 years ago from traditional software licensing and on-premises installations to the modern world of cloud and subscription pricing.
Now, by venturing into AI, the company is looking to reinvent Office again.
Microsoft 365 Copilot –
Combining the power of large language models with your data, Copilot is a productivity tool that can transform the way you work. Integrated across Microsoft 365, Copilot is an AI tool that enhances the powers of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and more. Copilot is built on Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to security, compliance, privacy and responsible AI.
Microsoft’s Copilot announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of its AI initiatives, and concerns about whether the technology is ready for the modern world. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Modern Work & Business Applications, Jared Spataro said “sometimes Copilot will get it right. Other times it will be usefully wrong, giving you an idea that’s not perfect, but still gives you a head start.”
In a significant act, Microsoft has also released the addition of a chat function called Business Chat, which resembles the popular ChatGPT.
Business Chat –
This tool works across all your apps and data including your emails, files, chats, and calendar to bring information to the surface at your command. Get the insights you need, in the context you choose, and shared with the people you specify in an instant saving you time searching for answers. Using natural language, you can ask Business Chat to, for example, give an update on a specific client. It will then scan recent emails, meeting notes, chats, files, and other information to generate a response.
Microsoft Security Copilot.
Cyber attacks and threats are more sophisticated than ever and often hidden among the noise. Cyber security professionals are scarce. Microsoft’s goal is to empower them with the new era of security, Security Copilot – end-to-end threat defence at machine speed and scale.
Powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 generative AI and Microsoft’s own security-specific model, Security Copilot is a new assistant for cybersecurity professionals. It is designed to assist defenders and security analysts in detecting, investigating, and responding to cyber-attacks more efficiently. Incorporating security skills and threat intelligence from Microsoft’s global network, the Copilot helps users catch what other tools might miss, simplify complex data, and train them on best practices. It’s not designed to replace the work of security analysts; it will augment it and assist them.
Its ultimate goal is to elevate security analysts’ capabilities by improving threat intelligence summarising and interpreting, which enables them to notice malicious activities in online traffic much faster. Security Copilot can also aid in identifying previously undetected threats by leveraging its capability to match threat activity signals and establish appropriate connections during the examination of attacks on data.
Microsoft Security Copilot is currently in preview and available only for selected customers. You can sign up for emails about new product releases and updates on Microsoft’s website. Our team of cyber security experts are already all over this new feature and would be happy to talk to you about it if you’d like to learn more. Or if you’re excited about Microsoft 365 Copilot or Dynamics 365 Copilot then our modern workplace and business applications solutions Consultants would be happy to go through it with you.
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Your Copilot for the Power Platform and Dynamics 365.
Copilot doesn’t stop at Microsoft 365 and Security; it’s integrated across the Power Platform to transform low-code development and embed in Dynamics 365, bringing the world’s first AI-powered Copilot in both CRM and ERP.
Power Apps Copilot –
The future of low-code development for applications is here. Microsoft has implemented next-generation AI into Power Apps enabling users to build their apps with a simple natural language description and receive guidance from an AI Copilot throughout the development process. This transforms the speed and efficiency of low-code development and means users can simply describe their app ideas and have them built by Power Apps.
Copilot in Power Virtual Agents –
The intuitive process of creating bots just got even simpler. Power Virtual Agents now includes GPT capabilities making it easier than ever for users to create powerful bots. Using natural language, users can describe new topics to the Copilot and it will generate an entire topic, including trigger phrases and questions based on user specifications. With the natural language iteration feature, users can effortlessly generate JSON for adaptive cards that summarise customer details. This functionality allows for easy editing, testing, and publishing of bots on multiple channels.
Interactive, AI-powered assistance across CRM & ERP –
Say goodbye to manual, tedious CRM and ERP tasks with the next era of business applications. Dynamics 365 Copilot takes advantage of recent advancements in generative AI to automate burdensome jobs like manual data entry, content generation and notetaking, freeing up time and resources for more meaningful work. Designed and built for sales, service, marketing, operations and supply chain roles, Dynamics 365 Copilot empowers users with AI tools that eliminate mundane tasks and enhance knowledge and expertise.
Copilot is featured across the Dynamics 365 products portfolio including Sales and Viva Sales, Customer Service, Customer Insights, Marketing, Business Central, and Microsoft Supply Chain Centre. It brings the latest AI advancements to every line of business, transforming the customer and employee experience, and improving efficiency, productivity, and engagement.
Microsoft has emphasised that for now, these features are “experimental previews powered by Azure OpenAI Service with GPT” and warns that they are not yet meant for production use. But these exciting advancements are not far off official use. Copilot is going to become a familiar everyday tool that many of us will rely on to get work done more efficiently and creatively.
Integrating OpenAI’s models into Bing and Edge.
Google Chrome has been the dominant search engine for decades, but could Microsoft’s advances in Bing and Edge overtake Google’s leading service?
Since the launch of Chat GPT in November 2022, many of us anticipated that the future of the search engine and the browser would change dramatically.
Well, we weren’t wrong.
In February, Microsoft launched its AI-powered Copilot for the web – the new Bing and Edge.
Bringing together search, browsing, and chat into one unified experience, the new Bing delivers a better search experience, complete answers, chat capabilities for complex searches, and a modern interface. There are 10 billion search queries a day, but Microsoft estimates that half of them go unanswered. Why? Because so many of us are using search to do things it wasn’t originally created to do. It’s great for finding a website, but for more complex tasks it’s often unhelpful.
The new Bing and Edge experience is a result of four technical breakthroughs; the Next-generation OpenAI model, the Microsoft Prometheus model, applying AI to core search algorithm, and the new unified user experience. All is possible because of OpenAI and Microsoft’s advancements in building Azure into an AI supercomputer for the world.
So, What is the New Bing?
It’s like having a research assistant at your side when you’re searching the web. Using AI-powered features you can ask your specific question, and regardless of complexity, you’ll get a specific answer that’s as detailed as you like. You can then ask for further insight, more clarification, or to summarise, it’s that simple. Bing chat also provides you with the sources, so you’re able to see links to the web content it references.
Find the new AI-Powered Bing in Your Windows 11 Taskbar!
Microsoft has implemented the new AI-powered Bing directly into the Windows 11 taskbar on the bottom of your desktop screen. From this simple and central location, you can search Windows and the web, and find the answers to what you’re looking for, faster than ever before.
Azure OpenAI Service
Azure OpenAI Service brings the power of OpenAI’s GPT and DALL-E models to organisations everywhere backed by Microsoft’s infrastructure. With Azure OpenAI, customers get the security capabilities of Microsoft Azure while running the same models as OpenAI. It also offers private networking, regional availability, and responsible AI content filtering.
Organisations of all sizes and across all sectors are leveraging Azure OpenAI Service to optimise their operations, enhance end-user experiences, and achieve greater efficiencies. From small startups to multinational corporations like KPMG, businesses are harnessing the power of Azure OpenAI Service to accomplish advanced objectives such as customer support and customisation, as well as leveraging insights from data through search, data extraction, and classification.
With Azure OpenAI Service now generally available, more businesses can apply for access. Find out more information here.
Getting Started with AI
As AI technology continues to rapidly advance, it can be challenging to keep up or know where to begin to effectively integrate it into your operations.
The 848 Group is a Tier 1 Microsoft Solutions Partner, we’re experts in designing, building, and implementing cloud first solutions underpinned by Microsoft technology.
Our certified team of specialists have deep expertise in Microsoft AI technologies and can help your business implement new AI advancements in a way that aligns with your unique requirements. Whether it’s leveraging AI for customer service, automating routine tasks, or analysing data to drive strategic decision-making, we can provide the guidance and support necessary to ensure a successful and impactful AI implementation.
Get in touch to book your initial consultation with our experts.