Revolutionizing the Way We Work: Microsoft 365’s Upgraded Suite with Generative AI

Yesterday, Microsoft announced an upgrade to its popular Microsoft 365 suite of apps, providing access to generative AI technology powered by OpenAI for its approximately 400 million paid users. The upgrade brings a host of new capabilities that can revolutionize the way people work, making their daily workflows easier and more efficient through the use of AI. All of this is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 advanced AI language model.

Microsoft 365 head, Jared Spataro said of Copilot, “It works alongside you, embedded in the apps millions of people use every day: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more…Copilot is a whole new way of working.” But Copilot isn’t simply connected to ChatGPT. As Spataro also specified, it combines the Microsoft 365 family of apps with the Microsoft Graph of data and intelligence and GPT-4 in one package.

One of the most exciting new features of the upgraded Microsoft 365 suite is the ability to prepare users for meetings. By plugging into a user’s calendar and email, the AI can generate bullets for them to focus on in their next meeting, making sure they are fully prepared and can make the most of their time. If you have experience with parliamentary procedure, this is a massive time saver for those involved.

Another powerful feature of the upgraded Microsoft 365 suite is the ability to generate documents based on existing documents. For example, if a user wants to create a product announcement, they can type in a prompt and link to an existing product spec elsewhere. The way it works is that Copilot will read the document and generate the new product announcement with stunning context.

But as you can imagine, that’s not all. The GPT-4 powered AI can take preparing PowerPoint presentations, complete with styling and pictures, as simple as inputting prompts. The way it works is that users simply type in the number of slides, styling, and content they want, and Copilot will create the presentation for them. You can see an example of this from a Twitter user below you leaked the video right before the official announcement:

In addition to document creation, the AI can be used to analyze data. Rather than typing in complicated formulas, users can simply ask Copilot a natural language question like “What were the most profitable products this quarter?” And the AI will generate the answer in Excel. For those who are analyzing data or attempting to pull insights, it could be an interesting companion for the user.

Finally, the AI can automatically capture meeting notes. For the rabid note-takers, this is another time saver. The way it works is that Copilot sits on Teams and automatically captures transcripts, speaking, and summary notes, along with action items and tasks, saving users time and improving collaboration. It’s an obvious helper for project managers who want to keep an eye on their meeting’s effectiveness.

This upgrade to the Microsoft 365 suite is a game-changer for enterprise users of any skill as it’s clear that the tech giant wants to ensure users aren’t replaced but enhanced in their abilities while using their programs.

Originally posted on OpenDataScience.com

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