AI Tools from Microsoft: Changing the Way You Work!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is popping up everywhere you look these days. New tools like ChatGPT are powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) that are trained on mountains of data so they can respond to your requests almost as well as a person. There is no doubt that these tools are incredible! The first AI tool from Microsoft is the one we are most excited about; the new Microsoft 365 Copilot which is coming out November 1st. The second started its preview in September.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI powered tool that interacts with your Microsoft 365 data to help you work more efficiently than ever.
- Do you ever wish you could create a proposal automatically from your meeting notes and spec document?
- Do you ever wish you could automatically add animations and fun visuals throughout your PowerPoint presentation?
- What about a recap of a Teams meeting you missed?
Well now you can! In the September 21st Microsoft Event announcing this amazing new tool, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, summed it up well by saying, “Today marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity growth.”
Words can’t do justice to the amazing power of Microsoft 365 Copilot, so check out a few of these short 1-2 minute videos:
Microsoft 365 Copilot Video: Introducing Copilot in Windows 11, new AI tools and more
Microsoft 365 Copilot—Business Chat
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams Meetings
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Outlook
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Excel
Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint
One more if you want to know how Microsoft 365 Copilot works: The Copilot System Explained by Microsoft
I can hear you thinking ‘Oh wow! This is so amazing! How much is this going to cost?!?” It will be $30/user/month. Is that expensive? Cheap? When I first heard the price my gut reaction was that it was quite expensive. Then I thought, ‘what if this can save me just 10 minutes per day?’ That would work out to about 200 minutes (over 3 hours) per month. So as long as someone is making over $10/hour, it’s totally worth it!
The second AI tool from Microsoft is built right into Windows—the new Copilot for Windows was available in preview starting September 26th. How is this different from Microsoft 365 Copilot? While they have many similarities, Microsoft 365 Copilot is focused on interacting with your company data in Microsoft 365. Copilot for Windows is focused on interacting with your computer and the work you do on your computer.
- Trying to arrange all the windows on your screen nicely?
- Trying to find the setting to turn on dark mode?
- Need a summary of the webpage you’re looking at?
- Want to remove the background from an image in your clipboard?
Copilot for Windows can help! Looks like this will only be available for Windows 11 computers, so if you’re still on Windows 10, let’s get you upgraded!
So let’s wrap this up. Microsoft is going ‘all in’ with AI and they’re not alone. AI is going to change the way we work and I for one am very excited with what I’m seeing so far!
Did you ever think we’d get to a place where yelling at your computer actually got you want you wanted? What an amazing time to be alive! We hope you’re feeling as excited as we are about the new era of technology. We’ll keep you updated with how we’re using these tools, how others are incorporating them, and provide regular webinars and short videos with relevant information. — Chris Wendt