TMCnet News
Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program with Generative AI Capabilities![]() TMCnet News Microsoft - a company that's always on the hunt for innovation - officially announced its integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into a suite of productivity tools. Microsoft 365 Copilot will now integrate said AI across popular applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams. This expansion of the "new" Microsoft 365 Copilot is reportedly backed by insights from the company's 2023 Work Trend Index report, "Will AI Fix Work?" This Work Trend Index report emphasizes that, with the consistently increasing speeds of workforce operations, it may be plausible that a number of traditional human work capabilities will become outstripped, i.e. potentially stifling innovation. AI, however (per Microsoft), can alleviate such worries while - in the same breath -boost both creativity and productivity. Satya Nadella (News - Alert), chairman and CEO of Microsoft, highlighted the transformative potential of AI in the workplace. "This new generation of AI will remove the drudgery of work and unleash creativity," he said. "There's an enormous opportunity for AI-powered tools to help alleviate digital debt, build AI aptitude and empower employees." The report shares valuable insights for business leaders seeking to responsibly adopt AI in their organizations. It highlights the urgency to address an idea that Nadella talked about, in terms of 'digital debt' - the overwhelming volume of data, emails, and chats that outpace our ability to process. This digital debt, the report argues, is a threat to innovation. Moreover, more of the report's data suggests an emerging AI-employee alliance. While 49% of people fear that AI will replace their jobs, a larger proportion (70%) would, on the other hand, delegate as much work as possible to AI to lessen their workloads. This identifies the need for AI aptitude across all employees, not just AI experts. So, to help businesses adapt to the AI era, Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program launch will comprise of an initial wave of 600 enterprise customers worldwide in an invitation-only paid preview program. New capabilities will be added to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva, including Copilot in Whiteboard, Copilot in PowerPoint, Copilot in Outlook and OneNote, and more. Edited by Alex Passett |