And while we hit a huge chunk of these announcements, we’re now going to recap some of our favorite sessions as well as announcements that you might have missed in the past few days. Here’s everything that you might have missed:

Windows Copilot for Windows 11

Panos Panay, Microsoft’s executive vice president unveiled that the company is getting ready to unveil Windows Copilot in preview next month. A tool designed to provide centralized AI assistance for customers.

It was further disclosed that the tool will ship with a shortcut in the Windows 11 taskbar, which will feature a pop-up window. Users can ask any questions they might have pertaining to the operating system via this window. Additionally, users will also have the capability to dock the AI-powered assistant in a side pane.

Additionally, the assistant will also be integrated with Bing Chat thus allowing users to access third-party services using ChatGPT plugins. Keeping in mind that Microsoft’s adoption of open plugin standards, which in turn avail ChatGPT plugins across Bing, Microsoft 365 Copilot, as well as Windows Copilot.

Microsoft adopting open plugin standards for Bing and Copilot

During the developer conference, Microsoft announced that it will be transitioning to an open plugin system. As such, users will now be able to use a single platform to build plugins for commercial and consumer artificially led services across Bing, ChatGPT, Dynamics 365, and more.

Essentially, this means that when the developers hit the ground running and start building applications featuring AI capabilities using the new Azure OpenAI Service, they’ll automatically be compatible with the new set plugin standard. As we speak, Microsoft currently expanding its support to services like Kayak, Refin, and more.

AI-powered Microsoft Store

Microsoft is also shipping AI capabilities to its Store app. Per the announcement, the AI Hub will provide users with a curated experience featuring AI-powered apps in the Microsoft Store.

Additionally, Microsoft Store will also feature a new capability that will help users summarize customer reviews for apps. This will in turn make it easier for users to get a general idea of the app’s user experience based on the feedback provided.

Discoverability for apps in the Microsoft Store will also be enhanced significantly. App developers will soon be able to suggest search tags for their apps. The new improvement will leverage AI capabilities to consume the app’s metadata and signals, ultimately enhancing its discoverability in the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft 365 Copilot integrated into Edge

In March, Microsoft debuted Microsoft 365 Copilot. A tool designed to help people with generating emails, documents, and more. The tool is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 and ships with Copilot for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and the Power Platform. And this week, the company announced that it was incorporating third-party plugin support into the tool.

Alongside this new addition, Microsoft will further integrate the tool in Edge. Essentially, this will help incorporate and enhance work-related functionalities in the browser’s Sidebar. As such, users will have access to powerful tools that will come in handy when it comes to answering questions, and completing tasks ultimately enhancing productivity.

And while the tool is still in private preview, Microsoft recently unveiled a paid early access program earlier this month, thus granting more users access to the tool which in turn will help them reshape and transform work.

Microsoft also announced Edge for Business within the Edge browser in preview for managed devices. The new experience is powered by Azure Active Directory (AAD) and is designed to mitigate issues that arise when it comes to hybrid work by separating personal and work browsing.

Bing Search integrated into ChatGPT

During the developer conference, Microsoft also announced its extended partnership with OpenAI and unveiled that the integration of Bing into ChatGPT as the platform’s default search experience.

Microsoft’s CVP at Modern Life and Devices Group, Yusuf Mehdi, indicated that:

ChatGPT will now have a world-class search engine built-in to provide timelier and more up-to-date answers with access from the web. Now, ChatGPT answers can be grounded by search and web data and include citations so you can learn more—all directly from within chat.

Windows becomes more appealing to Developers with AI

It’s very apparent that Microsoft has been busy at work making efforts to provide a suitable environment for developers across its ecosystem, particularly in Windows. During Build 2023, the company further affirmed its commitment to this cause with AI capabilities.

Microsoft announced notable additions coming to Windows 11 for developers like the ONNX runtime for Hybrid AI Loop, and Dev Home. The company further indicated that it is working towards enabling Hybrid AI Loop in Windows 11 via ONNX runtime. As such, it’ll be possible for third-party developers to make use of the same tools leveraged by the company’s high-ranking engineers to run AI models across Windows, iOS, Android, and Linux.

Additionally, the company also announced that it will be incorporating GitHub Copilot X into Windows Terminal. This way, users will be able to leverage natural language AI in inline and chat experiences right from the command line. In turn, it will be easier for developers to code as they’ll now get command suggestions, explanations for errors, and more.

Wrap up

These are some of the key announcements, we only hit the highlights. We invite you to head over to the Build 2023 website for more information and details pertaining to the announcements made. Do let us know which sessions you like best and what features you’re anticipating most in the comments.

And now, as more organizations begin to embrace and inject AI into their services and products, there’s a growing need to help them learn how to leverage AI capabilities to reshape work and ultimately promote creativity as well as productivity.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program

As such, Microsoft has announced the launch of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program. It’s an invitation-only, paid preview program that’s set to roll out to only 600 clients across the globe at first.

The company has received overwhelming feedback from the clients it’s been testing the tool with indicating that the tool can be leveraged to transform and reshape work. The organizations further added that the Copilot can be used to make meetings more impactful and better overall. What’s more, it can be used to help boost creativity.

Semantic Index for Copilot

Additionally, Microsoft has also announced that it’s set to start rolling out Semantic Index for Copilot, a new capability in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5. The tool will present users with a detailed report highlighting company data alongside the user. The company further added that it makes use of conceptual understanding so that it’s possible to meet your needs and wants.

Aside from the Copilot early access program, Microsoft has also made several announcements highlighting new capabilities coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot. Here’s everything you need to know:

Copilot in Whiteboard

Microsoft is bringing significant changes to Copilot in Whiteboard such that users will now be able to leverage its capabilities to make their Microsoft Teams meetings more interactive and impactful. In that, they can make use of the tool to come up with creative ideas, and designs that bring ideas to life, and even use it to organize ideas into themes.

The company further added that:

And with the power of Microsoft Designer, Copilot in Whiteboard can turn your ideas into original images that complement and enhance your text.

Copilot in PowerPoint

The company also indicated that it will be incorporating Dall-E, OpenAI’s image generator into PowerPoint. As such, users can ask Copilot to generate custom images that will make their presentations better.

What’s more, with these new changes, users will now also have the capability to refresh the content in their presentations by either turning bullet points into paragraphs or vice versa. Additionally, they’ll also be able to change the tone of the text in the presentation and even make it more contextual.

Copilot in Outlook

If you struggle with composing emails, Copilot is getting a new update that will make the process easier for you. All you need to do is to draft an email and the AI assistant will do the rest for you which includes providing tips and suggestions that will help you improve on clarity as well as tone,

Copilot in OneNote

In April, we got a slight glimpse of how Microsoft intends AI Copilot to work in OneNote. The company stated that the tool leverages “the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data from the Microsoft Graph—notes, calendars, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and more—and the Microsoft 365 apps to turn your words into a powerful productivity tool.”

And now, Microsoft has detailed that users can enhance and redesign their notebooks on OneNote using just their words. It further added that users can use it to reorganize content, change format, and even highlight key points.

Copilot in Loop

Loop components provide multiple users collaborating on a project with a centralized location where they can share, exchange, and create ideas. And while this is quite helpful, over time the space begins to get cluttered making it impossible for some users to keep up with new changes and information coming in.

But luckily with the new update, users can ask the Copilot to summarize all the content on the Loop content thus making it easier to catch up with everything. What’s more, it’s possible to edit the summaries generated by the Copilot, add additional details, and even send out the summaries to other users as Loop components.

Copilot in Viva

Microsoft is bringing Copilot to Microsoft Viva, The tool will help employees curate their own learning experiences including designing upskilling paths,
discovering relevant learning resources, and scheduling time for assigned training.

The company has also announced that academies in Viva Learning has finally shipped to general availability. This means that organizations can now create role and line-of-business-specific experiences, thus providing employees with great learning opportunities.

What are your thoughts on the Copilot expansion? Let us know in the comments.

Featured image via Bing Image Creator 

Step 1: Check your eligibility for the Microsoft 365 Insider program on Windows

To check if you’re eligible to install Microsoft 365 Insider builds, open a desktop application like Word or Excel and click on Account. Look for your license under Product Information and compare it to the license types listed below.

• If you have a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription, you can install Insider builds by following the instructions provided on the page. Look for “Microsoft 365” under Subscription Product, and you should also see a “Microsoft 365 Insider” button.
• If you have a Business/Education subscription, your Microsoft 365 administrator manages your subscription, and you won’t be able to install or manage Insider builds unless they enable it.
• If you have a perpetual license, such as a year like 2019 or “LTSC” in your license name, you have a non-subscription version of Office and won’t be able to join the Microsoft 365 Insider program.

Step 2: Choose an Insider level

Microsoft 365 Insider for Windows offers two levels for those with a Microsoft 365 subscription: Beta Channel and Current Channel (Preview). The Beta Channel is best for those who want to use the latest builds to identify issues and provide feedback about new features still in development. The Current Channel (Preview) is best for early adopters who want early access to new features but also want to receive less frequent, more stable updates.

Step 3: Install Microsoft 365 Insider builds

To install Insider builds, open any Microsoft 365 app on Windows and click on File > Account > Microsoft 365 Insider > Join Microsoft 365 Insider.

In the Join Microsoft 365 Insider dialog box, check the box next to “Sign me up for early access to new releases of Microsoft 365 apps” and choose the Insider channel you want. Click the box to “Check for and apply updates” and “I agree to the terms and conditions…” and then click OK.

Depending on your notification settings, you may need to confirm that you want to allow the app to make changes to your device. After which you should get a confirmation message that you have successfully joined the program, be sure to click OK again.

Once you have successfully completed the process of joining the Microsoft 365 Insider program and have chosen the Insider level that best suits your needs, clicking OK will allow you to download and install new Insider builds of Microsoft 365 apps on your PC. These new Insider builds will have the latest features and updates not yet released to the general public. Being an Insider member lets you have access to these features early, enabling you to start using them before they become widely available.

However, keep in mind that these Insider builds are still in development, so they may not work seamlessly and can have sudden bugs or glitches that are yet to be ironed out. You can help improve Microsoft 365 Insider builds by giving feedback to Microsoft when a new version causes issues or if you have any suggestions. Overall, clicking OK is an exciting moment and the beginning of your journey to exploring the latest and greatest features of Microsoft 365.

Step 4: Join the Community

If you have any questions or feedback about the Microsoft 365 Insider program or want to access resources to help you get started with the program, the Microsoft 365 Insider Tech Community and the Answers forum are great places to start. These platforms offer a variety of resources, including step-by-step guides and forums where you can connect with other Microsoft 365 Insiders to share feedback and ask questions.

Conclusion

Becoming a Microsoft 365 Insider is an excellent opportunity to get early access to new features and updates before they are released publicly. By following the simple steps outlined in this guide, you can check your eligibility, choose an Insider level, and install Insider builds on your device. Additionally, you can connect with the Microsoft 365 Insider Tech Community and the Answers forum to provide feedback and ask questions. Join the Microsoft 365 Insider program today and experience all that Microsoft 365 has to offer. And if you’re interested in other Microsoft apps and services, be sure to check out our other guides, including Teams, Windows 11, and more.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Yesterday, during Microsoft’s Future of Work with AI webcast the company announced Microsoft 365 Copilot. A new experience that blends the power of large language models with your data in the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps.

The Copilot is incorporated into Microsoft 365 in two ways. First up, it’s designed to work alongside the user. It’s embedded across Microsoft 365 apps, that is, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more.

Next up, the company has launched Business Chat which is designed to work across all Microsoft 365 apps and data in real-time: user’s calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and contacts.

The new feature will automatically inherit your organization’s security, compliance, identity, and privacy policies and processes.

What’s more, it ships with two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, privacy protections, and more to ensure that your security and privacy are maintained.

“Copilot works only with content to which your users already have permission to access,” says Microsoft.

It should be noted that this will not have any impact on Azure Active Directory (AAD) users. The feature is currently shipping to a limited set of commercial customers through a Private Preview program.

Microsoft hasn’t indicated when we should expect it to start rolling out to other users.

New Files app in Teams

Teams users will soon access a new Files app, one that’s designed to let you store, organize and collaborate on all your files anytime from anywhere and across all of your devices securely.

The feature tagged 97677 in Microsoft’s 365 Roadmap adds a modern experience to all of your content from your chats, channels, or meetings including any location from OneDrive or SharePoint.

The menu bar is also getting an update to further enhance the user’s navigation. Here’s everything you’ll be able to do using the updated  menu bar:

• Home: Get back to your recently accessed files
• My files: Access your personal OneDrive files
• Shared: Find files shared with you and files you have shared across M365
• Downloads: Locate files downloaded from Teams on your computer
• Quick Access: Pin document libraries or channels files tab to access them quickly

The new Files app is currently rolling out in Preview and is expected to hit general availability by mid-April.

OneNote viewer in Teams mobile apps

The OneNote viewer feature is shipping to Microsoft Teams. With the feature tagged 103097 in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, users will be able to open and view OneNote notebooks directly from their Teams mobile apps.

However, if you’re looking to make edits, you’ll need the standalone OneNote mobile app. The feature has completely rolled out for Android users and is expected to hit general availability for iOS by late March.

In related news, the web-based Outlook is expected to ship to more users later in April. The company will avail a toggle through which users can transition from the legacy version to the new app.

However, the New Outlook only supports Microsoft Exchange Online and personal Microsoft accounts at the moment. You’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription too.

And finally, 3D avatars are finally coming to Teams. The feature is expected to hit general availability in May. It will revolutionize how people communicate especially during meetings.

That’s it for this week folks! Keep it OnMSFT.com for all your news updates, guides, and more.

During the event, Microsoft announced “Microsoft 365 Copilot,” although it remained vague about either pricing or timelines. You can read a bit more about Copilot, and we’ll keep you updated on all the latest from Microsoft here at OnMSFT.com!

Copilot for Microsoft 365, including Copilot for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and the Power Platform will offer Bing Chat-like interactions with an AI powered back end to bring together information from the Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 apps to make suggestions and generate entire presentations, summaries, and action plans.

These AI generated responses are meant to be a starting point, with the ability for users and workers to analyze, edit, and amend the information, with some strong caveats from Microsoft that the user should always remain in control and not just trust Copilot to get it right the first time. It’s all powered by what Microsoft calls “The Microsoft 365 Copilot System:”

https://youtu.be/8_lXSmlwk1s

What makes Microsoft 365 compelling for work scenarios is that it is “grounded” in a business’s data, informed by the Microsoft Graph. Microsoft has been collating data for companies in the Microsoft Graph for years, keeping track of documents, emails, calendars, chats, meetings, contacts, and more. Copilot can tap into all this data, using the same security features as Microsoft 365:

Built on Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to security, compliance and privacy. Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 and automatically inherits all your company’s valuable security, compliance, and privacy policies and processes. Two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, privacy protections, and more make Copilot the AI solution you can trust.

…

We know data leakage is a concern for customers. Copilot LLMs are not trained on your tenant data or your prompts. Within your tenant, our time-tested permissioning model ensures that data won’t leak across user groups. And on an individual level, Copilot presents only data you can access using the same technology that we’ve been using for years to secure customer data.

While we’ve been hearing that a new Teams client is coming soon, as early as this month, along with the long awaited Microsoft Loop client, Microsoft isn’t saying much so far about when we’ll be able to start seeing Copilot become more widely available across Microsoft 365 apps:

In the months ahead, we’re bringing Copilot to all our productivity apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Viva, Power Platform, and more. We’ll share more on pricing and licensing soon. Earlier this month we announced Dynamics 365 Copilot as the world’s first AI Copilot in both CRM and ERP to bring the next-generation AI to every line of business.

No word on pricing or availability across Microsoft 365 plans, either, so there’s still lots to learn about Microsoft’s “whole new way to work.”