Microsoft rolls out new Copilot AI features; adds features to Excel and Outlook

Microsoft has unveiled a series of new features and tools to enhance its generative AI suite, aiming to make AI more accessible and valuable for business workers. The company's latest additions include automated agents, expanded capabilities for its Copilot assistants, and a new collaborative tool for multiple workers to interact with AI. This comes as businesses are increasingly exploring ways to leverage AI for productivity and efficiency.

One of the highlights is the introduction of Copilot Pages, a new document type within the BizChat app that enables teams to collaborate using AI tools. Microsoft has also expanded the functionality of its Copilot suite across various applications. For instance, Copilot for Excel now supports Python, while PowerPoint's Copilot has been enhanced with "brand manager" and "narrative builder" roles. Additionally, Teams' Copilot can now combine information from both chat and voice recordings of meetings.

Microsoft is also rolling out a new feature for Copilot’s chat application called Pages, which gives coworkers a space to work together using data they create and as well as content generated by the AI software. Pages saves the AI-generated material in one place and lets workers edit and share it with other employees. The new feature is being released Monday (September 16) will be widely available later this month. “You can ideate with AI and collaborate with other people,” said Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella .

To streamline email management, Microsoft is introducing a tool later this year that will automatically organize inboxes and summarize messages. The company is also making its Copilot agents feature generally available and has launched simplified tools for building agents.

Microsoft shared several customer examples and statistics to showcase the impact of its Copilots. Vodafone, for instance, has paid for 68,000 workers to use these AI assistants.

This announcement comes as other business software companies are also evolving their AI strategies. Microsoft has indicated that this is just the beginning of its AI innovation wave. The company plans to share more details about how Copilot can enhance productivity and business value for customers in the coming months.
Key Features and Highlights
* Copilot Pages: A new document type in BizChat for collaborative AI-powered work.

* Enhanced Copilot Suite: Features like Python support in Excel, specialized roles in PowerPoint, and improved meeting transcription in Teams.

* Automated Inbox Organization: A new Outlook tool for organizing and summarizing messages.

* Agent Builder Tools: Simplified tools for creating custom agents.