Microsoft Build Unveils AI Innovations: Copilot, Bing AI, and More

Microsoft's Build developer conference is taking place with an in-person event in Seattle, Washington. CEO Satya Nadella delivered the keynote speech at 12 PM Eastern Time / 9 AM Pacific Time this Tuesday. Many sessions are also available for online viewing.

Like other major developer conferences such as Google I/O and Apple's WWDC, Microsoft Build is a platform that unveils new features and provides in-depth sessions for developers and professionals who rely on its tools. While there have been some hardware announcements at past Build conferences, Microsoft usually keeps the focus on software and services. 

AI is taking center stage at this year's Build, with Microsoft introducing exciting new features like the CoPilot experience for Windows 11 and Edge, as well as Bing AI and Copilot plugins for OpenAI's ChatGPT. Microsoft has been hard at work integrating generative AI into many of its products and services, including Bing, Edge, GitHub, and Office productivity suite.

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AI-powered Copilot Assistant is Coming to the Edge

Edge's Copilot leverages the current website as context to assist users across various platforms within the Microsoft 365 Copilot ecosystem, including Office documents, Outlook emails, and more.

Imagine you're exploring a potential client's website as a corporate salesperson. With Copilot in Edge, you can request a comprehensive summary of all interactions related to that lead, encompassing meetings, emails, and chats. Moreover, Copilot can intelligently suggest utilizing the information you're viewing to compose a response to an email from your supervisor regarding the progress of the lead.

Powered by OpenAI, Microsoft 365 Copilot offers a significant enhancement to productivity. Copilot assists in crafting polished communications and enriching documents. Utilizing the advanced GPT-4 AI model, also employed by the new Bing, Copilot streamlines the workflow.

The Edge version of Copilot resides conveniently in the browser's sidebar, remaining active as you navigate. Just like other instances of Copilot, it presents itself as an AI-style dialog box, akin to Bing, ready and waiting for your requests and tasks.

New Plug-ins Come to Bing Chat

Following Microsoft's AI update to Bing earlier this year, the search tool expanded its capabilities beyond providing search results. It can now answer questions, engage in conversations, and generate content in response to user queries. With Microsoft's recent announcement of an extended and substantial investment in its partnership with OpenAI, it is not surprising that Bing has become the default search engine for OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot.

Starting today, ChatGPT Plus users will notice that Bing citations are now appended to the chatbot's responses. This integration allows ChatGPT's answers to be supported by search and web data, providing users with the ability to learn more without leaving the chat interface. Microsoft emphasized this enhancement in a press release, stating, "ChatGPT answers can be grounded by search and web data and include citations so you can learn more—all directly from within chat."

Microsoft has also introduced third-party plug-ins from companies like Expedia, Instacart, and Zillow into Bing chat conversations. This integration makes it easier for users to take action after receiving information. For instance, Bing users inquiring about travel recommendations can now book a trip directly through Expedia or convert recipe suggestions into a shopping list on Instacart.

Microsoft Teams Avatars Rolling Out

Microsoft Teams avatars have arrived, and they are here to revolutionize your virtual meetings. No more worries about being on camera or needing a webcam. Starting this week, Windows PC and Mac users can create their very own 3D avatars to represent themselves in meetings.

With these customizable avatars, you can immerse yourself in the virtual world of Microsoft Teams, bringing a whole new level of engagement and personalization to your collaboration experience. Whether you're presenting, brainstorming, or simply catching up with colleagues, your avatar will be there to convey your presence.

Microsoft is also introducing immersive spaces for Microsoft Teams, currently in private preview.