Tag: artificial-intelligence

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Copilot is no longer just answering questions, it is now building the apps and workflows you never had time to spec

There is a moment in every company where someone says, half joking, “We should build an app for this”, then everyone looks around the room, remembers the backlog in IT, and quietly returns to Excel.

With the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot update, that moment changes. You can still joke about building an app, but now you can actually do it, in the same place you write emails and Teams messages, without begging for a new environment, a database, or a six week intake process.

This release is firmly pointed at work, not personal tinkering. Microsoft is rolling out three big pieces for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers in the Frontier program:

  • App Builder, to turn prompts into lightweight apps and dashboards
  • Workflows, an agent that automates everyday processes using Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Planner and Approvals
  • A lightweight Copilot Studio experience inside Copilot, so employees can create focused agents grounded in real work, then graduate them into full enterprise solutions when IT is ready

All of this runs on your existing Microsoft 365 stack, your permissions model, and your compliance story. That is the bit that should make admins sit up.

From “Can someone build this” to “Copilot, build this”

App Builder is the quiet star if your organisation lives on hero spreadsheets and the occasional half finished Power App.

Inside Copilot, you ask for an app that behaves like a proper front end, then refine it through conversation. Need a dashboard, a few charts, or a simple list with status and owners, you describe it and iterate, all without leaving Copilot.

Under the hood, App Builder:

  • Uses your existing Microsoft 365 content, documents, decks, spreadsheets and notes
  • Stores data in Microsoft Lists, so it is structured and reportable
  • Shares like any other file, with links that respect existing permissions

So you keep data in your tenant, avoid another mystery database, and let the people who own the process shape the app. IT can then standardise patterns and controls, instead of hand crafting every single solution.

Workflows for the people who hate workflows

Power Automate is powerful, but most business users do not want to live in a separate flow designer.

The Workflows agent hides that complexity behind a chat. You say something like:

“Every Monday morning, send our project leads a summary of deadlines from Planner, then post upcoming approvals into this Teams channel.”

Copilot turns that into an automated flow across Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Planner and Approvals, and shows the steps as it builds them. If something looks off, you tweak it in the same conversation.

Workflows is aimed at end users but runs on the same plumbing that powers Agent Flows in Copilot Studio. So you get automation that feels approachable at the front, and enterprise grade reliability at the back.

A mini Copilot Studio in every inbox

Alongside App Builder and Workflows, there is a lighter Copilot Studio experience directly inside Copilot. You describe the agent you want, Copilot turns that into a structured agent with instructions and logic.

Those agents can draw on:

  • SharePoint sites and libraries
  • Teams chats and meeting transcripts
  • Emails and files across Microsoft 365
  • External systems through connectors like ServiceNow or Jira

So instead of one giant Copilot that knows a bit about everything, you can spin up focused agents for HR policy questions, client playbooks, project onboarding, or incident response. When an agent proves it is genuinely useful, IT can lift it into full Copilot Studio, wire in richer workflows, and bring it under proper lifecycle management.

Governance and control, or why IT will not hate this

App Builder, Workflows and the embedded Copilot Studio experience sit on the same security, compliance and reliability foundation as Microsoft 365 Copilot, with Microsoft 365 data and permissions at the core.

For admins, that means:

  • Central visibility into agents and workflows
  • Role based access for building tools
  • A cleaner story for audit, data residency and access control

You still need guardrails, which processes can be prompt built, when human approvals are mandatory, and where certain systems are always off limits. The difference is that you build on governance you already have, rather than inventing a parallel control model.

Availability and how to experiment

App Builder and Workflows are available as agents in the Agent Store for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers in the Frontier program (GA to come later). You can also create personalised agents through the “Create agent” entry point in Copilot.

If you are in that program, this is the moment to move beyond “summarise this document” and run a small but serious experiment

Pick one noisy process. Launch tracking, approvals, onboarding, status reporting.

Let the business write the first prompt. The people who live the pain describe the app or workflow, IT refines and applies policy.

Set a few clear rules. What data is off limits, where human approvals must stay, when an agent needs review before wider use.

Measure outcome, not theatre. Watch email volume, cycle time, error rates and meeting load. Adjust if nothing actually changes.

My take

Low code has been promising for years that business users can build what they need while IT keeps everything safe. In reality, most organisations have a few heroes, a graveyard of half finished apps, and a backlog that never really shrinks.

By letting people describe the outcome and turning that into apps, workflows and agents inside the tools they already use, Copilot is trying to shave a lot of friction out of that story. Because it sits on familiar building blocks like Microsoft Lists, SharePoint, Teams and Copilot Studio, IT does not have to pretend this is a separate universe.

No, this will not turn every employee into an app designer. You still need patterns, governance, reviews and someone who keeps the ecosystem tidy. But if it shrinks the gap between “we should fix this process” and “we actually did something about it” from months to hours, that is a very real enterprise win.

The better question now is not “can Copilot build for us”, it is “what are the first five things we are brave enough to let it build”.

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Beyond One-Size-Fits-All AI: What Model Choice Means for Copilot and Modern Work

Microsoft is opening up model choice in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Alongside OpenAI models, you can now bring Anthropic’s Claude models into specific experiences like the new Researcher agent and when you build agents in Copilot Studio. For Modern Work leaders, this shifts the conversation from which single LLM to use, to which model fits each job, under the right guardrails.

I like this change because it treats AI as an operating capability, not a magic feature. With model choice, we can design for outcomes, align risk to data classes, and get smarter about cost and performance over time.

The quick take

  • You can choose the model per task, starting with Researcher and Copilot Studio.
  • You can mix models inside one solution, routing different tasks to the model that performs best.
  • Governance needs a clear decision when enabling Anthropic in Microsoft 365, because some Microsoft commitments do not apply to third party processing.
  • This is a portfolio decision, not a one time bet on a single model.

Why Modern Work leaders should care

  1. Task fit beats brand preference
    Different models shine at different jobs. Long form reasoning, structured extraction, brainstorming, and policy aware drafting do not always need the same engine. With choice, you can assign the right model to the right work, measure outcomes, and avoid the model monoculture trap.
  2. Cleaner governance conversations
    Risk teams can finally review model use per scenario, not as an all or nothing decision. You can approve Anthropic for specific tasks and data classes, document the terms, and keep everything else on Microsoft’s default path. That keeps innovation moving, without creating shadow AI.
  3. Better economics without cutting quality
    Once you benchmark quality, latency, and token spend, you can reserve premium reasoning models for high impact tasks, and use more efficient options for routine flows. That is how AI moves from interesting to economical.

What to do in the short term

Here is a pragmatic plan you can run without a giant program. It keeps scope tight and focuses on results your business sponsors will understand.

1. Pick three real tasks
Choose one knowledge task, one writing task, and one data task. Examples, a policy summary for Legal, an executive brief for a sales pursuit, and a requirements extraction from meeting notes.

2. Define simple guardrails
For each task, agree the data class, any residency needs, and whether Anthropic is allowed. Note that when you use Anthropic inside Microsoft 365, some Microsoft product terms and commitments do not apply. Record that decision in your risk register and move on.

3. Run a bake off
Use the same inputs and scoring rubric. Measure accuracy, reviewer confidence, latency, and token usage. Ask the reviewers a simple question, would you ship this as is, yes or no. Capture the why.

4. Set routing rules
For each task, choose a primary model and a fallback. Define a switch rule, for example if accuracy drops below a threshold, try the fallback. Keep the rules short and testable.

5. Ship one small agent
Use Copilot Studio to encode the routing. Keep prompts in source control, store the benchmark set, and schedule a quarterly re test. Share the results with your risk committee and your business sponsors.

Talk about this with stakeholders

  • For CIOs and CTOs, this is about choice, control, and runway. We keep Copilot as the experience our users love, we expand the engines under the hood, and we keep tight control over when and how a third party model is used.
  • For CISOs and DPOs, this is about transparent data flows. We document when tasks call Anthropic, we reference the applicable terms, and we narrow usage to approved data classes.
  • For Finance, this is about unit economics. We track cost per successful task, not just tokens. We show where premium models drive revenue or risk reduction, and where efficient models keep costs low.

Common questions I hear

Do we need a big RFP now
No. Start with a limited set of tasks and a short benchmark. Prove value, then scale.

Will users notice a difference
Not if you design the experience well. Keep Copilot as the front door, route behind the scenes, and focus on quality and latency.

Is this safe for regulated data
Treat it like any other third party processing decision. Classify the data, apply policy, record the terms, and limit usage where needed. If the data is sensitive and policy does not allow it, keep that task on Microsoft’s default model path.

A simple maturity ladder

  • Level 1: Default only, everything runs on Microsoft’s default model.
  • Level 2: Controlled trials, selected tasks approved to use Anthropic with documented terms.
  • Level 3: Policy aware routing, Copilot Studio agents route per task, with audit and quarterly re tests.
  • Level 4: Outcome engineering, teams manage a small model portfolio, publish benchmarks, and continuously improve prompts, tools, and routing rules.

Final thought

Model choice in Microsoft 365 Copilot is not about picking a winner, it is about building a repeatable way to match tasks to models, with clear controls and measurable outcomes. Start small, measure honestly, and let the results guide you. Your users will not care which model you chose, they will care that the execution is fit for purpose, fast, and safe.

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Microsoft Unleash Productivity Gains with Copilot Wave 2

In an era where digital collaboration and productivity tools are essential for businesses and individuals alike, Microsoft 365 continues to lead the way with its innovative updates and features. The recent unveiling of Copilot Wave 2 brings a wave of new enhancements designed to streamline workflows, foster creativity, and empower users to achieve more in their daily tasks.

Introducing Pages: Elevating Document Collaboration

With the introduction of Pages in Copilot Wave 2, Microsoft 365 is setting a new standard for document collaboration. Pages allow users to create visually appealing and engaging documents effortlessly, combining the power of real-time collaboration with a wide range of multimedia content options. Whether it’s a sleek presentation, a professional report, or a visually stunning brochure, Pages provide users with the tools they need to bring their ideas to life in a seamless and intuitive manner.

Users can choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or start from scratch to customise their documents to suit their specific needs. With the ability to insert images, videos, charts, and more, Pages offer a dynamic and interactive platform for sharing ideas, feedback, and insights with colleagues and stakeholders. Collaboration has never been easier or more engaging, thanks to this innovative addition to the Microsoft 365 suite.

Enhancements across Copilot for M365

Excel: Now includes Python integration for advanced data analysis and visualisation, no coding required.

Example – A financial analyst needs to project next quarter’s sales. Using Excel’s Python integration, they can simply prompt the AI to “forecast sales growth based on the last three quarters.” The AI performs advanced data analysis and delivers insights, including visual charts and graphs. This simplifies data analysis for non-coders, accelerating decision-making.

PowerPoint: The narrative builder helps craft professional presentations quickly, with tools for brand consistency.

Example – A manager preparing for a quarterly business review can leverage PowerPoint’s AI features to swiftly create a presentation. By providing key points such as “sales growth,” “market trends,” and “future strategies,” the AI generates a complete slide deck with charts and bullet points. This enables the manager to focus on refining the content rather than spending time on slide design.

Teams: Copilot now analyses both meeting transcripts and chats, ensuring all ideas and questions are captured.

Example – During a project meeting, participants typically share updates, ask questions, and brainstorm ideas. With Copilot in Teams, the AI generates a comprehensive meeting summary, highlighting key points, action items, and decisions. Afterward, team members receive a concise report, making it easier to track responsibilities and follow-up tasks without needing to review lengthy meeting notes.

Outlook: Use AI to prioritise your inbox, summarizing emails and highlighting key messages.

Example – A support manager receives hundreds of emails each day. Outlook’s AI can sort these emails, prioritise urgent customer complaints, and provide brief summaries. This allows the manager to quickly address critical issues without being bogged down by less important messages. Over time, the AI adapts to the manager’s preferences, improving its ability to flag high-priority emails.

OneDrive: Leverage AI-driven insights to easily search and compare information across your files.

Example – You’re an analyst handling contracts and financial reports, you often need to identify meaningful differences between files. With Copilot in OneDrive, you can save time by quickly comparing up to five files, highlighting key differences in an easy-to-read table format—without even needing to open the files.

Embracing Agents: Personalized AI Assistance at Your Fingertips

Agents represent a new frontier in intelligent virtual assistance, offering personalised recommendations and proactive suggestions to help users optimise their productivity and workflows within the Microsoft 365 environment. Leveraging the power of AI and machine learning, Agents are designed to understand user behaviours, preferences, and patterns, providing tailored guidance and support to streamline tasks and enhance the overall user experience.

From suggesting relevant documents and resources to automating routine tasks and reminders, Agents act as intelligent companions that anticipate users’ needs and offer solutions in real-time. By incorporating Agents into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, users can benefit from a more personalised, efficient, and intuitive work environment that empowers them to focus on what matters most.

Summary

Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 represents a significant leap forward in reimagining how users collaborate, analyse data, and interact with digital tools in the modern workplace. By introducing innovative features such as Pages, Python in Excel, and Agents, Microsoft is reaffirming its commitment to empowering users with cutting-edge capabilities that drive productivity, creativity, and efficiency.

Although businesses can significantly benefit from these advancements, they must carefully consider the advantages alongside potential data security concerns. As Microsoft rolls out these features, it will be essential for the company to strike a balance between innovation and user trust.

Microsoft 365 Blog: Copilot Wave 2 announcement post here.