May 31, 2023

Microsoft Build 2023, the annual conference for software engineers and web developers, wrapped on May 25th, but the chatter around the event has been going strong all week.

Throughout the event, Microsoft has made more than 50 exciting announcements, with a heavy focus on how AI is reimagining what and how developers build and how it can radically transform the workplace.

Since Microsoft debuted Azure OpenAI late last year, Neudesic an IBM Company, has been focused on developing services and solutions that enable us to support our clients in their AI journey. We’re thrilled with how quickly developments in AI are accelerating. While there is much to get excited about in the coming months, these four announcements stand out.

1. Copilot is coming to Windows 11

Windows will be the first PC platform to centralize AI assistance with Windows Copilot, a personal AI assistant that will be available to use from the taskbar across all Windows apps and programs.

Windows Copilot, which is customizable based on user preferences, can summarize content from apps, explain it or rewrite it, and users can ask questions as well, making it a powerful tool for boosting productivity and completing complex tasks.

A preview of Windows Copilot will start to become available for Windows 11 in June.

2. Bing becomes the default search experience in ChatGPT

ChatGPT will now have the Bing search engine built-in to provide up-to-date answers—grounded by search and web data—directly within the chat.

The new experience, which is already being rolled out to ChatGPT subscribers and will be available on the free tier soon, will also include citations from the web, so users can validate the information and learn more.

3. Azure AI Studio will enable developers to build next-generation AI apps

Azure AI Studio, an integrated no-code platform for OpenAI in Microsoft’s Azure cloud, enables developers to develop, operationalize, evaluate, and deploy AI apps.

With Azure AI tooling, developers can train their own models, ground AI models—such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4—on their own data, create prompt workflows, and more. The Azure AI Studio makes integrating external data sources into Azure OpenAI Service simple and includes built-in support for AI safety.

4. The AI plugin ecosystem is expanding

Microsoft is adopting the same open plugin standard that OpenAI introduced for ChatGPT, enabling interoperability across ChatGPT and Microsoft’s copilot offerings. That means developers can now use one platform to build plugins that work across consumer and business surfaces, including ChatGPT, Bing, Dynamics 365 Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Copilot. They will be able to build experiences that enable users to interact with apps using human language.

Additionally, developers can now integrate their apps and services into Microsoft 365 Copilot with plugins, including ChatGPT and Bing plugins, as well as Teams message extensions and Power Platform connectors. And developers will be able to easily build new plugins for Microsoft 365 Copilot with the Microsoft Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio.

(For details on another exciting announcement on game-changing technology, check out this new blog, Microsoft Fabric 101 & Path to Jumpstart Adoption).

Driving creativity and productivity with AI

We learned so much this week at Microsoft Build, but most of all, we learned that this is just the beginning of the new era of AI. It’s here, integrated into the apps and services we use daily. It will change how we work, enabling us to be more productive than we ever thought possible.

If you are ready to deploy generative AI across your organization, Neudesic offers a range of solutions and services to help you get started, including an OpenAI Jumpstart Workshop that accelerates both the ideation and design of high-value AI use cases. To learn more, contact us today.