Microsoft is putting artificial intelligence to work in its Office 365 suite

By Brad Jones September 27, 2016

microsoft shutting down docs com document sharing service ifa 2015 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Artificial intelligence has long been heralded as a new technology with the power to change the world, but typically it is its demonstrative applications, like composing music or beating human players at board games, that make the headlines. Now, Microsoft has announced plans to unleash the power of AI in a manner that’s more likely to benefit the average user, via new Office 365 functionality.

“We have reached a point in our industry where the collective power of technology exceeds that of the individual,” reads a blog post by Microsoft’s executive vice president of worldwide business, Judson Althoff. “Where, in a matter of hours, a person can generate insights that previously would have taken days.”

Recommended Videos

Microsoft is looking to help individuals put this power to good use. One example is a new piece of functionality dubbed Tap for Word and Outlook, which mines the Microsoft Graph for relevant content previously created by the user’s organization, and presents it for inclusion in an email of a Word document.

Meanwhile, the company’s Dynamics 365 business suite will soon gain an AI-enhanced relationships assistant. This tool use the Cortana Intelligence Suite to bring together pertinent pieces of information about particular clients.

The Cortana Intelligence Suite is already being used to great effect by major businesses. Lowe’s uses the service to track customer preferences in relation to its mixed-reality kitchen design experience, while Uber uses Microsoft Cognitive Services to check driver credentials in real-time.

More new features are set to be added to Office 365 in the near future. PowerPoint and Sway will soon offer QuickStarter functionality that prepares a curated outline in response to a topic chosen by the user, according to a report from Engadget. Excel is also set to receive the ability to turn raw geographic data into maps powered by Microsoft’s Bing service.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Computing

Microsoft is backpedaling on Recall, but it’s for the best

Microsoft's CEO introducing Copilot+.

Four days. We're just four days away from Microsoft releasing the first wave of Copilot+ PCs, which have been available for preorder for almost a month, and Microsoft has decided to delay the marquee feature of the new devices, Recall. The AI-powered photographic memory feature has been mired in controversy since its introduction, with some going as far as to call it a "PR nightmare."

Although the delay completely undermines Copilot+, it's ultimately the right move for Microsoft. From the PR nightmare perspective, Microsoft has been here before with its rushed AI features. It's hard to forget the ripple that Bing Chat caused last year when it told me it wanted to be human, and if we saw anything on that level out of Recall, it would have been even worse. Delaying Recall is the right decision, but it comes after the feature caused a frenzy in the PC industry in the first place.

Computing

Apple’s AI is already beating Microsoft at its own game

Apple presenting Apple Intelligence features at WWDC 2024.

"AI for the rest of us." That's how Apple Intelligence was described at WWDC 2024, in a clear shot toward Microsoft's recently announced Copilot+ PCs. Not to be left behind in the rapidly evolving world of AI, Apple announced a suite of features that turn your Mac -- as well as your iPhone and iPad -- into a true AI computer.

Apple isn't just wandering the trail that Microsoft blazed, though.

Computing

Microsoft is already backing down on its most controversial AI feature

The new Surface Pro on a table.

Even before Copilot+ PCs have made it to store shelves, Microsoft is already making changes to its Recall feature. Recall is at the center of Copilot+, taking snapshots of everything you do on your PC and using a local AI model to sift through that information. In response to backlash, Microsoft is making changes to how Recall works, as announced through a Windows blog post.

For starters, Recall is now opt-in instead of opt-out. Previously, Recall would be the default setting on Copilot+ laptops, but Microsoft will now show a screen during the setup process that tells users what Recall does. If you skip past the screen, Recall will remain turned off.