What happened at Microsoft Build 2024?

Microsoft unveiled a series of incredible innovations at their most recent Microsoft Build 2024 event in May. 

Microsoft Build is an annual conference that brings together developers, IT professionals, and industry leaders to explore Microsoft’s latest creations.  

This event is the pinnacle for tech professionals, offering a first-hand look at new tools and technologies that shape the future of software development, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), with the spotlight firmly on Microsoft Copilot.  

In this article, we explore how these new developments in Copilot can transform our work. 

 

Copilot Studio is Leading the Charge

Microsoft Copilot Studio has been significantly updated, introducing a comprehensive platform that empowers developers to create their very own Copilots.  

Copilot studio if you haven’t heard of it before is a powerful feature within Microsoft’s Copilot system, designed to enhance the coding experience by leveraging AI.  

Copilot Studio is an innovative tool that acts as an AI-powered coding assistant, offering developers intelligent code suggestions and automating repetitive tasks.  

By understanding the context of the code being written, Copilot Studio can provide relevant snippets, comments, or even entire functions, significantly reducing the time spent on boilerplate code.  

This not only boosts productivity but also allows developers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of their projects.  

Additionally, for those new to coding, Copilot Studio serves as an excellent learning aid, showcasing best practices and coding standards through its suggestions.  

In essence, Copilot Studio is like having a smart assistant by your side, helping you write code more efficiently and effectively. 

This tool has become widely popular amongst most of its users, and we certainly love it at Changing Social.  

Copilot now boasts 1.8 million paid subscribers, and if you’re reading this article, you probably have a license or want one… Therefore, creating your own Copilot can benefit you and your organisation by commanding its automation and actions.  

It showcases the transformative potential of AI in software development and what it can do for organisations globally.  

 

A New Era for Business Processes

Microsoft Copilot is evolving into an autonomous agent capable of transforming business processes which was one of the highlights of the Microsoft Build 2024 event. 

This shift allows users to create copilots within Copilot Studio that can act independently, be triggered by events, and automate complex tasks with minimal human intervention to make day-to-day tasks. 

 

The Key Features of the New Copilot

• Task Automation: Copilots can manage complex, long-running tasks, such as processing emails, checking inventory, and handling customer queries, making business operations more efficient. 
• Memory and Context: Copilots can remember previous interactions, providing more personalised and coherent user experiences. They learn from each conversation, improving their responses and giving them a more humanistic approach to conversations.  
• Asynchronous Orchestration: Using generative AI, copilots can manage multi-step tasks that may take hours or days, maintaining the necessary state and context throughout the process. 

 

Practical Applications

• IT Help Desk: Copilots can independently manage IT support tickets, create purchase orders, secure approvals, and streamline IT operations. 
• Employee Onboarding: A copilot can guide new hires through their onboarding process. From introducing them to their team to setting up their first week of meetings, making onboarding more efficient and engaging.
• Sales and Service Concierge: Copilots can enhance customer service by remembering guest preferences, making reservations, handling complaints, and proposing new solutions. This can ultimately drive revenue and improve customer satisfaction. 

 

Building Your Own Copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft Copilot Studio simplifies the creation and testing of custom copilots.  

Users can define the role, instructions, triggers, and knowledge sources, allowing the copilot to function as a specialised assistant.  

These copilots can then be connected to enterprise data through Copilot connectors, integrating seamlessly with existing systems and workflows throughout your organisation.  

Capabilities in Microsoft Copilot Studio

• Agent Capabilities: Copilots can act as independent agents, triggered by events rather than conversations. They can automate complex, long-running business processes with less human intervention. For instance, a copilot could automatically respond to customer inquiries by accessing databases, checking inventory, and coordinating with different departments to provide a seamless service. 
• Task Management: Copilots can autonomously handle tasks like answering emails, checking inventory, and managing customer queries. This automation ensures that routine tasks are completed efficiently, freeing employees to focus on more strategic activities. 
• Contextual Understanding: Copilots use memory to maintain context across interactions, which allows for more consistent and human-like interactions. They can remember previous conversations and use this information to provide relevant and personalised responses. 
• Learning and Adaptation: Copilots learn from user interactions and improve over time, personalising their responses based on previous interactions. This capability ensures that the copilot becomes more efficient and effective the more it is used. 

 

Copilot Extensions

The new extensions further expand Copilot Studio’s functionality, providing more tools for seamless integration and enhanced capabilities: 

Power Platform Connectors:  

Connects copilots to the Power Platform, enabling them to interact with Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. This integration allows for enhanced data analysis and process automation. 

Power Automate Flows:  

Therefore, allows copilots to initiate and manage automated workflows, streamlining processes across various applications. This capability is handy for automating repetitive tasks and improving operational efficiency. 

Conversational AI Plugins:  

Enhances the copilot’s ability to understand and respond to complex queries through natural language processing. These plugins enable more sophisticated and accurate interactions with users. 

AI Builder Prompts:  

This feature uses AI models to create intelligent, context-aware prompts that guide user interactions. It helps create more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. 

Power Platform AI Plugin:  

Integrates AI capabilities directly into the Power Platform, making building and deploying AI solutions easier. This integration enables developers to leverage AI for more advanced data processing and analysis. 

REST API Plugin:  

This plugin enables copilots to interact with external services and data sources through REST APIs. It broadens the range of functionalities a copilot can perform by connecting to various third-party services. 

Graph Connectors:  

Allows access to data from Microsoft Graph, enhancing the copilot’s ability to provide insights and perform actions based on organisational data. This integration facilitates more informed decision-making and efficient task execution. 

 

The Future of AI with Microsoft Copilot

At Changing Social we believe that the advancements from Copilot & Copilot Studio mark a transformative era in the fusion of AI with business processes.  

The comprehensive suite of capabilities, from autonomous task management to contextual understanding and adaptive learning, positions Copilot to fundamentally revolutionise organisational operations.  

The tools and features introduced in the Microsoft Build 2024 event, highlighted particularly Copilot Studio. Which empowers developers to craft bespoke solutions that enhance productivity and efficiency across diverse sectors. 

Copilot’s practical applications, from IT support and employee onboarding to customer service only exemplify its potential to streamline operations and elevate user experiences.  

Furthermore, by automating routine tasks, maintaining contextual understanding, and continually learning from interactions. Copilot alleviates the workload on employees while ensuring more personalised and coherent service delivery, which is all that we could ask for!  

Moreover, the extensions and integrations with the Power Platform, AI models, and external services significantly broaden Copilot’s functionality, making it an indispensable tool for contemporary businesses.  

These integrations facilitate deeper data analysis, seamless process automation, and fluid interaction with various applications, further amplifying Copilot’s role in driving business innovation. 

As Microsoft continues to refine and enhance Copilot, businesses can anticipate increasingly sophisticated and intuitive AI solutions that will reshape their operations.  

Let’s use AI to help our businesses prosper, not to hinder them!  

These AI-driven innovations are shaping the future of business, with Microsoft Copilot leading the way towards a more efficient and intelligent workplace; if you would like to know more, please contact us by pressing the Green ‘CONTACT’ button to the right of the screen.