According to Demandsage, “around 40% of companies worldwide are actively utilising AI in their operations, with another 42% exploring its adoption. This means over 82% of businesses are engaging with AI in some form, highlighting its growing importance across industries."
In response to this trend, Microsoft’s second wave of Copilot announcements promises to significantly enhance the AI capabilities available in Microsoft 365. These new features are set to revolutionise how businesses and clients can leverage AI to improve productivity, collaboration, and data management. Here is a breakdown of the key Copilot Wave 2 updates and their benefits.
Unlock Productivity with Copilot’s Latest Update
1. Copilot Pages: A New AI-Powered Collaboration Tool
Microsoft has introduced Copilot Pages, a dynamic, persistent canvas for multiplayer AI collaboration. This feature allows teams to turn AI-generated content into durable assets, enabling users to edit, add, and share information in real time. Think of it as a central hub where your team can collaborate with AI as a partner, using data from emails, files, and web sources. This tool simplifies project management, facilitating seamless teamwork and enabling better client communication.
2. Python in Excel: Advanced Data Analysis Made Simple
One of the most exciting announcements coming out of the Copilot Wave 2 updates is the introduction of Python integration in Excel. This feature, now in public preview, allows users to perform advanced data analysis, such as forecasting and machine learning, using Python directly within Excel. The key benefit? No coding skills are required! Users can ask Excel to analyse data through natural language queries, which is a game-changer for data-driven decisions. For businesses, this will empower clients to dive deeper into their data with minimal effort, delivering actionable insights faster.
3. Copilot Agents: Automating Business Processes
Microsoft has also introduced Copilot Agents, allowing users to create AI-powered agents that automate tasks and workflows. These agents can be built directly within SharePoint or BizChat and can process data from SharePoint libraries to provide summaries, insights, and answers to user queries. This capability is perfect for streamlining operations, handling customer inquiries, or managing internal knowledge bases. These agents can automate client support processes, saving time and ensuring faster resolution.
4. Enhanced App-Specific Features
Several app-specific updates were also rolled out:
- Copilot in Teams can now summarise both spoken and chat conversations in meetings, ensuring no important information is missed.
- Copilot in Outlook introduces “Prioritize my inbox," which helps users manage email overload by summarising and prioritising key messages.
- Copilot in PowerPoint now features a Narrative Builder to create presentation outlines based on organisational data, keeping branding consistent through templates.
- Copilot in Word will soon allow users to incorporate insights from meetings, emails, PDFs, and other documents directly into new Word projects.
5. Copilot in OneDrive
Finally, Copilot in OneDrive is designed to improve file management by summarising and comparing documents without opening them. This feature saves significant time when working with large amounts of data and content, particularly for clients managing complex documentation.
These updates in Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2 aim to supercharge productivity, making AI more accessible and useful in everyday business scenarios. Whether through automating processes, simplifying data analysis, or enhancing collaboration, you can expect to see substantial benefits from these innovative tools.
And at Vissensa, we can help you capitalise on the latest updates around Microsoft 365, so why not get in touch!