Every May 4th, us starwars fan unite under the rallying cry, “May the 4th be with you!”.
Just as the ‘real 1st episode’ A New Hope sparked an adventure in a galaxy far, far away, so too is the pace and rapid evolution of AI that is now lighting the path in modern workspaces, business and how we get work done.
Today, and with the help of Copilot, I am not just talking tech—but diving into the human side of transformation with a blend of Starwars and AI, with tools like Microsoft Copilot leading the charge in millions of global organisations, as they discovering that the secret to success isn’t solely technology, but the people-led change that makes innovation stick.
A New Hope: AI’s Journey into the Mainstream
Much like Luke Skywalker’s journey from an uncertain beginning to becoming a beacon of hope, AI is emerging as our modern-day savior in the digital realm.
Just like the journey to becoming a Jedi, this isn’t just about picking up a light sabre or Copilot license and doing a quick bit of training; today’s transformative breakthroughs with AI require a holistic approach that combines practice, perseverance and some adoption and change management to stop you giving in!
When companies deploy Microsoft Copilot across Microsoft 365, they aren’t just rolling out a new features. They’re empowering teams to rethink how they create content, analyse data, and communicate with one another. That’s the real new hope—a future where technology and human creativity merge to spark innovation.
This is where the force is strong!
Harnessing the Force: Microsoft Copilot in Action
Imagine having a droid by your side to help you through your day. Microsoft Copilot does just that:
In Word: Copilot can generate a first draft of a document of your “attack the death star plans” based on a simple Jedi prompt. Whether you’re drafting a report or brainstorming creative ideas on how to defeat Lord Vadar, it can even transform unstructured text into neat tables or summarize long essays, letting you focus on the big picture.
In Excel: Think of it like having a protocol droid like C3PO, who crunches numbers at light speed. Copilot can analyse your attack data, automate complex calculations, and even forecast trends. It transforms raw data into actionable insights, making financial forecasting and data cleaning as effortless as asking for directions on Tatooine.
In PowerPoint: Need sleek, engaging slides about the new SnowSpeeder? Copilot can help create a visual narrative that captures the essence of your story—from selecting design elements to generating concise content—much like a hologram of Leia offering inspiration for your next pitch.
In Outlook and Teams: Whether it’s summarising battle plans you have had over email or chat, drafting quick replies, or recapping Jedi Council meetings with key action points, Copilot enables swift communication. It acts like the trusty astromech droid R2-D2, ensuring you never miss a beat in your day-to-day operations.. Don’t worry…you get language translation from droid to English too!
Agents: just like out faithful droids, Copilot Agents allow orders to be followed but giving specific rules and actions for Copilot to follow using the data we provide. Agents can even tap into to rich data sources and access those death star plans or layout of the death star.
These real-world examples illustrate how Microsoft Copilot isn’t just a tool—it’s a strategic partner fueling change, much like the Rebel Alliance mobilizing for a brighter future.
Lessons from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
The original Star Wars movie A New Hope reminds us that no single hero can change the universe alone. It was the collaboration, strategy, and shared dream of the Rebel Alliance that led to victory.
Similarly, successful AI adoption is not solely about implementing state-of-the-art tech. It’s about embracing a culture founded on continuous learning and empowerment. Change consultants, much like wise mentors in the series, guide organisations through the evolving landscape of AI—not by delivering quick fixes, but by integrating these tools into the fabric of everyday work.
Celebrating Star Wars Day in the Age of AI
On this Star Wars Day, as you sip a Blue Milk latte or a cup of your favorite smokey brew from a bar on Tatooine, take a moment to appreciate the parallel between the cinematic journey of hope and the exciting progress AI is having in our daily lives and work.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or an AI enthusiast, there are parallels of R2D2 and C3PO and Microsoft Copilot as your digital side kicks. Remember… It’s not about replacing humans, but about enhancing our potential with the help and assistance of technology —giving us the space to be more creative, proactive, and engaged.
As we continue to harness AI, we’re also setting the stage for a new era of innovation where every tool, every strategy, and every individual plays a key part.
As technology evolves and our worlds where AI and humans will walk together converge, remember that every great journey begins with a single step and a single spark of hope.
This Star Wars Day, let’s celebrate not only legendary heroes of the past but also the brave new frontier of AI, where every one of us can become a part of the story. May the AI be with you, always!
Microsoft has just released its annual Work Trend Index report, and as anticipated, its focus is boldly centered on the transformative impact of generative AI in the workplace.
The report reveals that we’re on the brink of a paradigm shift where AI will not only reason but will also solve problems in unprecedented ways. Much like the industrial revolution or the dawn of the Internet, Microsoft suggests that a complete overhaul of work practices may take decades to fully materialise.
The annual Work Trend Index conducts global, industry-spanning surveys as well as observational studies to offer unique insights on the trends reshaping work for every employee and leader across more than data from 31,000 workers across 31 countries, LinkedIn labor market trends, and trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals,as well as leading AI-native startups, academics, economists, scientists, and thought leaders.
The full report is in the link below, but I’ve summarised the key insights around how the report claims generative AI is reshaping work and leadership dynamics.
AI’s Transformative Role
AI continues to advance in its reasoning and problem-solving ability, with the potential to revolutionise work.
Major transitions like the industrial revolution and the Internet took decades and view is that full wide scale AI may follow a similar path.
Immediate Impact of AI on work
Key Finding
Stats
AI Adoption
82% of industry leaders acknowledge AI is changing work
New Work Models
The “Frontier Firm” concept describes organisations using AI-powered intelligence on demand.
New emerging roles
The rise of “agent bosses”—professionals managing AI agents to enhance productivity.
Productivity Challenges
Challenges from the last 5 years continue to plaugue employees and impact productivity with tech overload and AI is seen as a “potential” to reduce this and bring better focus to information workers.
The report reveals that 80% of the global workforce feels overburdened by constant interruptions—an email, meeting, or ping every two minutes. Consequently, about 82% of leaders plan to harness AI and digital labor within the next 12 to 18 months to alleviate these pressures.
82% of leaders plan to harness AI and digital labor within the next 12 to 18 months to alleviate work and resource pressures.
Bridging Business Needs and Human
AI is making intelligence more accessible, shifting focus from headcount to on-demand expertise.
It helps close gaps between business demands and human workload.
Organisations are urged to invest in adoption training and business process reviews to determine the most optimum areas to leverage AI.
Key Finding
% impact
Executives concerned about productivity
53%
Global workforce feeling overburdened
80%
Average interruption rate
Every 2 minutes
Leaders planning to use AI to improve work
82% (within 12–18 months)
Talent, Hiring and Employment Trends
Addressing common concerns about AI replacing jobs, the report delves into LinkedIn data that indicates that top AI labs are hiring at twice the rate of traditional big tech companies. Interestingly, it says that much of this new talent is transitioning from established tech firms, underscoring a dynamic reshuffling of skills and expertise in the workforce.
The report also underscores the necessity for executives to strike the perfect balance between human talent and AI agents. As these digital assistants become ever more integrated into daily tasks, the role of the “agent boss” is emerging leaders who build, delegate, and manage AI agents to magnify their impact and steer their careers in the age of AI.
The report talks of a future where every worker, from the boardroom to the frontline, must adopt a CEO-like mindset for an agent-powered startup, predicting that within five years, 41% of teams will be actively training and 36% managing AI agents.
AI labs are hiring at 2x the rate of big tech firms.
Many AI hires come directly from established tech companies.
Human vs. AI Balance in Workplaces
Leadership Perspective
Employee Persective
67% of leaders understand AI agents.
40% of employees understand AI agents.
79% of leaders believe AI will accelerate careers.
67% of employees believe the same.
AI’s current and future role in Work Automation
AI Usage
Areas Impacted
46% of leaders use AI agents to fully automate workstreams.
Customer service, marketing, product development.
Organisations evaluating human-to-AI balance
AI integration must match societal expectations and business needs. |
But…..it states that AI is shifting the global work landscape, demanding strategic adaptation with..
Percentage
Areas Impacted
83% of leaders
believe AI will enable employees to tackle more complex tasks.
78% of leaders
want to recruit for new AI-related roles.
The report highlights that 67% of leaders are familiar with AI agents compared to only 40% of employees, and 79% believe that AI will accelerate their careers, outstripping the 67% noted for the broader workforce.
What other leaders are saying…
Bill Gates (Founder of Microsoft) said publically that AI might eventually perform “most things,”. We have also seen Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff already rethinking his company’s hiring strategies for 2025. This says that as we navigate this transformative wave, company leaders need to carefully consider when and what digital labour can complement, or in some cases, surpass that of human expertise, especially in roles that demand a personal touch or entail significant responsibility.
There is a necessity for executives to strike balance between human talent and AI agents. As these digital assistants become ever more integrated into daily tasks, the role of the “agent boss” is emerging—leaders who build, delegate, and manage AI agents to magnify their impact and steer their careers in the age of AI
Microsoft Work Trend Index Report
Summary
Microsoft’s Work Trend Index report paints a vivid picture of a future in which they show how AI is starting and has the potential to reshape every facet of our professional lives.
It claims that 83% of leaders believing that AI will empower employees to tackle more complex challenges and 78% actively looking to fill new AI roles, the global work landscape is poised for a dramatic evolution—one that necessitates a delicate balance between harnessing digital innovation and preserving the unique value that human insight brings to the table.
Before we start, why should we get excited about a change to Start Menu?
Afterall, it is something that has been under constant critique since Microsoft changed it up (ok – ruined it) with Windows 8, which was a bold (yet poorly received) attempt to modernise the Start menu after years of “consistency” of the Windows 95 start menu which didn’t really change all the way up to Windows XP.
Classic Windows 95 Start Menu (left) and much “unloved” Windows 8 Start Menu (right
Windows 11 Start Menu Changes
The days of the Windows 8 “start menu-less” UI (which was very optimised for touch and aligned to Microsoft’s entry into the devices market with the Surface RT and now more familiar Surface Pro) are thankfully way behind us. The Start Menu came back with Windows 8.1, evolved through Windows 10 and is now clean and elegant blend of what worked well in Windows 95 and what modern touch friendly interface should look like in 2025.
Windows 11 is a great interface, clean and crisp, but there has been lots of feedback around the need to bring more grouping and controls in to Windows 11. This has also led a to plethora of third-party apps that bring some of this functionality back for power-users.
It is now great to see that, in the latest Dev build of Windows 11 introduces a refreshed Start menu design that is designed to enhance user experience and productivity.
New Windows 11 start menu – in Windows Insider Dev Build
This new design aims to provide a more intuitive and seamless interaction, making it easier for users to access their favorite apps and settings. The updated Start menu features a cleaner layout, improved search functionality, and customisable options that allow you to tailor the experience to your professional needs.
How do I try it out?
The new Start Menu design is being tested for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel .
So if you enrolled (or want to), you can get the latest update and check it out. Don’t forget to file feedback in the Windows Feedback Hub.
This new feature is subject to Microsoft’s usual A/B testing meaning not everyone will see the new start menu straight away.
Share your feedback with the community too and if you find this useful, please share this post and help and help shape the future of Windows!
Change is the only constant
Microsoft continuously refines and updates various components of their Windows Operating system, using the Windows Insider Community for early testing and feedback.
Microsoft has finally unveiled a dedicated Windows 11 roadmap website, designed to simplify the lives of IT pros, and IT technical management and users who care about new features and updates.
This addresses longstanding frustrations about the lack of transparency in the Windows Insider program, where new features are tested before going live.
Why Was This Roadmap Needed?
In short – there has never really been one.
For years, IT professionals grappled with inconsistent communication and unclear timelines in the Windows Insider program. Managing systems with this uncertainty was a challenge, to say the least. Microsoft listened to feedback and responded with a user-friendly roadmap that offers:
Feature Tracking: It shows the current status of features—whether in testing, gradual rollout, or general availability.
Intended Timelines: Features now come with estimated release windows, helping IT teams prepare systems for upcoming changes.
Simplified Navigation and Transparency
The roadmap include features that are in testing with users enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, features in a gradual rollout phase, and features that are generally available. Many of the features will include a target release window, which should help with preparing for upcoming features and changes.
Microsoft new Windows Roadmap
This empowers IT and Change Management teams to manage changes effectively, a step forward from the often-criticised lack of clarity in past processes.
What about Windows Server?
No, not yet. For now, it only covers Windows 11 client editions – leaving out Windows Server.
Conclusion – Yes! Finally!
This roadmap marks an important evolution in Microsoft’s approach to transparency, giving IT administrators the tools they need to keep systems running smoothly. Though it’s still early days, the potential for this tool to grow and cover more updates is vast.
Of course just like the Microsoft 365 roadmap, features listed on the roadmap remain subject to change, postponement, or cancellation.
For more details, check out the Microsoft announcement
Finally, it is here – Microsoft 365 Copilot now lets you save your prompts within Copilot for easy re-use later. Yes – this means you no longer need to save your prompts in separate documents or constantly copying and paste them.
When Copilot has completed its response(s), scroll back to your prompt in the chat.
Hover your mouse over the prompt – you’ll see bookmark and link icons appear.
5. Click on the bookmark icon to save the prompt to your library – you can also give it a friendly name to make it easier to find and reuse later.
Accessing Your Saved Prompts
Finding your saved prompts is just as easy.
Click on “View Prompts” above the chat box.
In the prompt library popup window, select “Your Prompts.” where you will be presented with a list of all the prompts you’ve saved.
Click on any saved prompt, and it will automatically paste the text into the chat window, ready for you to use again.
Why this feature matters
The ability to save and easily access prompts directly within Copilot enhances productivity and streamlines your workflow. It’s a small change with a significant impact, making it easier than ever to manage your prompts efficiently.
No more hassle, no more copying and pasting—just seamless, effortless prompt management.
Copilot and Microsoft 365 continues to evolve and add features. The latest feature introduces a seamless method to transform email threads into productive meeting agendas with a single click.
This new feature is designed to streamline the process, ensuring that your meetings are well-organized and productive.
Making Email Conversations more effective
With Microsoft 365 Copilot’s new functionality, Microsoft are making scheduling of meetings from an email (that needs a meeting) super easy.
Copilot can now reason over all related emails within the thread and creates a thorough meeting agenda with a summary of the conversation within the email chain. This captures the main topics and any early decisions, making sure everyone is up to speed and ready to jump in.
Here’s how to use it:
Open an email thread on a topic for which you would like to schedule a meeting from.
Click “Schedule with Copilot” button found in the top menu bar of the email.
Click the “Insert” button to populate the agenda in your invite. You can then edit and tweak the agenda as needed to ensure it suits your needs.
Once done, you’ve used Copilot to create a Meeting and agenda based on the threads and topics in the email chain without having to plough though it yourself. This can help you ensure relevant topics and themes are brought into the agenda.
Why would you want Copilot to do this for you?
We all had email chains that need to be a meeting at somepoint. Copilot takes most of the effort out of this and ensures that you get a meeting agenda that covers the key themes from a email chain. Copilot also attaches a copy of the original email to the meeting invite and helps ensure that the right people are invites. So all you need to do is choose the time for the meeting. This can be a real timesaver for everyone.
Conclusion
By transforming email threads into organised meeting agendas, Microsofft 365 Copilot in (new) Outlook can help ensures that everyone stays informed and meetings run smoothly.
I personally love this new feature which really helps to ensure all themes and concerns are raised as an agenda in the meeting.
Why not give it ago in your next meeting scheduling task.
As we all get back into the flow of work following the Christmas and New Year break, Microsoft continue to announce new features for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Copilot has been available to “everyone” to buy and use now for a year now and it’ actually hard to conceive that it only actually ben 12 months! That said, I know hundreds of organisations that are using it every day and getting a great experience from it. I also know others (and people in my own organisation that have a bit more of a “hmmmmm and it’s ok” mindset to Copilot.
As I head back into my first full week at work with Copilot at my side, it’s worth looking at just how far it has come. From taking notes and summarising content, helping me catch up things I have missed (or forgotten) and evening being my companion to help me thrash out ideas, explain things, get a different opinion – Copilot is by my side.
Copilot is like that tireless colleague who’s always ready to lend a hand, doesn’t get tired, doesn’t take a lunch a break and doesn’t need to pop out for a coffee when I need it! I often describe Copilot as a drunk intern, in that it adds huge amounts of value to my day, but it doesn’t solve every work problem, nor can it assist with every task. It can’t make decisions for me, do my executive reports, remember to do things for me (there’s other tools for that) and can’t actually do my job for me. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a tool, a powerful tool, but like any tool, its effectiveness hinges on how you use it and more importantly how you don’t!
Having helped many customers and seen the results it can have, as well as my own experience of integrating Copilot into my daily work (and personal online life) routine, it takes time. It not as simple as allocating a licensing and clicking the Copilot button. Good adoption and useful results require practice (lots), sharing what works, and an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. In this blog. I share a few little tips we have learned on the way, coupled with some tips to see value every day.
1. Results may not be instant – Practice makes perfect
You may hear people say “it is rubbish” or “it didn’t do what I thought”, or “Copilot can’t help me in my job”.
This is sometimes true, but nearly all of the time, it is simply not! Copilot can certainly help you brainstorm ideas, answer questions, explain content and even get a third person review on something you have created, but it it is not going to transform you into a master mathematician, coder, web designer or salesman overnight.
Like learning a new musical instrument (my son is learning the trumpet at the moment) or a language, it takes time (and patience) to get the hand of pretty much any tool.
Success comes (and I see it every day) by embrace the learning curve, trying new things and giving yourself room to grow alongside this technology which is constantly evolving and improving. Working with Generative AI is a totally different way of working with technology so give yourself time to work with it. There is no AI Natives (yet!).
2. Don’t get fired – Copilot for everyone but not for everything!
Think of Copilot as your co-pilot, not as the captain of your work. Copilot is there to assist you in what you do but not to take over. While it might draft a great email or executive summary, help you expand on a point or explain something, only you (as the Pilot) can ensure it aligns with your objectives and ask and that what it produces resonates with your audience.
Remember you are accountable for what Copilot produces for you – Copilot is the co-pilot. You are always in command. Copilot will remind of this, but do. Check the content, is it what you needed and asked for. Does it seem correct, read well and has it used the right content and context. If Copilot get’s it wrong, its your block on the line not Copilot’s.
Your expertise and personal touch are irreplaceable, and you are still responsible for what it produces. Don’t look silly buy not checking what it produces!
3. Remember you are human – It is not!
The Human Touch is everything. For example, when using Copilot to write or reply to a sensitive email, or when writing a personal response to something, Copilot can absolutely provide you with a solid starting point or provide guidance on how to write it.
We have all read those emails comms that are so obviously written by AI. It’s easy to spot an email from someone you know that has clearly left AI to write for them!
Empathy, nuance, and authenticity and the way in which you communicate is what makes you. It’s important to use what Copilot (or an AI) creates as a draft or a guide and ensure you inject your personality and insights to make your communication truly impactful and truly you.
4. Copilot is not a mind reader – be clear in your asks
Copilot doesn’t inherently understand the nuances of your specific situation, so back to my drunk intern analogy, you need to give it context around what you want your assistant to do.
Copilot can “summarise a report” but won’t know how you would like this summarised, the tone you woudl like, who you are summarising it for and how long you want it unless you tell it. Be explicit about the how you want the output (the goal), the context of what you need, and your expectations for how you want the output to be presented.
Remember the formula for Copilot promoting is G.C.S.E – Goal, Context, Expectations and Source.
5. Don’t leave sensitivity to chance
Microsoft 365 Copilot will adhere to your company identity and access management, respect DLP policies and even understand sensitivity labels if they are used.
Many organisations however do not use these (though are starting too), but regardless, make sure you check that you are not feeding Copilot confidential customer information when creating responses for other customers or sharing internal information that is not supposed to be shared.
People get scared that Copilot may share sensitive information. Since Copilot is the assistant and not the author, you are responsible for checking that the data you have fed it (or referenced) can be used and shared externally.
There are new tools coming to help users better protect privacy and for IT / Sec to control what Copilot accesses, but it’s still “on you”. Remember Copilot can’t get the sack – you can!
6. Copilot will not replace learning but it can help you learn.
Some like to portray that they are an expert over night with AI tools like Copilot. Sure Copilot is great at simplify complex concepts or helping you know how to do something in say Excel or Word. Copilot is also really great at helping you understand seomthing, can explain something complex “as if i am a 10 year old” and so on, but it’s not a substitute for your own learning journey.
That said, I find Copilot is great for helping you to learn something. It can help you “learn” the basics about a topic, put things into different perspectives, and even help map learning paths and helps you find resources. At the end of the day, it is still you that will learn what you are learning, but Copilot is really great at helping you learn in your way…
7. Copilot has an appauling memory
One fo the things Copilot is really bad at (by design currently) uis remembering things. This mean that not only will it not ask you how that report went, or if your customer replied to the email it helped you write.
In fact Copilot cannot (currently) evcen remeber past convrsations or preferences so once you “start a new conversation”, all history of that task you were working are forgotten.
As a tip – I tend to have a couple of chats running in parallel so I can switch between contexts as I need to. ChatGPT now has this capability to imagine* it is only time before this comes to Microsoft 365 Copilot
8. The Roadmap is every changing
The last time I looked, there was 112 new features in development and 18 that are currently “rolling out”. This AI technology is evolving rapidly and Copilot is no exception.
New features and improvements roll out regularly. It’s worth checking on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap from time to time to ensure you stay informed about what is coming. There are also a plethor of blogs like this one, user communities, webinars and formal training to help you stay abreast of the latest innovations and tips.
Knowledge is power – the more you know, the more you can leverage Copilot to your advantage.
9. Integrate Copilot into your daily routine
Consistency is key. Copilot really adds avlue when you use it little and often and when it’s seamlessly woven into your daily workflow. Here are some reaaly simple habits to form:
Start your week with a recap: Use Copilot to remind you of any emails you did not repond to last week from your peers or boss, to prepare you for your upcoming meetings, or to sugegst a date your team (rememeber it knows who works for you) are available for an afternoon off-site.
Start Your Day with Copilot: Use Copilot in the morning to outline your your day, important tasks or get you up-to-date on something. You will soon be able to schedule Copilot to do certain tasks for you.
Catch on and control your meetings: One of Copilot’s hero capabilities is to help ypou catch up on a meeting you missed, take notes for you in a meeting and even help keep the meeting flowing.
Remeber your GCSEs: Before engaging with Copilot, know what the Goal is you are trying to achieve. Give Copilot context on how you wnat it done and ensure it knows what you expect. Clear questions yield better answers.
Share and Collaborate: Encourage your team to adopt Copilot and share tips. Collective learning amplifies benefits.
The true power of Copilot lies in how you incorporate it into your daily routine:
10. Don’t Give up
You may not always get the instant results, don’t give up. Ttry again, ask others what works for them and check out help and guidance. There’s loads.
Stay Curious and ensure you experiment with different prompts and functions. You might discover new ways Copilot can assist you.
Reflect Regularly by taking time to assess how Copilot is impacting your work. Adjust your approach as needed to maximise benefits.
Share your success so other can benefit from what you have learned and what works best for you.
Final Tips
Microsoft 365 Copilot is a remarkable assistant that can amplify your productivity, spark innovation, and even make mundane tasks more manageable. But remember, it’s a tool designed to enhance your capabilities – not replace them. By using it thoughtfully, staying informed about its features, and integrating it into good work habits, you can unlock its full potential.
Technology is a force multiplier, but it’s the human element that truly makes the difference. Copilot offers incredible capabilities, but it’s up to you to wield them effectively. Use it wisely, continue to learn, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Your proactive engagement and thoughtful application are what turn a powerful tool into transformative results. So take charge, embrace the technology, and watch how it elevates the work you do every daym, little my little, bit my bit can make a huge difference in a week.
Oh and don’t forget to share your successes with others.
Microsoft announced at Ignite, the new Facilitator agent – an update to the AI notes in Teams that works inside your meetings and chat and is designed to enhance collaboration and streamline the way teams work. It works similar to the AI generated notes after a meeting, but this works live alongside you and all participants can see it working live in the meeting.
How Facilitator works in Teams Meetings
Facilitator will take real-time notes during Teams meetings (not currently adhoc meetings or Meet Now), enabling everyone to co-author and collaborate seamlessly. This allows meeting participants to focus and engage more deeply in meetings, while ensuring alignment before the meeting concludes.
To enable this feature and use it a meeting, organisers can toggle AI-generated notes setting on or off when setting up a meeting in the Teams calendar or enable it during the meeting via the Notes section in the meeting.
Once enabled, a notification appears in the meeting chat to inform all participants. This also activates meeting transcription, with a notification to users… During the meeting, participants can click on Notes to open a pane where the AI generated live notes are created every few minutes, organised by topics and follow-up tasks.
What is nice about this is that participants can edit the notes inline or assign tasks to users, with attributions indicating whether the content is AI-generated or user-edited making these Co authored notes by humans and AI!
After the meeting ends, notes continue to be accessible in the Recap tab and are stored in the OneDrive of the user who enabled real-time notes. These notes are contextual to the meeting transcript, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
Future Capabilities in Meetings
As the Facilitator agent gets developed futrther, Microsoft say that it will be able to take on more tasks to enhance meeting effectiveness. Soon, it will also manage meetings from end-to-end, including managing agendas, moderating discussions, and handling action items automatically or semi-automatically
In early 2025, the real-time note-taking experience will also expand to Microsoft Teams Rooms. Employees will be able to invite a Teams Room to a meeting, allowing all participants to see real-time notes however, they have joined the meeting. This feature will also be available for ad-hoc meetings, enabling in-office discussions to be captured seamlessly.
How Facilitator works in Teams Chats
As of now (November 2024), the Facilitator Agent creates and maintains up-to-date summaries of what it considers valuable information within Teams chats. This includes key decisions, action items, and open questions, helping groups stay focused, align faster, and resolve issues efficiently.
AI-generated notes are automatically enabled when creating a new chat. For existing chats, users can toggle it on via the Notes icon which is shown at the top right of the chat window as shown below.
When notes are enabled, a notification appears in the group chat to inform everyone that notes are being taken in real time.
To access the notes users simply click on the Notes icon in the top right corner of the chat to show a summary of the chat thread, organised by topics with corresponding decisions, action items, and unanswered questions.
These are continuously updated as the chat conversation progresses.
Availability and access
Facilitator is already in public preview now for desktop (Windows/Mac), web, and iOS/Android. To access the public preview of the new Facilitator agent, meeting hosts need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Facilitator will only be available to users that have app permission policy for Microsoft apps set to “Allow all apps”. The Facilitator App will become available soon for Admins to see and manage in Teams admin center. For more information about app permission policies, see Manage app permission policies in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn
The new Agent Builder in SharePoint is designed to help people use and share Copilot Agents to query sibsets of data within your organistion using a simple click, point, create and tweak approach. Out of the box every SharePoint site (assuming you have a Copilot license) brings a Copilot sidebar allowing you to ask questions about the content, but you can also replace this with a custom Copilot Agent which we will walk through here.
The goal is to enable business users to easily empower their employees use Copilot to reason over specific information sources or across discrete repositories. Microsoft provide a handful of “use cases” as why a Copilot agent might be useful and what’s great is that “anyone” can create one!
Image – Microsoft Copilot Adoption Hub
Once created and tested, these custom Copilot Agents can be easily shared via a simple hyperlink that can be embedded in SharePoint pages or used in Teams.
In this how to blog, I walk you through the setup and customisation of a Copilot Agent using Agent Builder in SharePoint, customising of the agent, and sharing of the agent. Free to follow along and create your own agent.
Copilot agents are specialised AI assistants designed to enhance the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot by connecting to your organisation’s knowledge and data sources. They are custom tools embedded in Copilot Extensions, providing additional functionalities tailored to specific needs. In SharePoint, Copilot agents are natural language AI assistants that give trusted, precise answers and insights. Agents are expert systems that operate autonomously on behalf of a process or company.
Building your First Copilot Agent
Step 1 – Choose your starting point.
First, you need to navigate to a SharePoint site, library or document library you want to create an “agent” from. You will of couse need to have access to that Library and also need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to create the agent.
From here, you can select the three dots and choose “Create a Copilot agent“
Step 2 – Click and you are done!
Done (well – you will probably want to customise it and test it), but once you do this, your Copilot Agent is created for you. Click “Edit” to make changes, such as change the name, and then of course test it out.
Step 3 – Edit and Customise
Here I have clicked “Edit” to take me to the customisation pages. From here you can toggle across different options to customise your Copilot agent.
The customisation pages are split into three sections – Idenitity, Sources and Bebaviour – each of these allow you to tweak the way the agent works. There’s also the ability to edit for advanced customisation through Copilot Studio but this feature is not available at time of writing…
In the Identity Section – you can change the name, icon and description (who the agent introduces itself to the user)
In the Sources Section – you can modify the sources that the Copilot Agent uses. You can add additonal SharePoint sites, individual files or extenal sources such as websites.
In most cases, I suspect you will want to use a single library or a discrete set of files, but you can add up to 20 different information sources. These 20 information sources can be mean sites, libraries, folders, or documents. What’s more, you can have a combination of these as long as the total is 20 sources – for example, you could add 20 sites or 20 documents, or 3 sites, 5 document libraries, 2 libraries and 10 descrete files as long the total sources totals 20.
Note: You of course need to ensure that the intended users of the agent have access to the sources your specify as agents run under the security context of the user using the agent.
In the Behaviour Section, you can customise the welcome message which will help your users to understand the purpose of this Copilot agent and can also edit or change the starter prompts to help users get some tips on some of the things the agent can do for them. You can also give the agent specific instructions on how it should respond and behave based on the user input.
As you update the behviour, you will see the changes in real-time.
Testing your Copilot Agent
Once you are ready, you can test your agent, simply writing a prompt in the chat dialog as you would with any other Copilot – feel free to try one of the templates or create your own.
Be sure to test a few things, you might find you need to update the user instructions and review the sources before you share it with other people to test further.
Once you are happy with your agent, click save. The agent is saved a “file” with a .copilot extension in the root of the SharePoint folder you started creating your agent in.
Using your Copilot agent
Once saved, your new Copilot Agent launches automatically for any user accessing the SharePoint library that has a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. This replaces the default copilot interface that opens when you visit a SharePoint library.
Sharing your Copilot agent
Since the Agent is encapsulated as a manifest “.copilot” file, you can simply share the file like you would any other file, or click the three dots and select share.
Once shared, they click on the file and open it and it displays like a standalone app or can of course access it from the SharePoint library directly.
[Current] Limitations
Currently Custom agents do not appear on the main Copilot Business Chat pages, though this is coming I beleive. On the FAQ on Microsoft’s support page it clearly states that “You can access a Copilot agent from a SharePoint site, page, or document library. You can also use it in Teams if added. We plan to make it available across Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Copilot.” https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-started-with-copilot-agents-in-sharepoint-69e2faf9-2c1e-4baa-8305-23e625021bcf.
Advanced editing with Copilot Studio is not currently available, but is also coming soon.
It’s not possible to “hide” the .copilot file (that I can see anyway), so make sure to change permissions on the file.
Microsoft yesterday, announced the next stage of the evolution of Microsoft 365 Copilot with Wave 2. Amongst the many new features was the launch of Copilot Pages. This innovative feature is the first step into the new evolution of Copilot which is set transforming how employees interact with Microsoft AI in a new collaborative environment.
What are Copilot Pages?
Copilot Pages is a dynamic, persistent canvas integrated into Copilot chat, designed to facilitate what Microsoft call “multiplayer AI collaboration”. It allows users to turn insightful Copilot responses into durable, editable content that can be shared with teams for further collaboration.
“This is an entirely new work pattern – multiplayer, human to AI to human collaboration”. | Jared Spataro | VP of AI at Work | Microsoft.
Copilot Pages -Key Features
Dynamic Collaboration: With Copilot Pages, employees can work directly with Copilot on a shared page, prompting and refining responses together as a team rather than individually in silos.
Persistent Canvas: The pages are persistent, meaning collaborative efforts are saved and can be revisited and edited at any time by anyone.
Team Learning: This feature encourages learning from each other’s prompts, enhancing the overall quality and depth of the information gathered.
Getting Started with Copilot Pages in 5 Steps
Access Copilot Pages: Open your Copilot chat and look for the new “Pages” tab. Click on it to create a new page or access existing ones.
Create a New Page: Click on “New Page” to start a fresh canvas. You can name your page to keep your projects organized.
Collaborate with Your Team: Invite team members to your page by sharing the link. Everyone can contribute by adding prompts, refining responses, and editing content.
Save and Revisit: Your pages are automatically saved. You can revisit and edit them anytime, ensuring your collaborative efforts are always up-to-date.
Share and Export: Once your page is finished, you can share it with others outside your team or export it for presentations, reports, or further analysis.
Check out the Microsoft Video for more.
Where are Copilot Pages Stored?
Copilot Pages are .loop files stored in a new user-owned SharePoint Embedded container. IT Admins can manage these files using Loop admin switches and other governance tools. The feature supports various compliance and manageability capabilities, including GDPR compliance, Intune device management, and data loss prevention. IT admins manage these .loop files just like any other files (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx, etc.). They support all the features of the SharePoint file system, including everything detailed here.
Additional capabilities, such as programmatic API access for third-party tools, are expected in Q4 CY2024.
Copilot Pages is rolling out “later this month” for Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers and will soon be available to all Microsoft 365 subscribers. Loop must be enabled in your environment.
What’s one of the biggest stumbling blocks to incorporating AI tools like ChatGPT and of course MicrosoftCopilot into daily work? Well, I can tell you that from first-hand experience is it not knowing how or when to use it. In this blog I’ll explore a few scenarios where I believe anyone with a Copilot License can start seeing real tangible value from GenAI today.
What is Copilot in Microsoft 365?
I’m hoping by now that I don’t actually need to answer that one, but… In short Copilot for Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s Generative AI chat bot, that is grounded (meaning it has access to) your Microsoft email, chat, documents and more and is also integrated (natively) into all your Microsoft 365 apps and services like Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, Loop etc.
The goal of Microsoft 365 Copilot is to make us all more productive and creative what ever job we do and results from many of the customers we have been working with this past 12 months is impressive.
Overcoming the adoption hurdle
The biggest hurdle to getting regular and good results with Copilot is actually not what the tool can do or can’t, the expertise around ‘good prompting‘, as important as it is, but is in fact, realising the benefits of making Copilot part of everything you do through habit forming.
To do this, we need to get into the habit of using Copilot every day to really see the value we get from it little by little. many of our customers have this same problem and it’s not a Copilot thing, it’s a new technology thing. We are all so busy doing our jobs that many don’t have time to learn new things or try new ways of working.
Good adoption and successful use of any technology requires some input and perseverance from us as users. As we realise the value, we use these technologies more and the value we get from increases exponentially. Think about the first time a company introduced a word processor in place of a typewriter for example!
Adoption and Change Management, whether run internally (as part of any technology deployment) makes a huge difference to successful deployment and Copilot is a big change in how people work and what it can do, so it does need to be handled that way. Stats show that technology projects that have a proper adoption and change programme linked to them are significantly more likely to deliver the desired return on investment. According to Microsoft, proper change management can lead to 85% of users finding tools like Copilot helpful in getting to a good first draft faster.
Adoption and change management is not just training (though that is of course part of it). Its about helping people learn the tools within their roles, to see the benefits and to tell/show other team members so they learn and benefit together. At Cisilion, we know (first hand) and through the dozens of customers we are working with that one of the primary blockers to adoption of Microsoft Copilot is simply not knowing how or when to use it and so simply “forgetting about it”.
My Copilot Hero Scenarios
What follows next is 3 (three) Copilot for Microsoft scenarios that I use all the time that I can honestly say have become habit forming for me and many of my team.
Goodbye Internet Search: Firstly, I very rarely now ever use internet search to find information. Both in work and personal life, whenever I need to find information about something I turn to Copilot. Whether I’m looking at finding out about a new product, event, news story or whether it’s in my personal life, Copilot just gives me the details I need in seconds rather than giving me a page of search results which I have to sift through manually to see what is relevant. If you use SharePoint at work – this becomes even more powerful!
Email and Meetings (and calls): These are definitely the biggest use cases for Copilot in my daily routine. I simply don’t work or handle email and meetings in the same way anymore. One of the things Copilot can do really well is summarise what’s in my inbox and prioritise requests and things that need my attention – especially If I have been away for a few days. The same goes for meetings. I can pay more attention “in” meetings and have Copilot tackle notes for me, summarise things or even check things for me.
Copilot can summarise actions, clarify points, and what is really cool is that it can do this for me even if I can’t actually attend the meeting (through a new feature called “Follow a Meeting“. Copilot in Outlook can summarise long email threads and can even draft replies for me in a professional manner so all I have to do is edit and refine before clicking send. Copilot also works on phone calls if you have Teams Phone by the way!
My Goto First: Copilot is the first place I go when I have a document, presentation or other document to read or reference. What do I mean by that?
Like us all, I get sent a lot of documents to read, review and comment on. I am now in a habit (I think it’s a good one) of using Copilot as my assistant as my first point of call every time. I always ask Copilot to summarise the document (Word does this automatically now when you open a document) so I can quickly understand the key points of the document before I read it more deeply. This is useful for getting up to speed quickly, determining if I need to read it (guess what – sometimes I don’t) or to help me understand the theme as I do read it. I also use Copilot to ask questions about a document (PDF, Word, PowerPoint etc).
I can also ask Copilot questions about the document such as, “does this business case make a clear and strong argument“, or “what is the financial impact of this proposal“, or “what risks have been identified in this project plan“, etc. I can use Copilot to help me spot gaps, or areas that the author might have overlooked or omitted. I can also ask Copilot to summarise things I do not understand in a simpler language or to help me get a new perspective on something.
Summary
Using any new tool, like Copilot sometimes takes time to realise the true value and power of what it can do. Working with Gen AI like Copilot is as revolutionary as the internet was back in the 90s. Many doubted it and now the world would stop without it.
If you are lucky enough to have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license, then I suggest you try the above. Use it every day and share your successes with your peers. If you don’t have an adoption and training team in house, then reach out to a partner for help, check out the adoption hub at Microsoft or get some ideas from my other blogs, or from YouTube 🙂
Remember, think about and push Copilot to help you get more value at work and at home. Before starting any task, such as a presentation, meeting minutes or follow-up or research, think “Can Copilot help me here?“
Yes – there’s a bit of a learning curve, but the effort you in will be worth it (IMO).
Some video links…
I have a growing handful of use case and scenario videos I am happy to share below… Hope you find the useful. If you do.. Let me know.
