The use of generative AI models is leading to a new era in human-computer interactions. Similar to how graphical user interfaces revolutionized computing decades ago and made technology accessible to millions, the next-generation AI aims to go even further by making technology more approachable through natural language.

Microsoft's approach to generative AI prioritizes human involvement and empowerment. They focus on enhancing human capabilities rather than taking a fully automated approach. They have named this approach "Copilot," and its purpose is to address the increasing digital debt that is diverting attention from innovation and reducing productivity. According to Microsoft's recent Work Trend Index research, the overwhelming amount of data, emails, meetings, and notifications is surpassing our ability to handle it effectively. Workers spend about two full days each week managing emails and attending meetings just to stay afloat. While some people are concerned that AI might replace their jobs (49%), a larger percentage (70%) would prefer to delegate tasks to AI to lighten their workloads.

Recently, Microsoft made an important announcement regarding Microsoft 365 Copilot. They have introduced extensibility for Copilot with the addition of plugins. This new feature enables developers to integrate their applications and services directly into Microsoft 365 Copilot. By doing so, Microsoft is empowering developers to reach a vast user base, potentially impacting hundreds of millions of people who use Microsoft 365 in their daily work routines. The integration of various apps and services into Copilot is expected to revolutionize the way people work, offering a completely new and enhanced work experience.

Microsoft 365 Copilot: Your copilot for work:

In March, Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot, a groundbreaking application of next-generation AI technology to Microsoft 365 products such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and others. Microsoft 365 products are widely recognized as leading solutions for productivity, communication, and collaboration in the current market.

Microsoft 365 Copilot combines the capabilities of foundation AI models with your data from Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 applications. This combination transforms your words into an incredibly powerful productivity tool, offering two main experiences: in-app assistance and cross-app intelligence. These features are designed to boost creativity, enhance productivity, and elevate user skills.

The success of Microsoft products like Teams, which boasts more than 300 million active users, is credited in part to the vibrant community of developers and partners. Their contributions and collaboration in building the ecosystem with various apps that run on and extend Microsoft products have been integral to this journey. Looking forward, Microsoft is enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by next-generation AI and is excited to work together with the developer community to achieve even greater heights.

Plugins for Microsoft 365 Copilot:

During the Microsoft Build 2023 event, a collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI was revealed, aiming to foster the growth and development of the AI plugins ecosystem. They are endorsing an open standard for plugins, enabling seamless integration between OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's copilot services, such as Bing Chat, Dynamics 365 Copilot, Windows Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Today, Microsoft is introducing the extensibility model for Microsoft 365 Copilot, featuring plugins. This means that developers can now integrate their applications and services into Microsoft 365 Copilot, allowing them to reach a vast user base, including hundreds of millions of individuals who use it as part of their daily work routine.

Plugins are valuable tools that enhance the capabilities of AI systems. With these plugins, AI can seamlessly interact with APIs from various software and services, enabling real-time information retrieval, integration of company and business data, and even perform new types of computations.

There are three types of plugins available for Microsoft 365 Copilot: ChatGPT plugins, Teams message extensions, and Microsoft Power Platform connectors. These options empower developers to leverage their existing software and tooling investments and skills to build powerful and versatile applications.

In the near future, Microsoft plans to enable thousands more line-of-business and third-party plugins by integrating existing Teams message extensions and Microsoft Power Platform connectors with Microsoft 365 Copilot.

This diverse and extensive ecosystem of plugins, seamlessly integrated into the everyday work tools, will bring unparalleled value to customers. Through this transformation, we aim to revolutionize the way people collaborate and accomplish tasks together in the workplace.

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