October 2023

Let us paint a picture for you.  

Beneath a frigid mountain near the North Pole, music endures, while in a sunny corner of Miami, poetry flows. And on a canvas in Seattle, brush strokes form a vivid montage.  

In each place, art thrives. In each case, AI helped.  

Inspired by the confluence of tech and creativity, we’re using this issue to explore how more people are leaning on AI to unlock their ingenuity – or their inner Warhol. You’ll learn how honeybees can tell data stories and meet Denver grocers who cooked up a cure for the afternoon munchies.   

AI has become a trusted tool for sculptors, chefs and fashion designers who use it to breathe new life into their handiwork. But in Norway, a music-minded pioneer is relying on AI to go truly deep on a groundbreaking vision. 

The Global Music Vault is buried 1,000 feet below an arctic mountain, built to safeguard vital songs for centuries. Elire Group, which partnered with Microsoft Research’s Project Silica to preserve the melodies on silica-based glass plates, will fill its vault with digital recordings of operas, indigenous tunes and pop hits. Project Silica uses Azure AI to decode data stored in glass. 

Perhaps even buzzier is the work of Belgian startup BeeOdiversity, which invented an artful way to detect pollutants in the wild. The company developed a system that knocks specks of pollen off bees as they return to the hive. Following lab analysis, AI models and Azure allow the bees to tell a data tale about nearby pesticides. 

Such discoveries often start with a spark of inspiration. But AI can help inspire flashes of brilliance if you know what to ask, according to Microsoft Worklab’s guide to working with AI. 

Of course, AI fuels smaller creations too.  

In Miami, Miri Rodriguez, a member of Microsoft’s sales team, recently paused one evening to write a poem for her 5-year-old nephew. She then asked Bing Chat to ensure that a child would understand her words. In Seattle, Liam Flowers, an Xbox marketing program manager, paints during his off hours. He engages AI to help put his concepts on canvas.   

Those anecdotes appear in Microsoft’s “A dAI in the life” series, which showcases how AI tools enable people to do more in their personal and professional lives.  

Have Microsoft’s AI tools helped you make art or interesting things? Show us or tell us about it in the comments.    

Putting the AI in ‘Achieving más’   

We love it when technology helps free up time to focus on self-care. With the support of AI, three Latina leaders are bringing balance to their busy lives. 

They include Brittany Valdes, founder of the Mom Economy, a nonprofit organization that supports working moms. She instructs Bing AI to compile grocery lists for recipes she can cook for her busy family each week, saving time for what matters the most to her. 

Fur babies need apps too 

Pets know dinnertime and playtime. But we’re pretty sure pets don’t understand office hours – because they often fall ill at night or on weekends when the local veterinary clinic is closed.  

To guide pet parents through that reality, MetLife Pet launched an app that provides 24/7 vet advice plus a digital library packed with articles on pet care.  

The library uses Azure Cognitive Search, an AI platform that retrieves content based on an individual pet’s species, age and breed. It also can suggest “old man names for dogs.” Our faves from that list: Norman, Eugene and, of course, Pappy.  

It’s always guac-o-clock   

Some customers at Choice Market convenience stores in Denver were leaving with empty hands and empty stomachs, disappointed that their favorite snacks – the store’s famous breakfast burritos – were unavailable in the afternoons.  

When Choice Market deployed Microsoft Smart Store Analytics and AI-powered sensors, fresh data revealed that sad traffic pattern. Managers immediately boosted production and stocked the popular items later in the day. Sales jumped as shoppers began buying and binging on the burritos.  

And that’s a wrap! 

We hope “The Monthly Tech-In” is what you need to feed your digital appetite. Between issues, you can keep current with the latest Microsoft innovations by following us on LinkedIn or by visiting us at Microsoft Source. 

##