September 2023

Lately we’ve been feeling like we could all use a little more kindness in our lives. So in this issue, we’re sharing a digital dose of decency to, we hope, brighten your day.

We’ll reveal why communicating sweetly with your AI chatbot can help pump up politeness in your home and tell you about a fashion designer whose favorite look features soundwaves from Whitney Houston’s smash hit, "I Will Always Love You."

Meanwhile, new AI advancements to Microsoft products and experiences enable you to connect in new ways with the people in your world. Wouldn’t that be nice?

It’s a new day. You’re facing a typical roster of crucial decisions and routine tasks.

But why tackle those chores alone? Why not attack the day with an AI companion?

Microsoft Copilot, announced Sept. 21, is ready to ride along, assisting your daily endeavors through a single, seamless experience that incorporates the intelligence of the web, your work data and what you’re doing in the moment on your PC. It works as an app or reveals itself with a right click.

Copilot unifies all the capabilities you’ve come to rely on in the AI-powered copilots previously built into Microsoft 365, GitHub, Bing, Edge and Windows. An early form of Copilot is now available as part of the latest Windows 11 release – and will become more broadly available in the coming months. 

Speaking of Windows 11, Microsoft has added nearly 200 new features to the platform, injecting AI experiences into Paint, Photos, Clipchamp and more. And Copilot in Windows, available in preview, lets you simplify once-complex tasks.

Also on Sept. 21, Microsoft announced more product updates:

• Bing now provides more personalized answers based on your previous web searches. And in Bing Image Creator, the latest DALL.E 3 model from OpenAI lets you generate more vivid creations.

• Microsoft 365 Chat – a new feature within Microsoft 365 Copilot – is like a digital assistant. It combs your data to gain a deep understanding of you and your work, giving you a head-start on tedious chores, such as booking trips or catching up on emails.

• New Surface devices that bring these AI experiences to life are available for pre-order. They include Surface Laptop Go 3, which is light enough to take to the farthest corners of your life – especially if you’re on the move to meet friends.

A whole new way to rock an outfit

Priya Ahluwalia’s garments play the music of her life.

Soundwaves from the designer’s cherished ballads infuse patterns in her knitwear. Album covers from her childhood inspire the reds and ochres that accent her track tops. Horns and guitars lend their signature shapes to the lines in her dresses.

And the songs aren’t just visible in her pieces, they’re audible as well.

In her new collection, Symphony, the garments carry digital identifiers built on Microsoft Azure. Each ID shares that garment’s sustainability tale – from creation to closet – and enables you to detect the music behind the piece.

Karma is going digital

Here’s a whole new way to think about “user friendly.” By communicating respectfully with a chatbot, you’re training that machine’s generative AI to respond politely, says Microsoft’s Kurtis Beavers, a director on the design team for Microsoft Copilot.

Sprinkle “please” and “thank you” into your prompts to generate warmer AI exchanges. And just like karma in the physical world, responding rudely to a chatbot can spark a sassy reply.

It’s pretty simple really: Treat others – including AI – the way you want to be treated yourself. It’s good to know that even machines can learn the golden rule.

More voices = better apps

How do you broaden the developer community? You start with an invitation.

Ilyas Fakir Mohamed, a Microsoft program manager based in Bangalore, organized a cloud meetup in eastern India. The in-person event attracted speakers from around the world as well as a diverse audience of about 1,000 developers from across the country. They traded tales about apps they’re building and distinct challenges they’re solving.

And Mohamed’s push for inclusivity has continued to reverberate throughout India’s developer community. “It’s very fulfilling,” he says, “when we enable others, when we see others succeed with any sort of help that we were able to offer them.”

Into the Starfield

Do you have the right stuff to do right in deep space?

Starfield, a new role-playing game available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S consoles, Windows PCs and Steam, lets you immerse yourself in intergalactic adventures. Create your own unique story as you explore the cosmos, seeking answers to humanity’s biggest questions.

Aiming AI at wildfires

As a cruel wildfire season continues in many parts of the world, AI is offering some hope.

Using historic burn maps plus climate and geospatial data, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab developed a framework to test AI’s ability to predict wildfire risk.

AI-infused probability models can help communities better prepare for wildfires, ensuring that resources are in place before blazes grow out of control.

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.