Have you ever wished you could replay a meeting like a podcast on your commute to access an AI summary of the key takeaways? Or ever joined a meeting late and wondered what decisions were made and what actions were agreed upon?
That’s exactly what Microsoft Teams is designed to do. With AI-powered features, you can catch up on meetings effortlessly, see key contributors and decisions at a glance, and quickly turn discussions into actionable tasks. Already the digital workplace for over 320 million people worldwide, Teams is no longer just a platform that connects people, it’s a platform that integrates powerful AI through Microsoft 365 Copilot that enhances the alignment and productivity.
“The biggest impact technology can have on how we work is when it simplifies collaboration and works intelligently alongside us,” says Ilya Bukshteyn, corporate vice president of Microsoft Teams calling, devices and premium experiences.
Having worked at Microsoft since before the launch of Windows 95, Bukshteyn has witnessed firsthand how major technological shifts have redefined the way we connect and create. He recalls how Windows 95 began a series of technological revolutions that have progressively made computing easier and more accessible.
“We saw computing become ubiquitous and then the mobile made computing portable too,” he says. “The cloud made computing arguably free by driving the price of computing power down so we are all now used to having [easy access to technology].”
Now, AI is sparking another transformation, one Bukshteyn believes could change work as much as modern computing altered daily life. “It’s sometimes hard to wrap my mind around what the impacts of AI could be,” he says. “AI is taking knowledge and intellect and making it as available, ubiquitous and low cost as we have seen happen with computing and information. It is truly intelligence on tap.”
Ilya Bukshteyn is corporate vice president of Microsoft Teams calling, devices and premium experiences
So what does this mean for the everyday work experience? In short, a lot less friction.
AI-powered recap and summarisation tools have already made it easier for employees to catch up on missed meetings, but the latest Teams and Copilot updates are taking this a step further. One example is Facilitator, a meeting agent that drives the agenda, captures notes and simplifies follow ups. Facilitator can proactively extract the agenda shared in chat and automatically surface it right at the top of the meeting window, tracking agenda progress for the whole team. Agentic tools in Teams act like personal assistants, pulling together everything you need before a call and creating documents in Microsoft Word or Loop based on requests during the meeting – while Channel Agent lets whole teams stay on track by automatically capturing discussions, decisions and next steps.
“Having AI features that work on behalf of an individual or group is crucial for frontier firms,” says Bukshteyn, referencing Microsoft’s concept of a ‘frontier firm’, an organisation that has intelligence on tap and AI agents working alongside humans. “The companies that lead in productivity and innovation will be those letting AI do the repetitive work so their people can focus on ideas, decisions and creativity.
“Microsoft is making Teams a true platform for intelligent collaboration by introducing tools to build agents that automate workflows and deliver contextual insights. The Microsoft Teams SDK provides a unified framework for creating apps and agents that work seamlessly across Teams and other Microsoft 365 experiences. Combined with the Teams Developer Portal, developers get a streamlined environment for app registration, configuration and publishing, making it easier than ever to build, integrate and manage solutions at scale.”
That idea of simplification also underpins the redesigned calendar in Teams, which is now seamlessly integrated with the calendar in Outlook with access to Copilot features like intelligent scheduling suggestions and conflict resolution.
“Most of us already juggle those two calendars,” says Bukshteyn. “The update brings them together in one place, reducing app-hopping and helping you plan your day more easily.”
The update is more than just a design refresh; it’s helping Teams start to understand the context of employees’ workdays. Linked with Microsoft Places, it can detect if you’re working in the office, with consent, and make smart suggestions.
“It can help with where you’re going,” explains Bukshteyn. “If you’re scheduled to be in the office today, AI will identify your meetings that don’t currently have a room and make recommendations. Or, it may be that two people don’t even realise they’re in the same building while joining the same call, AI will recommend a room if you prefer to meet in person. Imagine AI not only managing your diary but also anticipating your choices about how and where you meet, that’s where Teams is heading.”
With more companies bringing back in-office days, AI isn’t just changing how we meet online, it’s enhancing what happens in the room too. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, nearly half of large private sector employers now require employees to work from the office at least three days per week, and that figure is set to rise. Yet employees still value flexibility, and organisations recognise that it drives satisfaction and retention. This makes having access to in-person technology more important than ever.
“In the future, AI tools will ensure every meeting has a note taker, an action-point maker, and follow-upper, even in the physical meeting space,” says Bukshteyn. “Frontier firms will be able to provide their employees with all the meeting summaries they need, whether the meeting is in person or online.”
Teams Rooms capabilities help to bring this vision to life. When paired with Teams Rooms, smart audio and video peripherals ensure everyone is clearly seen in hybrid meetings while accurately identifying who is in the room, who is speaking, and attributing speech with precision. AI will be able to alert organisers if a room is too small for the number of expected attendees and automatically rebook another space, helping meetings start on time without technology delays.
“It’s the kind of quiet intelligence that keeps meetings running smoothly without anyone needing to think about it,” says Bukshteyn. “But security is no quiet matter. As collaboration gets smarter, it also needs to get safer, so security remains central to every new Teams feature. Apps go through strict validation and certification processes, while admins have granular controls to manage permissions and enforce compliance. Microsoft also provides secure frameworks, continuous monitoring and best-practice guidance to ensure integrations meet enterprise-grade standards.”
Users can also preview messages from outside their organisation to spot phishing attempts before opening them, and multifactor authentication codes can be sent for meetings with external participants. Microsoft is also taking a proactive approach towards deepfakes.
For Bukshteyn, the end goal is simple: make technology invisible. “Frontier firms are those where work just flows,” he says. “It’s all about making work simple and seamless.”
That’s the promise of the next generation of Teams, a platform where intelligence works quietly in the background, leaving what matters most – people, ideas and the ability to do their best work – front and centre.
Partner perspectives
Multiple Microsoft partners explain how they are extending the value of Microsoft Teams with new solutions or hardware to enhance collaboration and connectivity
“Barco extends Teams’ capabilities with ClickShare Hub, bringing one-tap simplicity to any meeting space with a flexible architecture that scales from small focus rooms to large boardrooms,” says Oliver Van Camp, product director of MX Barco. “The modularity of ClickShare Hub allows organisations to configure the right audio and video setup for every type of room, while ensuring a seamless, consistent experience across all spaces.”
“We’ve been focused on a lot of the discussion regarding AI needs in a meeting room, which is obviously what Microsoft is really leaning into,” says Joel Mulpeter, enior director of product marketing at Crestron. “You need something to drive that technology and create the proper results for the end user. For us, right now, that’s Crestron Flex products.”
“Teams holds the institutional knowledge; Huddly’s modular, AI-native devices can extend it by providing an understanding of what’s happening in the room,” says Bo Pintea, executive vice president of business development at Huddly. “With 3D spatial awareness, they capture and convey the dynamics at play, adapting the experience in real time as things shift. This allows people to focus on creative work while AI handles the thinking-fast tasks, leading to reduced cognitive cost and better meeting outcomes.”
“We have designed an all-in-one solution that enables organisations to fully utilise small spaces, transforming small meeting rooms into high-performing collaboration hubs,” says James Spencer, video solutions director at Jabra. “Jabra’s PanaCast 40 VBS offers flexible deployment options on Teams or permanent bring-your-own-device setups, and is built on Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP) for robust security and peace of mind.”
“Pexip has worked with Microsoft for nearly a decade to extend the value of Teams and now more recently Teams Rooms,” says Anders Løkke, vice presidnet of product marketing and strategy at Pexip. “Initially by making sure everyone can participate in Teams meetings using their existing devices – Teams-native or not – through our implementation of Microsoft’s cloud video interoperability technology, and more recently, by adding functionality and value to the Teams Rooms devices themselves.”
“Shure extends the value of Teams by delivering the highest quality solutions that bring best-in-class audio and video to every conference room regardless of its shape and size,” says Jonathan Boaz, director of strategic alliances at Shure. “Our IntelliMix Room Kits are designed for the enterprise. Not only do they come with built-in software, they are also network-ready, cloud-manageable, scalable and built for reliability – ensuring seamless deployment and consistent performance across any organisation.”
Discover more insights like this, including from spokespeople at Altigen Technologies, Cisco, Disaster Tech, Imagicle, Intermedia, Lenovo, NUWAVE Communications, Q-SYS, Sennheiser, Smarsh and Skyskit, in the Winter 2025 issue of Technology Record. Don’t miss out – subscribe for free today and get future issues delivered straight to your inbox.