By Alice Chambers |
Microsoft’s AI-powered tools are helping neurodivergent professionals work more confidently and productively, reducing everyday workplace barriers and supporting more inclusive ways of working.
AI capabilities built into Microsoft 365, including Copilot, are designed to help users manage information, communicate clearly and stay focused. Copilot can summarise emails and documents, draft content in Word and Outlook, analyse data in Excel and help prepare presentations in PowerPoint. Microsoft says in a blog post titled ‘How AI helps neurodivergent professionals showcase their strengths’ these features are particularly useful for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia and anxiety, helping to reduce cognitive overload and improve clarity.
In Microsoft Teams, Intelligent Recap automatically captures and summarises meetings, generating transcripts, key points, follow-up tasks and suggested questions. This allows employees to review discussions in their own time and reduces pressure to process information in real time.
Accessibility-focused tools also help neurodivergent professionals. Immersive Reader enables users to customise how text appears on screen, including reading text aloud with highlighting, adjusting spacing and formatting, breaking words into syllables, and adding visual aids or translations. These features support people with dyslexia, ADHD and autism by making written content easier to absorb.
Focus and Do Not Disturb features across Windows, Teams and Outlook help reduce distractions by muting notifications and scheduling dedicated focus time, supporting users who struggle with concentration or sensory overload.
Research supports the impact of generative AI on inclusion. EY’s GenAI for Accessibility report found that 68 per cent of employees with disabilities surveyed said Copilot reduced work-related anxiety, while 71 per cent said it gave them hope at work.
“Neurodivergent leaders who harness the full range of their natural and artificial assets are a beautiful illustration of the potential that the hybrid future offers for all of us,” says Dr. Cornelia Walther, research and author, who focuses on systems designed to amplify human potential and foster equity. “AI can serve as a sort of translator, not of language, but of ability.”
Read more: Microsoft’s Jenny Lay-Flurrie explains how organisations can use AI to create more accessible and supportive workplaces for every individual