54 FEATURE 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.
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