69 IN FOCUS: MICROSOFT COPILOT advice and philosophical questions, leading Microsoft’s researchers to describe it as a tool that “meets you where you are”. Now, Copilot is increasingly being deployed beyond the remit of personal assistant. “It’s clear a new era of productivity is emerging as AI experiences rapidly evolve from answering questions and suggesting code, to executing multi-step tasks with clear user control points,” says Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. Copilot Cowork, developed in close collaboration with Anthropic and currently in research preview, is evidence of this ongoing evolution. Where Copilot has always been fast to surface an answer or draft an email, Cowork is built to take the next step and turn intent into real actions across Microsoft 365. Users describe the outcome they want to see and Cowork automatically draws from their emails, meetings, messages, files and data, using information from across Outlook, Teams, Excel and the rest of Microsoft 365 to act with greater understanding of the surrounding context behind the request. It converts each request into a plan that runs in the background, with clear checkpoints so users can confirm progress, make changes or pause execution at any time. Tasks ranging from rescheduling a packed calendar to compiling a launch plan can be delegated end to end. Alongside these transformative developments, the real-world results of Copilot use are also becoming increasingly measurable. EY’s PowerPost Agent, built on Copilot Studio, delivered a 95 per cent reduction in lead time and 37 per cent cost savings in journal processing. “Implementing the PowerPost Agent with Microsoft Copilot Studio has “ It’s clear a new era of productivity is emerging” SATYA NADELLA, MICROSOFT Photo: iStock/miniseries
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