Microsoft Build 2023 highlights: Copilot, Dev Home, Fabric, and more
Microsoft seems to be enjoying its lead in the AI arms race. If it wasn't clear, the company is showing that on the first day of Build 2023, its annual developer conference. As expected, the company has announced a slew of AI-powered features for multiple products, including Windows 11 and Microsoft Store. Let's take a look at some of the key announcements.
AI was the main focus of Satya Nadella's keynote
The focus of the event's keynote delivered by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was one thing - AI. He talked about the ChatGPT experience and how it has changed the course of technology. Nadella also made some key announcements, including Azure AI Studio for businesses to develop their own models and Microsoft Fabric, which the CEO termed the biggest AI product of the company.
Microsoft is adding an AI Copilot to Windows 11
Microsoft is keeping up with its promise of bringing AI to all of its products. Today, the company announced a Copilot AI assistant for Windows 11. The assistant will be integrated directly into Windows 11 and can help users accomplish various tasks. Users will be able to open and use the Windows 11 Copilot directly from the taskbar across all apps and programs.
Windows 11 Copilot is a 'personal assistant'
The Copilot looks like the dialogue box in Bing Chat, so users will be able to ask it questions. Microsoft considers the Windows Copilot a "personal assistant," which means it can do tasks on behalf of users. For instance, it will be able to adjust settings or perform other actions on the PC. Users can even add plugins to the Copilot.
Dev Home app makes life easier for developers
Microsoft's quest to enhance Windows 11 does not end there. The company has announced a new app to make life easier for developers. Dubbed 'Dev Home,' it makes setting up a developer environment easier with Microsoft's Package Manager (winget). It can generate a configuration file to install the apps, tools, and packages developers need. Dev Home can also connect to GitHub.
ChatGPT will use Bing to provide up-to-date information
Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI has irked many, including OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk. But that isn't going to stop the duo from deepening their relationship. At Build 2023, Microsoft announced that ChatGPT is getting Bing as its default search experience. This means ChatGPT will be able to provide the latest information about everything. ChatGPT's Bing-powered web data will have citations to links.
ChatGPT Plus users will get the feature first
ChatGPT Plus subscribers will get the new Bing experience starting today. OpenAI will roll out the feature to free users soon through a plugin. "Foundational to our progress with the new Bing is our fantastic partnership with OpenAI," said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's head of consumer products. This is a big win for Microsoft after Samsung decided to stick with Google.
Microsoft is adding plugins to 365 Copilot
The 365 Copilot is getting a big upgrade. Microsoft announced the addition of plugins to the AI assistant. It will support three types of plugins, including tools with ChatGPT support, Teams messages extension, and Power Platform connectors. The company added Microsoft Edge will get 365 Copilot integration. The tool will help provide users access to content on a site while using Office apps.
Microsoft Store will get an AI-generated summary of app reviews
AI has arrived in Microsoft Store too. The Store is getting an AI hub that will highlight good AI experiences for users. The company will also start using AI to create a summary of app reviews. The AI-generated app reviews will save users the trouble of scrolling through multiple reviews. Microsoft, however, didn't say how it plans to vet these summaries.
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end analytics platform
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end analytics platform centered around Microsoft's OneLake data lake. However, it can pull data from Amazon S3 too. Fabric includes everything for data analytics, including integration tools, a Spark-based data engineering platform, a real-time analytics platform, and an AI-based visualization analytics tool. It also offers a no-code developer experience to monitor data and trigger actions.
'Jugalbandi' provides access to govt welfare programs
Finally, Microsoft also showcased Jugalbandi, an AI-powered chatbot accessible through smartphones. According to the company, Jugalbandi can help rural Indians get access to government welfare programs using vernacular languages. The chatbot is currently being tested in Biwan, a village in Haryana. Jugalbandi was developed by AI4Bharat in collaboration with IIT Madras. It can be accessed through WhatsApp by users.
