TL;DR
Microsoft is expanding its ecosystem of AI-powered assistants called Copilots, introducing new additions like Copilot in Power BI, Copilot in Power Pages, Copilot in Microsoft Fabric, and Windows Copilot. These Copilots assist with document creation, email reading, and more.
Microsoft has also introduced plugins, allowing Copilots to interact with other software and services. Microsoft partner, Witivio, is pioneering the development of Copilot plugins for Microsoft Teams, with the goal of enhancing the employee experience.
Microsoft Expands Ecosystem of Copilots and Introduces Plugins for AI Apps
Microsoft announced at the annual Microsoft Build developers conference that it is expanding its ecosystem of Microsoft Copilots, which are AI-powered assistants, to include Copilot in Power BI, Copilot in Power Pages, Copilot in Microsoft Fabric, and Windows Copilot.
These additions will provide developers with more tools to build their own copilots and next-generation AI applications.
What is Microsoft Copilot?
Microsoft is integrating AI into Microsoft 365, offering a tool called “Copilot.” It helps with document creation, email reading, presentation crafting, and more. Think of it as a smarter alternative to Clippy, the old Microsoft Office assistant.
Copilot works across Microsoft’s Office suite, including Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. Whether you need help with PivotTables in Excel or staying organized with your inbox, Copilot is there to assist you.
It can quickly summarize emails and analyze spreadsheet data, among other useful functions.
Interoperable Plugins Enhance Microsoft Copilots
Microsoft also introduced plugins, which allow copilots to interact with other software and services, making them more useful. These plugins follow the open plugin standard introduced by OpenAI for ChatGPT, enabling interoperability across Microsoft’s copilot offerings.
Bing is also adding support for plugins, including ones for OpenTable, Wolfram Alpha, Expedia, Instacart, Kayak, Klarna, Redfin, TripAdvisor, and Zillow. Witivio, one of Microsoft’s partners, is among the first to work on Copilot plugins for Microsoft Teams, aiming to improve employee experience.
Building Custom Copilots Made Easy with Plugin Framework
Microsoft showcased an AI development framework that includes support for plugins and allows developers to build their own copilots. Plugins act as bridges between copilots and different data sources, enabling them to access real-time information and perform various tasks.
Developers can create, test, and deploy their own plugins and integrate them with Microsoft Copilots and their own applications. Microsoft is providing tools like Visual Studio Code, GitHub Copilot, GitHub Codespaces, and Azure AI to facilitate the creation and deployment of plugins.
These plugins will work across Microsoft’s copilot experiences, offering enhanced capabilities to developers and users alike. Witivio’s collaboration with Microsoft Teams demonstrates the potential of Copilot plugins in improving the employee experience within organizations.