AI Agents

For Microsoft Ignite 2024, there are approximately 10,000 in-person attendees expected in Chicago. Additionally, around 250,000 participants are anticipated to join the event online.

You can access session recordings after Microsoft Ignite 2024. All registered attendees, both in-person and online, will have access to on-demand recordings of the sessions. These recordings are typically available on the Microsoft Ignite website shortly after the live sessions conclude.

Microsoft Ignite 2024 features approximately 600 individual sessions. Most of these sessions are accessible online, including keynotes, breakout sessions, and selected live-streamed events.

You can explore the full session catalog and access the recordings on the Microsoft Ignite website

AI and Automation
AI at Microsoft Ignite 2024: Keynotes and Sessions:
Description: Dive into the latest AI innovations and how they can transform your business.
Highlight: Keynotes by Microsoft leaders on AI advancements.

Cloud and Infrastructure
Inside Azure Innovations with Mark Russinovich:
Description: Explore the latest innovations in Azure with insights from Microsoft’s CTO.
Date: November 20, 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM CST (Available online).

Windows Server 2025: New Ways to Gain Cloud Agility and Security:
Description: Stay updated on the latest features and improvements in Windows Server 2025.
Date: November 19, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM CST (Available online).

Productivity and Collaboration
Connect & Collaborate: New in Microsoft Teams:
Description: Discover the latest features in Microsoft Teams designed to support hybrid work.
Format: Pre-recorded, Online Only.

What’s Next with the New Outlook for Windows:
Description: Get a sneak peek at the new features in Outlook for Windows, optimized for productivity.
Format: Pre-recorded, Online Only.

Security
Mastering Custom Plugins in Microsoft Security Copilot:
Description: Gain practical knowledge on building custom plugins for Microsoft Security Copilot.
Date: November 19, 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM CST (In Chicago only).

Data and Analytics
Unlock AI Potential with Fine-Tuning Strategies for SLMs and LLMs:
Description: Learn about fine-tuning strategies for pre-trained language models.
Date: November 20, 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM CST (In Chicago only).

Copilot Studio Enhancements:
Advanced Tuning Capabilities:
Copilot Studio now includes advanced tuning capabilities, allowing users to enhance the quality of their AI agents with the latest generative models and new knowledge sources.

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Enhancements:
Improvements in RAG enable better integration of third-party sources, boosting the performance and accuracy of AI agents.

New AI Agents:
Purpose-Built Agents:
Microsoft introduced new AI-powered agents across Microsoft 365 Copilot to help organizations manage daily tasks more efficiently. These agents work alongside various applications within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Copilot Actions:
New Copilot Actions automate everyday repetitive tasks with simple prompts. For example, you can set up actions to receive summaries of important action items or automate customer meeting preparations.

Real-Time Language Interpretation:
One of the new agents provides real-time language interpretation in Microsoft Teams meetings, enhancing communication and collaboration in multilingual environments.

Copilot Control System:
Enhanced Management:
The Copilot Control System helps IT professionals manage Copilot and its agents securely, ensuring that AI tools are used effectively and safely within organizations.

Performance Improvements:
Faster Responses:
Copilot’s performance has been significantly improved, with responses now being twice as fast on average. User satisfaction with responses has also increased.

These updates aim to make Copilot Studio and its agents more powerful and user-friendly, enhancing productivity and collaboration across various Microsoft 365 applications.

A new AI-powered calendar for a flexible workplace

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Mark Grimaldi, Vani Soff

Online

Reimagine how and where you work with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Teams, Outlook, and Places. Discover how our latest innovations come together to increase coordination, enhance collaboration, and optimize spaces in the workplace of the future. Learn how to seamlessly manage your schedule to maximize connections by ensuring you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, and how to make every one of those connections as collaborative and inclusive as possible.

What's new with Copilot Studio and agents

BRK165

Omar Aftab, Jonathan Beck

Nov 19 12:45 PM to 01:30 PM,

Additional Speakers: Edwina Fitzmaurice, Ray Smith, Johan VikströmOver the past 6 months, Copilot Studio has rapidly grown. Join us to hear the latest about how Copilot Studio is enabling organizations to build Agents and realize value from M365 Copilot. We'll highlight major recent improvements and discuss what comes next.

Elevating frontline operations with generative AI and Dynamics 365

BRK159

Ronit Bohrer Hillel, Hector Garcia Tellado

Nov 19 02:00 PM to 02:45 PM,

Additional Speakers: Brad HaeberleJoin us to explore how Dynamics 365 Field Service is driving significant transformation with the frontline workforce. Learn how generative AI can help managers, dispatchers and technicians improve workflows, maximize schedules, boost operational efficiency and accelerate decision-making. Gain insights from customer success and learn from their experiences.

Microsoft 365 Copilot: Wave 2 | Microsoft September 2024 Event - 27+ minutes

AI Agents Developed with Microsoft 365

Visual Creator

Allows users to generate images, and soon videos, using natural language prompts. This tool helps enhance work with compelling visuals.

Career Coach

Provides personalized career development suggestions, including role understanding, skill gap analysis, learning opportunities, and career transition plans. It aims to understand the user’s current role, identify career goals, assess skills and gaps, suggest learning opportunities, and create a detailed action plan for future growth.

Idea Coach

Facilitates brainstorming sessions and planning, offering creative exercises, idea organization techniques, and feedback for improvement. It uses a fun, collaborative tone, asks iterative questions, and provides detailed agendas and creative suggestions for running effective brainstorming sessions.

Learning Coach

Helps users understand complex topics by breaking them down into simple, intermediate, and advanced summaries. It also provides guided practice and learning plans, employing various techniques for learning complex topics, including glossaries, analogies, practice exercises, and structured study plans.

Prompt Coach

Assists users in creating effective and well-structured prompts for Copilot. It offers analysis, compliance checks, and improvement suggestions, asking for information on the goal, context, source, and expectations to generate effective prompts.

Autonomous Agents

These agents can handle complex tasks and make decisions within defined parameters. They can interact with other agents, make decisions, and execute tasks without constant human oversight. Examples include agents for customer service, sales development, and field-service technicians.

References

Current Books on Microsoft 365 Copilot - https://amzn.to/4ft4aLx

AI agents are autonomous or semi-autonomous software entities designed to perform specific tasks or roles within a digital environment. They leverage artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning, natural language processing, and decision-making algorithms to operate independently or in conjunction with other agents and systems.

Impact on Marketing

AI agents are set to revolutionize marketing by enhancing efficiency, personalization, and data-driven decision-making. Here are some key ways they will change the landscape:

Personalized Marketing: AI agents can analyze vast amounts of data to create highly targeted segments and deliver personalized content that resonates with individuals. This improves engagement and drives higher conversion rates.
Automation: AI agents can automate various aspects of marketing, from ad optimization to social media scheduling, saving time and ensuring data-driven decisions.
Predictive Analytics: AI agents help anticipate trends and consumer behavior, allowing marketers to stay ahead and make informed choices.
Content Creation: AI-powered tools are revolutionizing content creation, design, and video editing, enabling marketers to produce personalized content tailored to individual preferences.

Impact on Jobs

The integration of AI agents into the workforce will bring both challenges and opportunities:

Job Automation: AI agents can perform tasks such as data analysis, customer segmentation, and content creation faster and with fewer errors than humans. This could lead to the automation of certain marketing roles.
Skill Shift: Marketers will need to adapt to a landscape where their traditional roles evolve. Skills in AI, data analysis, and strategic thinking will become increasingly important.
Enhanced Creativity: AI agents can enhance creativity and strategic decision-making by providing deeper insights into customer preferences and behavior.

Market Size

The global AI agents market size was valued at USD 3.86 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.1% from 2024 to 2030. This rapid growth is driven by increased demand for automation, advancements in natural language processing, and rising demand for personalized customer experiences.

AI agents are poised to become essential tools across various sectors, including customer service, healthcare, and finance, as they continue to evolve and improve their capabilities.

References: