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Microsoft Copilot: Autonomous AI agents released into the wild

Claude 3.5 update, Advanced Voice mode lands in EU, OpenAI and Microsoft partner for local news and more!

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Everyday AI
October 22, 2024

Outsmart The Future

Sup y’all 👋

Welp. This escalated quickly. 

Today, we covered Microsoft’s announcements on autonomous AI agents. (They’re a real thing and launching in weeks.) 

THEN Anthropic announced a new AI offering where you can literally program computers to make actions on your behalf. 

(And launched updates to its Claude models.) 

Should we cover the Claude updates on tomorrow’s show?

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✌️
Jordan

Today in Everyday AI
8 minute read

🎙 Daily Podcast Episode: Microsoft just dropped all the deets on its new autonomous AI agents. We break down what you need to know and what it means for us all. Give it a listen.

🕵️‍♂️ Fresh Finds: Tesla and Warner Bros. sued over AI images, TSMC reports AI chip violation by Huawei and a new AI video model. Read on for Fresh Finds.

🗞 Byte Sized Daily AI News: Anthropic unveils Claude 3.5, ChatGPT Advanced Voice mode available in EU and OpenAI and Microsoft’s $10 Million AI boost for local news. For that and more, read on for Byte Sized News.

🚀 AI In 5: Anthropic just unveiled its Claude 3.5 update including desktop functionality! We show you what’s new. See it here

🧠 Learn & Leveraging AI: Microsoft just made some MAJOR AI moves with the announcement of its autonomous AI agents. We break down why it’s important. Keep reading for that!

↩️ Don’t miss out: Did you miss our last newsletter? We talked about IBM releasing new AI models, Perplexity eyes $8B valuation and Salesforce partners with Blue Shield. Check it here!

Sam Altman’s New Take on Superintelligence: What it means and are we that close? 🧠

Think AI is just gonna fade into the wind? Like.... once the ChatGPT hype dies down?

Think again shorties.

One of the world's largest companies just silently went all in on autonomous AI agents.

What did Microsoft announce and what does it all mean?

Join the conversation and ask Jordan questions on Microsoft AI here.

Also on the pod today:

• Rise of Autonomous AI Agents 🦾
• Promising Future Prospects 🔮
• Autonomous AI Agent Competition 🥊

It’ll be worth your 41 minutes:

Listen on our site:

Click to listen

Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast platform

Listen on:

Here’s our favorite AI finds from across the web:

New AI Tool Spotlight – Averi is an AI marketing manager, CapGo.ai is an AI spreadsheet for research and Pixyer AI is a background generator for product photos.

AI in Governance – The U.S. proposal to curb AI semiconductors is under final review and will be announced in the next week.

AI in Media – Blade Runner 2049 producer is suing Tesla and Warner Bros. Discovery over AI images.

AI Chips - TSMC has alerted the U.S. of a potential China AI chip curb violation by Huawei.

AI Video - AI video startup Genmo has launched Mochi 1.

AI in Medical – Zoom is partnering with Suki to offer AI-powered medical note-taking.

AI Models - Cohere’s AI search model is now multimodal.

1. Anthropic Unveils Claude 3.5 with Desktop App Capabilities 🧑‍💻️

Anthropic has launched its upgraded Claude 3.5 Sonnet model, which can now interact with desktop applications through a new “Computer Use” API. This advancement allows the AI to emulate human actions like clicking and typing, potentially automating tasks in various industries.

While the model shows promise, it still faces challenges, successfully completing less than half of airline booking tasks, prompting caution among developers. As companies increasingly explore AI agents for efficiency, this new capability from Anthropic could be a game changer.

2. ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode Lands in Europe 🇪🇺

ChatGPT's Advanced Voice mode is now available for Plus users across Europe, including countries like Switzerland and Norway, following its earlier launch in the US and UK. This feature allows users to interact with ChatGPT vocally, offering a more conversational experience complete with nine different voice options, making it feel almost human-like.

The rollout, which was previously stalled due to local requirements, has generated excitement among users eager to engage without the hassle of VPNs.

3. OpenAI and Microsoft’s $10 Million AI Boost for Local News 📰

OpenAI and Microsoft are joining forces with the Lenfest Institute to launch a groundbreaking $10 million initiative aimed at revitalizing local journalism through artificial intelligence. This partnership will kickstart an AI collaborative and fellowship program for five major U.S. metro news organizations, providing each with $500,000 to hire AI fellows and explore innovative uses of AI in newsrooms.

With local journalism struggling under the weight of financial challenges, this collaboration not only promises to enhance editorial and commercial efforts but also aims to foster a culture of shared learning among news outlets.

4. NVIDIA and Deloitte Partner To Revolutionize Hospital Visits 🏥

NVIDIA and Deloitte are transforming the patient experience with their new Frontline AI Teammate, a virtual companion designed to ease the anxiety surrounding surgical procedures. As hospitals adopt these AI-driven avatars for 24/7 support, patients can expect natural conversations and instant answers to their pressing questions about surgery preparations and post-operative care.

This innovation not only aims to enhance patient comfort but also alleviates the administrative burdens on healthcare providers, paving the way for a more efficient healthcare system.

5. FDA Calls for Coordinated AI Oversight in Healthcare 🧑‍⚕️

In a recent statement, the FDA emphasized the need for cohesive regulations surrounding artificial intelligence in healthcare, advocating for standards that align with international norms. As the agency prepares to navigate the complexities of AI applications—particularly large language models (LLMs) that can produce unpredictable outputs—it acknowledges the necessity for enhanced oversight and innovative regulatory frameworks.

The FDA's push comes at a time when the EU has already established its own AI Act, highlighting a growing global consensus on the importance of responsible AI deployment.

Sponsored by

“If you want to understand artificial intelligence, get better at understanding human intelligence,” says author and professor of psychology Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic.

He joins the Microsoft WorkLab podcast to discuss how AI can help unlock greater human performance.

Learn how work is changing on WorkLab, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Anthropic announces Claude 3.5 new update and computer use

Anthropic just unveiled some new updates with Claude!

Sonnet and Haiku got a new update but what really caught our attention is the new computer functionality!

We show you what’s new.

🦾How You Can Leverage:

Just when we’re all finally getting caught up on large language models, THIS happens?!?

At its AI Tour event in London, Microsoft just announced autonomous AI agents in Copilot Studio. 

That’s not a typo or a snippet from the future. 

This is also not a drill. 

Autonomous AI agents are coming to Copilot Studio in November. 

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella showed some sneak peeks at the autonomous AI agents making their way to potentially hundreds of millions of users in a few weeks.

(You can go watch his speech here.) 

So what in the actual frick does that mean — autonomous AI agents? 

And how could it change the future of work? 

We tackled those questions and a whole bunch more on today’s show. 

This one’s important — so make sure you go watch/read/listen. 

As for the takeaways? 

You know we got ‘em! 

Here’s the three biggest takeaways and how you and your biz can get prepped for the onslaught of autonomous AI agents about to be knocking at our digital doorstep.

1 – What's the Difference? 🤷

September's Wave 2 Copilot agents were kinda agent-esque GPTs you could share with your team. November's launch brings true AI employees that work 24/7.

Satya highlighted three breakthrough capabilities that make this possible:

Universal Interface: These agents understand natural language, screenshots, PDFs, and Excel sheets without complex prompts. No more prompt engineering wizardry needed.

Reasoning and Planning: The potential integration of OpenAI's O1 model means these agents can think step-by-step like humans, breaking down complex tasks into logical sequences.

Memory and Context: Agents now tap directly into Microsoft 365 Graph, Dataverse, and Fabric for real-time data access. They maintain context across conversations and remember your business processes.

Try this: 

Y’all better get ready. 

For real. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya. 

Here’s some steps to get ready for when the autonomous agents drop. 

Map which tasks require accessing multiple data sources in Microsoft 365.

Document your most common email response patterns in plain language. List processes that need real-time data updates.

Time how long humans spend connecting information across systems Start with tasks that have clear triggers and decision points. 

And if you’re still confused over what was JUST announced in London vs. the Wave 2 announcements from September, go watch our Wave 2 recap episode.

2 – First Mover's Advantage: Microsoft ✅

While Salesforce announced AgentForce at Dreamforce last month, Microsoft's November launch puts them in the lead.

Every major tech player's been talking agents: OpenAI, Meta, Google, Amazon. 

But if this launch stays on schedule, Microsoft's delivering first.

(Potentially right ahead of its Ignite Conference in Chicago in November?) 

They're not just launching to developers or beta testers – this autonomous update is slated to roll out to Microsoft 365 Copilot users worldwide in November.

Try this: 

Review your current Microsoft 365 and Salesforce workflows List processes that require checking multiple systems 

Identify tasks that happen outside business hours Document which platform holds your most crucial data Pick one repetitive process to automate first. 

And if you wanna know more about the who’s who and what’s what in AI agents, we also did a pretty in-depth breakdown a few weeks back. 

3 – The Future of Work 💼

This isn't just another automation tool – this could likely be the biggest shift in how work gets done since the industrial revolution.

LLMs are just a stepping stone. 

Connecting autonomous agents, powered by a LLM and connected to your data, is the next-level AI workplace. 

Microsoft shared an actual use-case of their autonomous AI agents from Copilot Studio in the wild with McKinsey. 

McKinsey's reported metrics from autonomous AI Copilot agents proves how BIG this could be. Their agent handles lead qualification 24/7, cut response time by 90%, and reduced admin work by 30%. And it handled more than 1,300 leads in its initial testing. 

Wooooowza. 

Built entirely with natural language instructions, these agents connect to live data and only escalate when necessary.

So if you can talk directions to a teammate, you can talk instructions to an autonomous AI agent in Copilot Studio with natural language. 

Try this:

Go watch the demo video and see how McKinsey used Copilot Studio to build a live autonomous agent. If you're running Microsoft 365, November's autonomous agents aren't optional – they're your competitive edge.

McKinsey's already showing what's possible. 

Your competitors won't wait.

Start mapping your workflows now. The future arrives next month.

⌚

Numbers to watch

25%

A new survey shows that only 25% of U.S. institutions incorporate training on innovative teaching methods that use AI.

Now This …

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