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Microsoft Copilot Wave 2: What’s new & real business use cases now possible
Copilot Wave 2 breakdown, Sam Altman leaves OpenAI Safety board, Intel partners with AWS and more!
Everyday AI
September 17, 2024
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Outsmart The Future
Sup y’all 👋
We went pretty deep on Microsoft’s new Wave 2 Copilot features today.
We cover ChatGPT and other LLMs a TON on the show.
We’re wondering….
Do you wanna see more Microsoft Copilot how-tos? |
Lettuce know. We work for you.
✌️
Jordan
Today in Everyday AI
8 minute read
🎙 Daily Podcast Episode: Microsoft just unveiled Copilot Wave 2 and with it came some MAJOR updates. So what’s new and how it can it help your business? We break it down. Give it a listen.
🕵️♂️ Fresh Finds: Hong Kong considers AI rules, how Amazon uses IA for same-day shipping and Tesco to use AI for shopping experience. Read on for Fresh Finds.
🗞 Byte Sized Daily AI News: Intel secures major AWS partnership, U.S. Congress targets AI misinformation and Google Gemini adds iPhone widget. For that and more, read on for Byte Sized News.
🚀 AI In 5: We found one of the best GPTs yet! See how it’ll save you tons of time. See it here
🧠 Learn & Leveraging AI: So what’s new with Microsoft Copilot and how can it boost you biz? Here’s what you need to know. Keep reading for that!
↩️ Don’t miss out: Did you miss our last newsletter? We talked about Microsoft Copilot upgrade, Amazon's AI sales strategy, Runway adds API, Slack unveils AI agents Check it here!
Microsoft Copilot Wave 2: What’s new & real business use cases now possible 💼
Talk about riding the AI wave.
Microsoft unveiled what it called Wave 2 of Microsoft 365 Copilot.
New names.
New features.
New possibilities.
We're covering it all and giving you NEW business use cases that weren't possible before this announcement.
Join the conversation and ask Jordan questions on Microsoft Copilot here.
Also on the pod today:
• Copilot Agents 🤖
• Example Use Cases of Copilot 🤔
• Microsoft Teams and Copilot 👥
It’ll be worth your 49 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 – Supademo creates AI-powered interactive demos, FlyCode is AI payment optimization and failed payment recovery and SocialAI is your personal AI social network.
AI in Society – Hong Kong is considering adding rules for AI in finance.
AI in Government – California’s governor has signed a new AI bill to protect actors.
Trending in AI – Infosys’ co-founder said that big AI models will be commoditized and that the value will come from the applications.
AI in Shopping – Tesco, UK’s largest supermarket, is planning to use AI to personalize its shopping experience.
AI Acquisitions — According to The Information, NVIDIA is looking to acquire OctoAI, a Generative AI platform for applications.
Amazon - Here’s how Amazon is using AI to drive same-day shipping using robots.
Big Tech – Salesforce’s CEO believes AI should be a human right during the keynote for Dreamforce. Go catch the details for the Day 1 recap here.
Social Media – Snapchat has added a new AI feature that lets you create lenses by describing them.
Business of AI - Workday has acquired the AI document platform Evisort
Check This Out – Scientists have created a virtual brain network by combining AI with a fruit fly.
1. Intel Secures Amazon AWS as a Key Customer For AI Chips 😲
Intel has successfully partnered with Amazon's AWS, a move that could significantly bolster the chipmaker's prospects with new manufacturing plants underway in the US. Together, they will invest in a custom semiconductor, referred to as a fabric chip, aimed at enhancing AI computing capabilities using Intel’s advanced 18A process.
Following this announcement, Intel shares experienced a notable increase of over 7% in premarket trading, a much-needed boost after a challenging year marked by a 58% decline.
2. Sam Altman Steps Down from OpenAI's Safety Committee 🚨
In a significant development, Sam Altman has officially departed from OpenAI's Safety and Security Committee, which is now set to become an “independent” oversight board chaired by Carnegie Mellon’s Zico Kolter.
This change comes in the wake of increased scrutiny from U.S. senators and growing apprehensions about OpenAI's profit-driven strategies, as evidenced by a substantial rise in their lobbying budget to $800,000 for the first half of 2024. Altman’s exit raises questions about whether the new committee will genuinely address safety concerns or prioritize OpenAI’s commercial goals
3. U.S. Congress Targets AI Misinformation with New Legislation 🇺🇸
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing a new bill designed to prevent political campaigns from using artificial intelligence to misrepresent their opponents. Leading the initiative, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Adam Schiff argue that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) needs updated authority to address the challenges posed by “deepfakes” and other misleading AI-generated content.
With the increasing prevalence of misinformation, this legislation aims to empower the FEC to regulate deceptive advertising in the same way it has historically managed political misrepresentation.
4. Google Gemini Widget Now Available on iPhone 📱
Exciting news for iPhone users: the latest update to the Google app introduces Gemini directly from the Home Screen with just a tap. This upgrade allows users to ask a variety of questions—everything from "What is the size of London?" to deeper inquiries like "What is the meaning of life?"
Plus, the new Google Search widget features customizable shortcuts, enabling you to add up to four options, including Gemini, Google Lens, and Song Search. This enhancement not only brings Google’s AI capabilities closer to iPhone users but also offers a similar experience to Google Pixel owners.
5. Microsoft and G42 Establish New Centers for Responsible AI 🤝
Microsoft and G42 have announced the creation of two new centers in Abu Dhabi aimed at promoting responsible artificial intelligence practices in the Middle East and Global South.
The first center will unite researchers and industry professionals to develop ethical guidelines for AI usage, while Microsoft’s AI Good Research Lab will focus on addressing key societal challenges such as food security and language accessibility. This partnership signifies a significant step in enhancing the UAE's reputation as a global leader in AI innovation.
6. SES AI Partners with Tech Leaders for Revolutionary Battery Initiative 🔋
SES AI Corporation is making significant strides in battery technology by launching a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with Crusoe and NVIDIA to map a universe of small molecules aimed at enhancing electric transportation. This ambitious project seeks to unlock the vast potential of lithium-metal batteries, targeting an impressive 99.6% efficiency while exploring over a trillion possible organic molecules.
With advanced AI cloud computing and innovative technology, SES AI aims to accelerate material discovery, paving the way for safer and more efficient energy storage solutions for electric vehicles and consumer electronics.
7. Microsoft and BlackRock's $30 Billion AI Fund: A Major Power Play ⚡️
In a striking move to meet the soaring demands of artificial intelligence, BlackRock is teaming up with Microsoft to launch a staggering $30 billion investment fund focused on data centers and energy projects.
This initiative addresses the urgent need for enhanced energy infrastructure as AI technologies ramp up, potentially outpacing current capacities. With projections indicating that global electricity consumption by data centers could more than double by 2026, this fund positions BlackRock at the forefront of a rapidly evolving market.
How to save hours with the Voxscript GPT
We found a GPT that might be one of the best and most robust GPTs out there.
Not only will it save you tons of time, but it also has some features that allow you to do things that default ChatGPT can’t.
Check out today's AI in 5.
🦾How You Can Leverage:
If you could hire a know-it-all employee for $30 a month, would ya do it?
(…..Dramatic pause to make a point….)
Duh.
Welp, that’s the bet that Microsoft just made with its Wave 2 Copilot announcements.
It’s a simple formula Microsoft is pushing: web + work + pages = mining AI paydirt.
Microsoft hopes this Copilot Wave 2 equation makes so much cents that biz leaders everywhere will gladly part with their dollars.
(See that!? Wordplay!)
So are Microsoft’s new Copilot 365 features good enough for the not-so-steep price tag?
And is this finally the “ChatGPT moment” for enterprises and AI at work?
Let’s dive in, y’all, for some of our favorites from the announcement.
1 – The big Copilot Picture 🧑🎨️
Here’s a brief rundown of from Copilot’s 2023 announcement to the latest Wave 2, which we’re recapping in full below.
(You can read Microsoft’s full breakdown here, as well as there whole announcement video here.)
March 2023: Copilot enters the chat
May 2023: Shows off at Microsoft's Build conference
November 2023: Goes free, ditches the "Bing Chat" alias
September 2024: Wave 2 crashes onto the scene
Release date?
Most of Wave 2's goodies are ready to roll for Microsoft 365 Copilot users. Some features, like Copilot Pages for the freeloaders, are coming "soon" (whatever that means in tech-speak).
Cost?
$30 per user, per month. Yeah, it's not chump change, but Microsoft's betting you'll think it's a steal once you see what it can do.
(We think it’s a legit no-brainer.)
2 – Know your audience 🎯
Forget stuffy boardrooms – Microsoft hopes Copilot Pages is the new hotspot for your team's brainstorming sessions.
It's like someone mashed up a whiteboard, a search engine, and your company's entire knowledge base into one digital playground.
Imagine chatting with AI on one side of your screen, then drag-and-dropping the good stuff onto a shared canvas where your team can riff on it in real-time.
Looks pretty juicy, TBH.
(Juicy is a good thing, according to my niece.)
What it means:
Time to kiss those never-ending email threads goodbye?
Maybe. If Copilot pages work.
Copilot Pages could be the digital war room where your next big idea is born. But fair warning: it might make your current collaboration tools look like they're running on dial-up.
3 – Excel Gets a Python-Powered Glow-Up 🧍
Excel jockeys, rejoice!
Your favorite number-crunching tool just got a serious IQ boost. With Python now baked in, you can pull off data science wizardry without writing a single line of code.
Want to predict next quarter's sales? Just ask nicely. "Hey Copilot, forecast our Q4 revenue based on historical data."
BAM, sucks! You've got a machine learning model faster than you can say "pivot table."
What it means:
Your finance team's about to get a lot more interesting at parties.
("Oh, you manually input data? How retro!”)
Seriously though, it's time to rethink what's possible with your data. Those mind-numbing reports that used to take days? They might just become your afternoon coffee break task.
And don’t worry. You don’t need to know anything about Python. The whole thing works with natural language commands.
*Chef’s kiss.
4 – PowerPoint That Practically Makes Itself 🧍
Remember those late nights cobbling together presentations?
PowerPoint's new Copilot-powered narrative builder wants to tuck them in for a long, long nap.
This AI-powered feature doesn't just slap together some slides.
It crafts entire presentations – outlines, slides, speaker notes, the whole shebang – all from a simple prompt.
And with the new brand manager (to be released soon), it'll dress it all up in your company's Sunday best by using only pre-approved graphics.
What it means:
It's time to redefine what "preparing a presentation" means.
Your team's energy can shift from "making slides" to "refining strategy."
But heads up – you might need to practice your "I totally didn't just whip this up in 5 minutes" face for the next board meeting. Lolz.
4 – PowerPoint That Practically Makes Itself 🧍
Remember those late nights cobbling together presentations?
PowerPoint's new Copilot-powered narrative builder wants to tuck them in for a long, long nap.
This AI-powered feature doesn't just slap together some slides.
It crafts entire presentations – outlines, slides, speaker notes, the whole shebang – all from a simple prompt.
And with the new brand manager (to be released soon), it'll dress it all up in your company's Sunday best by using only pre-approved graphics.
What it means:
It's time to redefine what "preparing a presentation" means.
Your team's energy can shift from "making slides" to "refining strategy."
But heads up – you might need to practice your "I totally didn't just whip this up in 5 minutes" face for the next board meeting. Lolz.
5 – Outlook That Reads Your Mind (And Your Boss's) 🧍
Inbox zero?
That's so 2023.
Wave 2’s new "prioritize my inbox" Copilot feature in Outlook is aiming for "inbox hero."
This AI assistant doesn't just sort your emails – it understands them. It knows a critical client email from yet another "voluntary" team building invite.
It'll even give you the CliffsNotes version of long emails, because who has time to read those anyway?
This is kinda like Apple’s forthcoming prioritized notifications, except we’re still twiddling our thumbs waiting for Apple’s AI while we’ve all been Copiloting around for like almost 2 years with Microsoft.
What it means:
Email overload might finally meet its match.
But fair warning – that "Sorry, must've gotten lost in my inbox" excuse?
It's about to become as outdated as a flip phone.
(Maybe… Sorry, my Copilot caught a cold?)
6 – Word: Your New AI Writing Buddy 🧍
Word could get a whole lot smarter, and it's not afraid to show it off.
With Wave 2 updates, you can tell it to whip up a document while pulling info from the web, your work files, emails, and even that meeting you dozed off in (don't worry, we won't tell. But your Copilot knows all the secrets.)
Need to draft a response to an RFP?
Just tell Word to grab the specs from that PDF, use the pricing from that email, and format it like last year's winning proposal.
It's like having a personal assistant who never sleeps and has a photographic memory.
What it means:
Get ready for a writing revolution.
This isn't just about churning out documents faster – it's about creating smarter, more comprehensive content without drowning in a sea of open tabs and file folders.
Don’t forget the human touch, though.
We’re all about sick of delving into today’s fast-moving digital landscape yada yada yada….
7 – Copilot Agents: Your AI Minions🧍
Not the little yellow ones.
Ever wished you could clone yourself to get more done? Copilot Agents could be the next best thing.
These customizable AI assistants don't just fetch information – they can actually do stuff for you.
The Wave 2 updates have Copilot Agents looking like more customizable versions of custom GPTs, but that work with your company’s live data.
What it means:
It's time to identify those soul-crushing, repetitive tasks that eat up your team's time. Copilot Agents could be your ticket to focusing on the work that really matters.
Just remember: with great power comes great responsibility. And maybe a slight existential crisis about what it means to be productive.
(Or your fave LLM like Claude, Gemini, Copilot, etc)
Now This …
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