Microsoft Build 2024 Highlights: A new era of AI

Microsoft, known by everyone worldwide, used its Windows operating system for the last three decades. The company has contributed much to the world regarding technology, covering every technology race, such as Operating Systems, Gaming, Cloud technology, and recently AI. The AI story began in 2019 when Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI. After the launch of ChatGPT, Microsoft understood the potential in the field of AI and invested multi-billions in OpenAI. Recently, Microsoft held an AI conference, “Microsoft Build,” in which the company discussed its plans and innovations in AI. This article will cover the innovations and technology the company will build for the future.

Microsoft Build 2024

Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio is a newly launched tool that can help users create Copilot agents. Like GPTs, Copilot agents are AI chatbots specifically built to perform tasks or automate processes. Microsoft claims it could redefine the business process and work independently for users. To create a Copilot Agent, you must describe the agent with configurations such as instructions, trigger, knowledge, and action. Users can also test their agent to see whether it is working properly, integrate or share the agent with any website, such as Teams or Slack, and deploy it on any website or mobile application. Copilot agents can also learn from the feedback from the users.

For Example, You can create an agent to manage the Employee’s onboarding agent, which provides training and roles based on the role. Based on this, you can add learning resources, proper instructions, and actions. After this, you can test whether your agent is working properly. This will be a game-changer for companies to automate any task in a structured manner.

Also Read- 7 Best FREE AI Chatbots That Will Blow Your Mind

Github Copilot Extension

GitHub is a widely used platform for creating, storing, managing, and tracking codebases. It allows developers to work on a single project worldwide. Last year, Microsoft announced Github Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant that helps to write code faster, suggest changes, and find errors in the codebase. Microsoft has announced the GitHub Copilot Extension, as the name suggests, which extends the Copilot to other third-party apps. Back then, Github Copilot could only be used in the code editor and Github Workspace, but now the Extension crosses itself to different platforms such as Azure, Azure Cloud, Docker, and many more. Now, Microsoft is merging three platforms, GitHub Copilot, Copilot Extension, and Copilot Workspace, to help developers stay focused and solve problems.

Also Read- Best AI Tools for Students

Copilot+PCs

As the name suggests, Microsoft will soon release a PC packed with the advanced features of Microsoft Copilot to start a new era of AI-powered devices. These devices will be powered by the new NPU(Neural Processing Unit) AI Processor, which is the most powerful AI processor and can perform 40 trillion operations per second. They are up to 20X more powerful and 100X more efficient for running AI operations. Compared to a Macbook with an M3 processor, they are 58% more powerful in terms of performance and 20% more in battery life.

Microsoft also partners with other brands to bring Copillot+PCs, like Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and its own brand, Surface. These PCs will have many AI features, but these three will be the most.

1. Recall
   Recall is Microsoft’s much-hyped AI feature; as its name suggests, it helps users recall anything. It takes screenshots of everything you do on your PCs and runs AI algorithms in the backend, so whenever you need any information, you will get it instantly.
   For Example, you are online shopping and like a red T-shirt. After a few days, you want to check its price again, but you can’t find that shirt anywhere. Now, ask Recall to find that dress in the file, and you will get it instantly.
2. Cocreator
   Cocreator is a tool that is specifically developed for digital creators. It helps the creators in the field of arts and design. It offers features such as AI image generation, Restyle, Real-time generation with the help of AI, etc. You can also combine your ink strokes with the text prompts to generate new images in real-time.
3. Live Caption
   For a long time, several companies have wanted to end the language barrier in this world. Microsoft has made this possible by using a tool called “Live Caption.” It is a tool that will generate English language captions from any audio that passes through the PC in real-time across all your screens. It can generate and convert more than 40 languages using NLP and AI even when you are offline.
   

To improve the performance of the Copilot + PCs, Microsoft also cooperates with the biggest application companies to improve the AI experiences by leveraging the power of NPU, such as Abode, Davinci Resolve Studio, Capcut, etc. Additionally, every Copilot+PC comes with a Copilot key in the keyboard to instantly access the AI assistant, “Copilot.”

Also Read-4 Best AI Tools For Animation- All You Need To Know About!

Phi-3 Vision

Microsoft announced a family of Phi-3 AI models that contain Phi-3 small, Phi-3 medium, and Phi-3 mini in April of this year. These small models are low-cost and low-energy and outperform many large language models. Microsoft has added a new family member, “Phi-3 Vision.” It is a new multimodal that can read images and text and tell users what’s in them. This new model contains 4.2 billion parameters and can do general visual reasoning tasks like asking questions about charts or images. This model differs from other image models as it does not generate images. It just analyzes images for the users.

Also Read- 12 Awesome and Free AI Tools You Should Know

Surface Pro and Surface Laptop

Microsoft announced its new Copilot+PCs program, which partners with some brands to develop AI-powered laptops and PCs. Under this program, Microsoft launched its new Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 laptops. These devices have many AI features such as Recall, Cocreate, Live Caption, etc., and both are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor and Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, which is capable of 40 trillion operations per second.

These beasts are 58 percent faster and 20 percent longer than Apple’s M3 and the Intel Core Ultra 7. Both devices have upgraded Video and audio calling with the addition of a front-facing webcam with a 114-degree ultrawide 1440p sensor. The webcam supports AI-powered Windows Studio Effects. There is also a dedicated Copilot button next to the spacebar in both laptops.

Let’s discuss the specifications of both devices.

1. Microsoft Surface Pro 11
   The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus(LCD Screen) and Elite Chipset(OLED display). It also features a 13-inch 120 Hz refresh rate display with a 2-in-1 option. It has a Flex Keyboard that can be detached from the device, with a hinge of 165 degrees, and a customizable haptic touchpad that takes the user’s experience to the next level. The Surface Pro 11 RAM can go up to 32 GB and SSD up to 1TB. It supports 65 W fast charging.
2. Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
   The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 comes in two sizes: a 13.8-inch display and a 15-inch model with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 600 nits. Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite powers the 15-inch model, and the other has Snapdragon X Plus. The Surface Laptop 7’s RAM can be up to 64 GB, and storage can be up to 1TB. It also supports 65 W fast charging.

Also Read- 10 BEST Crypto AI Trading Tools | TRY NOW!

Windows Copilot Runtime

Microsoft has added more than 40 AI models to Windows 11. Windows Copilot Runtime is a newly developer-friendly application that allows developers to develop AI features for Windows. It provides developers with AI models, APIs, AI frameworks, and toolchains to develop AI applications for Windows. Developers can integrate features like Studio Light for photo editing, Live Translation, and other AI features into their applications.

Also Read- Nightmare AI Review: The AI Image Upscaler

Real-time intelligence in Microsoft Fabric

Microsoft Fabric is a platform that provides end-to-end data analysis. It is a place where teams combine their data and advanced tools to gain insights from the data. Microsoft has released a real-time Intelligence feature in Microsoft Fabric, enabling enterprises to process, analyze, visualize, and take action in real time. The company is merging Real-Time Analytics and Data Activator technologies to speed up the process.

Also Read- 8 Best AI Recruiting Tools

GPT- 4o

Finally, Microsoft announced that the new OpenAI LLM, “GPT-4o,” will soon be available in the Azure AI Studio. This allows users to use GPT-4o in their next project to build applications for Windows. GPT-4o is the new multimodal LLM that can handle text, vision, audio, real-time response, and more, making it safe for users.

Also Read- 15 Best AI Movies You Must Watch

Conclusion

Microsoft Build 2024 has unveiled many groundbreaking innovations and technologies that show the company’s commitment to advancing the field of artificial intelligence. From the introduction of Copilot Studio, which empowers users to create and deploy customized AI agents, to the unveiling of Copilot+PCs, a range of AI-powered devices equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software capabilities, Microsoft has solidified its position as a frontrunner in the AI race. With a focus on democratizing AI and making it accessible to a broader audience, Microsoft has set the stage for a future where artificial intelligence seamlessly interweaves with our daily lives, revolutionizing how we work, create, and interact with technology.

Frequently Asked Questions