Microsoft is ‘turning everyone into a prompt engineer’ with new Copilot AI features

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Microsoft's efforts to improve the use of generative AI by turning everyone into a "prompt engineer". It highlights upcoming features in Copilot for Microsoft 365, such as auto-complete suggestions for prompts, a "rewrite" feature to enhance basic prompts, and the ability to create and share custom prompts. The article also mentions Microsoft's survey findings on the growing use of AI in the workplace, including the rise of "AI power users" who have adopted AI to save time.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Improving Generative AI Prompts

1. What are the key features Microsoft is adding to Copilot for Microsoft 365 to help with prompts?

• Auto-complete feature that offers suggestions to improve AI prompts, such as summarizing emails or other Office data-related tasks
• "Elaborate your prompt" feature that can rewrite prompts to add more detail and improve the end result
• Ability for users to create, publish, and manage custom prompts in Copilot Lab that can be shared with colleagues

2. How does Microsoft's "rewrite" feature for prompts work? The "rewrite" feature in Copilot for Microsoft 365 can take a basic prompt and turn it into a more detailed, "rich" prompt with a single click, essentially helping users become better "prompt engineers".

[02] Adoption of AI in the Workplace

1. What are the key findings from Microsoft's survey on the use of AI in the workplace?

• 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI tools to work, rather than waiting for their organization to provide them
• There is a "rise of the AI power user" - workers who have adopted AI to save over 30 minutes per day by reimagining business processes

2. How does Microsoft's own financial performance relate to the growth of AI services? Microsoft's recent quarterly results showed that revenue from AI services contributed 7 percentage points to the 31% revenue growth for Azure and other cloud services, indicating the increasing importance of AI to Microsoft's business.