Microsoft has unveiled an enhanced artificial intelligence-powered assistant that can operate without direct commands while supporting the work of entire company departments, as the tech giant steps up its rivalry with Google to create AI products for businesses.
The world’s most valuable listed company said its “Copilot” feature would now be able to serve whole teams within an organisation, not just individuals. For example, it could create and assign tasks to specific people and manage the agenda for a group meeting.
The Seattle-based group said business customers would also be able to create custom “agents” that can be configured to operate without waiting for human instructions. The company said the digital assistant can react to an incoming email by automatically suggesting or sending out responses, or instantly processing a customer order.