Knock on the blackboard! 5 major releases from Microsoft Build 2023
Microsoft Build 2023 kicks off today, and the event focuses on artificial intelligence. Microsoft has announced multiple plans to expand the use of AI in its apps and services, including Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, among others.
If you want to stay up to date, we've rounded up all the big news from the event.
Windows 11 will be equipped with AI Copilot
Microsoft is bringing its AI personal assistant called Copilot to Windows 11. This is the same assistant that Microsoft has integrated in the Edge browser, Office apps, and GitHub.
However, Windows Copilot will be located in the taskbar. Clicking it opens the Copilot sidebar, where you can ask the assistant to summarize, rewrite, and interpret text in the app you're using, as well as adjust computer settings. Microsoft said it will test the feature publicly next month and roll it out to more users.
There are also a few smaller updates coming to Windows 11, including support for Bluetooth LE, a low-energy audio specification for listening to high-quality audio without draining your device's battery life. Microsoft will also add support for 10 new languages and dialects to the Live Captioning feature that transcribes audio in real time, as well as native RGB controls in Windows 11.
Microsoft 365 Copilot now supports plugins
Microsoft shared important news about its 365 Copilot: new add-ons. The AI assistant will now support three main types of plugins, including team messaging extensions, Power Platform connectors, and tools using ChatGPT technology. You can also choose from dozens of third-party plugins, such as those from Atlassian and Adobe.
Additionally, Microsoft says it will build all of its Copilot and Bing Chat plugins using the same standards OpenAI developed for ChatGPT. This means you'll be able to use the same plugins across all three AI-powered tools, and it will be easier for developers to create them.
Microsoft Edge will soon offer 365 Copilot integration
Microsoft brings 365 Copilot to Edge. The tool will sit in the sidebar of your browser and can use content from the website you're viewing to help you complete projects in Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, and more.
For example, the tool can help you with tasks like composing emails, adding data to spreadsheets, generating status updates based on chat threads. This integration will also support the upcoming 365 Copilot plugin.
Windows Terminal Gets AI Upgrade
Windows Terminal will get an AI-powered chatbot through integration with GitHub Copilot. Developers using GitHub Copilot can now use the chatbot directly within the terminal to perform various actions, get code suggestions, and explain errors. Microsoft also said it is considering bringing GitHub Copilot to other developer tools such as WinDBG.
This isn't the only developer-focused update Microsoft announced, though. It also introduced a new Dev Home dashboard that should make it easier to set up and use a Windows development machine. Additionally, Microsoft will bring AI-generated app review summaries to the Microsoft Store and launch a new AI Hub to highlight Windows apps that use AI.
Bing is now the default search engine for ChatGPT
With Microsoft investing billions of dollars in OpenAI, it's no surprise that OpenAI made Bing the default search engine for its ChatGPT chatbot. Starting today, ChatGPT Plus users will see quotes from Bing in their chatbot responses.
Although Microsoft previously announced that it would launch OpenTable and WolframAlpha plug-ins for Bing, it is expanding the plug-in library significantly. Bing will soon support plugins from Expedia, Instacart, Kayak, Klarna, Redfin, TripAdvisor, Zillow, and more.
