In the “State of Microsoft Copilot” keynote, which kicked off the AI Copilot Digital Summit, Donald Kossmann laid out Copilot’s progression over the past two years and the vision for where it goes from here. Kossmann is a Distinguished Engineer and VP of Business Copilot and AI at Microsoft.
Kossmann noted that Copilot, which started as a personal assistant, now delivers a major impact in answering questions about emails, documents, and more. He said the “next level of real big value” will be realized through integration with customer service applications.
Copilot enables customer service agents to extract relevant data to enhance customers’ experience. It can analyze an email to identify issues, look up relevant cases and documentation, and present this information to the agent. It can also review FAQs and historical chats to formulate an answer, helping the agent make informed decisions and triggering necessary processes, Kossmann said.
“AI + Cloud enables reimagination”: this sentiment is becoming a reality as Copilot enables users to reimagine their businesses and related processes. Reinforcing that point, Kossmann highlighted one function — sales — and one industry — healthcare — that are being reimagined through Microsoft Copilot
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Copilot can support salespeople by looking up customer data in a CRM system and providing relevant information so employees can focus on selling as opposed to data entry. In healthcare, Copilot can assist doctors by generating documentation for patient medical records that are based on discussions with patients.
Kossmann also addressed how role-specific and in-app Copilots make systems like CRM and patient management easier to use. These Copilots can be both proactive, through the preparation of emails and presentations, and reactive, by responding to prompts.
Copilots are evolving to work across multiple applications and to support entire teams or companies, rather than just individuals. Specifically, AI is decentralizing intelligence in enterprise-scale companies, breaking down silos to improve customer and employee satisfaction. At the same time, AI lowers the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs and startups, enabling them to focus on solving problems and creating new opportunities.
What does the future hold for Microsoft Copilot? Kossmann explained that Copilot will gain more “senses,” similar to the evolution of smartphones with GPS and sensors. This will enhance Copilot’s capabilities without compromising privacy, especially in business scenarios where user control is critical.
John Siefert, CEO of Dynamic Communities and Acceleration Economy, noted as part of his discussion with Kossmann that the future of AI is exciting and full of potential, especially for those at the forefront. When coupled with human intelligence, AI can help companies streamline internal operations and dazzle their customers.
