Real-time translation is often cited as one of the most practical uses of generative AI, and Microsoft plans to bring the feature to its video conferencing and team collaboration software early next year. The company also unveiled a number of new and upcoming AI features at its recent Ignite 2024 event.
One of the upcoming Copilot "AI agents" for Microsoft 365 will translate speakers' voices in Microsoft Teams meetings. The feature will enter public preview in early 2025.
Supported languages include Mandarin, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
Users can also ask the agent to replicate their own voice and speaking style in the translated language. In addition, the new AI transcription feature in Teams supports translation into 31 languages. Another translation tool, arriving next year, will let Copilot convert an entire PowerPoint presentation into one of 40 languages without changing its formatting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9fguYDG6wE
Microsoft's new enterprise Copilot agents, which are essentially customizable AI apps, were first introduced a month ago. The first wave was designed to automate certain tasks for sales and finance companies, while a new wave of these agents will roll out to other industries between now and early 2024.
For example, Copilot will soon be able to summarize discussions in Microsoft Teams, answer participants' questions, and compile files shared in chats. A feature arriving later this month will let Copilot schedule one-on-one meetings by analyzing a user's calendar, identifying shared free time, and drafting a meeting agenda.
Agents have also appeared in Microsoft's SharePoint tools. A new AI assistant can provide information about a company and its products to help customers, train new team members, or plan budgets. In addition, 365 subscriptions will be able to use SharePoint Advanced Management at no extra cost starting in early 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4mJO6F5kok
ServiceNow, Workday, Cohere, and several other companies are also preparing to release more AI agents in the coming months. Meanwhile, Copilot is expected to expand its access to data through partnerships with companies such as S&P Global and CB Insights.
Microsoft's announcements at Ignite 2024 show the company is investing heavily in GenAI. However, features like translation, summarization, and querying depend on accuracy, a persistent challenge for AI because of well-documented hallucination problems.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has sharply criticized the initial rollout of Microsoft's Copilot Agent, saying its accuracy, data, and security fall short. Even so, Salesforce is trying to compete with its own Agentforce AI tools. The recent launch of Apple Intelligence has raised questions about the accuracy of generative AI summaries, with many unintentionally funny results going viral on social media.
Microsoft maintains that limiting AI agents to information from user-defined datasets will ensure accuracy. The upcoming public betas will put that claim to the test.
