As Microsoft Corp. MSFT gears up to report its earnings next week, the tech giant’s AI assistants, Copilots, are under scrutiny. These AI tools, designed to revolutionize workplaces and reinvigorate Microsoft’s Office productivity software, have drawn mixed reviews from early adopters.
What Happened: Microsoft’s Copilots aim to automate manual tasks and generate or summarise text and images. While they have proven adept at distilling information, they reportedly struggle with understanding the context of some requests and handling commands involving multiple apps, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
Despite these challenges, Microsoft remains confident about the Copilots’ potential. Jared Spataro, the corporate vice president overseeing workplace AI tools, noted that many customers are investing in the technology, despite its current limitations.
Early adopters like Ernst & Young and Lumen Technologies Inc. have begun deploying Microsoft’s AI assistant to their employees, with varying degrees of success and adoption rates. Analysts predict that widespread adoption of the software and a significant financial impact for Microsoft may not occur until the first half of 2025.
"A lot of people think AI is just pixie dust they can sprinkle, and it's gonna make their lives easier," Keith Mescha, an executive director with the EY unit that helps clients use Microsoft products, said.
"There's actual effort and work to make sure they do it right."
Lumen Technologies’ marketing chief Ryan Asdourian said that they are making the best use of the assistants by teaching their team how to use them.
Meanwhile, companies are also learning to feed an adequate amount of information to the software. Matt Radolec, a vice president with Varonis Systems Inc., highlighted that most companies are “not ready” to share their process of labeling and storing information with the software.
Why It Matters: Microsoft’s Copilots are part of a broader strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across its product line. In May, the company unveiled a new version of its Copilot assistant, named Team Copilot, designed to enhance team collaboration by taking notes, summarising key points, and managing deadlines.
However, the AI tools have not been without controversy. In March, a Microsoft AI engineer raised concerns over the company's AI image generator, Copilot Designer, producing "disturbing" images that violate the tech giant's responsible AI principles.
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Image: Microsoft
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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