Microsoft Build 2024, Key Announcements in AI and Data Security

Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Microsoft Build 2024, took place in Seattle this week, running from May 21-23. The event attracted around 200,000 registrants, with 4,000 attending in person. CEO Satya Nadella led the keynote, announcing several significant updates for developers and businesses.

One of the main highlights was Team Copilot, an upgrade to Microsoft’s existing Copilot assistant. Team Copilot helps with tasks like managing agendas, taking notes, and providing context-based answers. It will enter a preview phase later this year for selected Microsoft 365 customers.

Nadella also talked about the new features of Microsoft Copilot Studio, which allows developers to create their own Copilots. These capabilities are part of an Early Access Program, with wider availability expected later this year. Additionally, Copilot extensions were announced, which enable connections to new sources and applications. The first set of these extensions, designed for GitHub, is already in private preview, allowing developers to enhance their GitHub experience.

Another major announcement was the introduction of Phi-3-vision, a new model that combines audio and visual capabilities. This model is part of Microsoft’s Phi-3 lineup, offering more affordable options for specific uses. These models can be accessed through Azure AI and Hugging Face platforms.

Microsoft also launched Real-Time Intelligence on Microsoft Fabric, an AI-driven analytics platform that helps businesses make quick decisions. This feature is currently in the preview stage.

For consumers, a new AI-powered real-time video translation feature in Microsoft Edge was introduced. This feature can translate videos from sites like YouTube, LinkedIn, Reuters, and Coursera into multiple languages. Initially, it supports translations from Spanish to English and vice versa, as well as from English to German, Hindi, Italian, and Russian. More languages and video platforms will be added soon.

Microsoft expanded its partnership with Hugging Face, a leading machine learning platform. This partnership aims to bring Hugging Face’s popular models to Azure AI studio, giving developers advanced tools for building scalable AI solutions.

Microsoft also announced a partnership with Khan Academy to improve math tutoring using the latest Phi-3 model. This aims to create affordable and adaptable tutoring solutions. More Khan Academy content will be integrated into Copilot and Teams for Education.

Another partnership was announced with Cognition AI, an AI startup specializing in software development on Azure. Cognition’s software agent, Devin, helps with tasks like code migration and modernization projects.

Microsoft also previewed its new custom silicon Arm-based processor, Cobalt 100. This processor, announced in November, offers a 40% improvement in performance for general and cloud-native workloads. Additionally, Microsoft is the first cloud provider to bring AMD’s MI300X AI accelerator chip to power customers’ AI needs through the Azure ND MI300X v5 series.

The conference featured many sessions, demos, and labs, focusing on opportunities with Microsoft Fabric, an AI-powered analytics platform promising high returns on investment with a quick payback period.

These updates come after a memo from Nadella to Microsoft employees, stressing the importance of prioritizing security over new features. This followed concerns over a 2023 Microsoft cloud email breach.