Microsoft arguably possesses the most advanced General AI (GenAI) capabilities through its investment in and integration with OpenAI.

This year, the spotlight is on Microsoft Copilot, which incorporates GPT-4 into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, as well as GitHub Copilot.

Setting aside the sales pitch, what really interests me is how companies are adopting Microsoft Copilot since it came out and the what business outcomes it has served.

Commonwealth Bank

Commonwealth Bank has garnered attention for signing up for Microsoft Copilot 365 and GitHub Copilot. The bank already utilises AI for scam detection and personalizing its mobile app.

Its AI strategy, as envisioned, aims to introduce “Commonwealth Bank Copilot,” a chat agent designed to serve as your personal banker, addressing all banking needs.

They conducted a trial of Copilot 365 for their entry-level associates, focusing on repetitive tasks with the expectation that Copilot 365 could enhance efficiency. In a survey, over 70% of participants found it helpful. To quantify its utility, they posed a question: “Would you prefer a $50 lunch voucher or a Copilot license?” This amusing approach effectively gauges the tool’s value.

Additionally, the survey revealed a recurring theme: participants felt more “creative,” attributing this to Microsoft 365 taking over tasks such as information searching and data analysis, thus freeing up space for creativity. This insight is significant, as creativity is linked to job satisfaction and innovation.

They also conducted a 12-week trial of GitHub Copilot for developers, generating 80,000 lines of code that covered repetitive tasks, basic functions, testing, and documentation, including 15-20% for new projects. Satisfied with the results, they are expanding GitHub Copilot access to all developers.

Telstra

Telstra’s AI use case focuses on their support centres, employing 35,000 agents who interact with customers daily. AI enhances knowledge management, answer suggestions, initial contact, sentiment analysis, and more.

They are also trialing Microsoft 365 for their HR department and physical stores given the success of call centre.

Other Companies

A panel discussion featuring tech leaders from Accenture, Bupa, Colonial First State Super, and various government sectors highlighted a common trend: every company is considering GenAI experimentation. Given the impossibility of preventing employees from using ChatGPT, companies are opting to embrace and foster a dedicated experimentation environment.

However, when it comes to large scale adoption, no single company is ready to fully commit to a GenAI solution like Microsoft 365, indicating it is still very early days.

ESG

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) has become a crucial focus as companies strive for net-zero emissions in the coming years.

Microsoft offers a sustainability solution that assists customers in data capture, storage, and analysis using AI. It even provides insights on the sustainability scores of Azure data centers, enabling customers to choose less carbon-intensive deployment options.

With GenAI, Microsoft is developing a Sustainability Copilot to assist with ESG reporting, energy bill analysis, etc. Interestingly, the popularity of Large Language Models (LLMs) has forced Microsoft to adjust its sustainability timelines due to the increased infrastructure demands.

Technology

On the technical side, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) is emerging as an enterprise solution, with Microsoft offering a range of products to support this architecture.

Custom agents are also becoming a viable enterprise solution through platforms like Microsoft Copilot Studio, allowing companies to build custom agents with their own data.

Summary

To me, it feels like these are still the early days for GenAI in business. Companies are under pressure to explore GenAI, yet the risks and business outcomes remain unclear.

While nearly all companies are experimenting with GenAI in some form, a definitive use case has yet to emerge. GitHub Copilot appears to be the most promising so far, but we are all waiting to see how things unfold.

I’m excited to see how GenAI will shape the workforce for the future.