Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies work, and Microsoft Copilot is a leader in that evolution.
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Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies work, and Microsoft Copilot is a leader in that evolution.
Copilot can enhance productivity, increase coordination, strengthen search capabilities and more.
Using Copilot requires planning and changes to how users navigate, but it has big benefits.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how companies in all industries do business, introducing new opportunities to increase business capabilities, efficiency and insight. One of the key applications at the center of this current AI revolution is Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, an AI companion that helps users unlock new levels of creativity, productivity and analytics.
RSM US LLP’s Todd Bleeker and William Jones recently joined presenters from Microsoft and AI for Social Progress and Economic Growth (AI4SP) for a webcast that provides details into how Copilot works, and reviews current trends for the application and its transformative potential moving forward.
Recent AI4SP research shows that 76% of organizations are familiar with AI and 52% are currently using AI, with different degrees of adoption. Almost three-quarters of survey respondents (74%) are satisfied with AI results, but 57% have security and privacy concerns. The reasons companies have not used AI yet include misconceptions about cost, return on investment or use cases; skill gaps and trust; and lack of awareness.
The data shows that most companies are using AI to take advantage of automation to reduce costs. Automation of marketing, sales and client interactions; employee recruitment and retention; scheduling; and data-driven decision making round out the top uses of AI.
Your peers are likely using AI to improve key processes. If you have not already, you should begin considering a strategy to embrace AI in a responsible way that maintains the security of data and information.
Copilot is integrated into the Microsoft 365 applications you likely already use, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams and Outlook. All the data points you have access to, such as emails, files stored in OneDrive, calendars and meetings are securely shared between Microsoft Graph and a large language model to create responses to your requests from Copilot.
In terms of security, you remain in control of the data in your specific graph, as nobody else has access to your specific information. Your data remains your data, and that is unique among other leading AI applications.
“The content you query and prompts and responses that you use are solely for your benefit and only for you to see,” says Bleeker.
With the benefits available within Copilot, saying that it is changing the way people work is no exaggeration. With advantages available with Copilot, users can:
Since Copilot is already integrated in many of the key productivity tools you already have in place, with further expansion into applications such as SharePoint, OneDrive and Stream coming soon, the potential time savings to search for information, summarize a missed meeting or even draft an email are already significant, and efficiencies will only grow as Copilot becomes more integrated into your environment.
Implementing Copilot is unlike anything many businesses have seen before, as it uses natural language to interact; it is a big change from past processes. Your organization should still create a comprehensive plan to build a foundation for success. The key elements of that plan include developing a governance strategy, identifying the implementation team, outlining business scenarios, defining goals, drafting a mission statement and establishing a training approach.
In addition to the plan, your security processes should be reviewed, including whether your teams have proper access to content and if anything needs a closer look before being introduced within Copilot.
Copilot has the potential to transform many of the key processes within your business. It can enable employees to become more productive, collaborative and effective. But it will mean changes to how users navigate their productivity applications and a detailed plan to help ensure it delivers on expectations. However, those efforts can pay big dividends through the competitive edge it delivers throughout the organization.
For more on the webcast, the full recording and presentation slides are now available.
All of the research we shared in the presentation is available on the Microsoft and AI4SP.org website, as well as the free AI Compass evaluation, which provides a personalized assessment with recommendations on how to implement AI responsibility for your company to increase revenue or reduce costs.
RSM and Microsoft are also excited to offer you a no-cost AI consultation. Visit our complimentary AI consulting evaluation for small and medium-sized organizations to sign up. Once you select your preferred method of contact on the form, you will have the option to choose RSM as the Microsoft event sponsor.