Microsoft outlines how Copilot and other AI tools can address meeting challenges

Many professionals find their schedules filled with meetings, often hindering productivity due to their time-consuming nature or lack of relevance. Microsoft claims that its AI tools can assist in optimizing these meetings.

According to a recent Microsoft Work Trend Index report, people identified “inefficient meetings” as their top productivity barrier. In response, Microsoft has outlined how Copilot and other AI tools can address meeting challenges:

1. Real-time Summarization: Copilot in Microsoft Teams can instantly summarize key points of a meeting, bridging information gaps and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
2. Automated Meeting Recaps: Copilot users will soon access automatically generated meeting recaps, including notes and suggested follow-up tasks. Users can also “follow” a meeting, prompting organizers to record it for later access.
3. In-Meeting Advice: Copilot in Teams enables private brainstorming to drive discussions forward. Users can ask questions like, “What can I ask to move the meeting forward?” and receive suggestions based on the meeting’s transcription.
4. Noise Suppression: Teams’ noise suppression feature eliminates unwanted background noise during video conferences. A voice isolation feature is expected to be introduced soon, recognizing the user’s voice and suppressing other sounds.
5. Virtual Background Enhancement: Teams Premium offers a “Decorate your background” feature, utilizing generative AI to enhance or modify real-life settings. This helps maintain a professional appearance without revealing the entire physical space.
6. Presentation Skills Coaching: Microsoft’s Speaker Coach analyzes speech elements such as pacing, pitch, repetitive language, and filler words. It provides live insights and a comprehensive evaluation to help improve presentation skills.
7. Live Translation: Teams Premium includes a live translation feature, translating conversations in up to 40 spoken languages. Participants can read translations through captions or transcripts, overcoming language barriers in meetings.