Microsoft 365 gets AI smart: Here are the best new features

Microsoft on Friday introduced new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered capabilities in Microsoft 365 that will allow people in an organisation create live and on-demand events.

"Today, we are introducing new ways Microsoft 365 connects people across their organisation and improves collaboration habits, including new AI-infused capabilities," said Ron Markezich, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft.

Events can now be viewed in real-time or on-demand, with high-definition video and interactive discussion, the company said in a statement.

AI-powered services will include speech-to-text transcription, timecoding, transcript search and closed captions to make the event more accessible to all. Microsoft 365 will also get a speaker timeline, which uses facial detection to identify who is talking, so you can easily jump to a particular speaker in the event.

Launched one year back, the adoption of Microsoft 365 has grown by more than 100%-- building on over 135 million commercial monthly Office 365 users, 200 million Windows 10 commercial devices in use, and over 65 million seats of Enterprise Mobility + Security.

Microsoft rolled out the preview of a new Workplace Analytics solution, which uses collaboration insights from the Microsoft Graph, to help teams run efficient meetings, create time for focused work, and respect work/life boundaries.

"Organisations can use aggregate data in Workplace Analytics to identify opportunities for improving collaboration, then share insights and suggest habits to specific teams using MyAnalytics," Markezich said.

Microsoft Whiteboard is now generally available for Windows 10, coming soon to iOS, and preview on the web, the company announced.

"The new Whiteboard application enables people to ideate, iterate, and work together both in person and remotely, across multiple devices," Microsoft said.