Asana's new 'AI teammates' is set to challenge Microsoft's Team Copilot

Microsoft announced Team Copilot (not to be confused with Microsoft Teams) not too long ago, aiming to make the AI-powered tool more than just a personal assistant. It wants to be a “team AI assistant”, and now, Asana seems to be launching its competitor, AI teammates, and is currently in its beta testing.

The premise of Asana’s AI Teammates is simple. You can maximize productivity by having AI teammates that advise on priorities, power workflows, and take action on tasks. In other words, it can tell you what to do at work, as if it’s your workmate, not just some software.

Asana’s boss, Dustin Moskovitz, puts it best, “We’re able to do this better than anyone else because we built Asana on the Work Graph, which provides the necessary structure to link work and workflows to organizational goals. This is what makes AI teammates highly effective coworkers.”

In its presentation, the popular productivity suite maker says that use cases include creative production for an outdoor advertising company and marketing campaigns for a cybersecurity company, where AI handles content creation, task assignment, and prioritization. And it does not necessarily replace the needs for humans: instead, it “combines” humans and AI to boost productivity.

And that claim is not baseless at all. 89% of workers using AI see productivity gains, so Asana has to capitalize on that. A new AI chat interface is also coming your way and is rolling out later this month.

Asana launched its first set of AI features not too long ago. New features include Smart Workflows, AI-assisted goal creation, and integrations with Microsoft 365.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Team Copilot can also help you with tasks, agendas, and collaboration. It’s available in Microsoft Teams, Loop, and Planner, assisting in meetings, tracking projects, and managing tasks. Preview coming in late 2024 for Microsoft 365 Copilot users.