Microsoft to announce some Office apps AI-integration details in March

After arming Bing with ChatGPT, Microsoft now has its eyes on its Office apps. The software giant is reportedly preparing to announce some details regarding integrating OpenAI’s tech and its own Prometheus Model into its productivity apps in the coming weeks. The tentative timeframe for the announcement is set in March and will cover apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. (The Verge)

The news about powering Office apps with AI first surfaced in January, though little information about this plan was shared. We might get more details about it soon, nonetheless, according to The Verge in a report. However, while it mentioned that the company is preparing “to demonstrate how its new ChatGPT-like AI will transform its Office productivity apps,” it is important to note that sources didn’t specify if this will be a full-blown revelation detailing the intelligent features Office apps will get. Instead, the report says the announcement will stress “how quickly Microsoft wants to reinvent search and its productivity apps through its OpenAI investments” and detail Microsoft’s “productivity plans.” Unfortunately, this might be an indication that the company will just share some vague information about the news.

On a positive note, previous reports already give us hints about things we might see in Office apps once they officially get full AI integration in the future. For instance, Viva Sales can now provide sellers with AI-generated, recipient-relevant email content. Edge, meanwhile, has a new sidebar, giving you a “Compose” mode, which will provide you with AI-generated content and let you set the composition’s tone, format, and length. These same capabilities will unquestionably fit perfectly in Office apps, so seeing them in Word or Outlook won’t be a surprise.

Other reports, nonetheless, show that Microsoft aims to use AI not just for such composition purposes. In the past weeks, a report from The Information said that Microsoft tested GPT models to Outlook to help it provide better search results. The Verge, on the other hand, shared that the company is now working on ways to help its PowerPoint generate graphs and graphics. Microsoft Teams is also now utilizing AI under Teams Premium, giving users live translated captions, automatically generated meeting notes, recommended tasks, and personalized highlights.

We might see more intelligent features like these in Office apps in the future as Microsoft tries to expand its AI efforts to all of its products. What makes this exciting, however, is the anticipation of what AI features and capabilities might soon arrive in Microsoft’s apps. Given the variations of Office apps and their respective functions, we might be waiting not just for intelligent capabilities but so as creative ones, making them more than just productivity apps.