31 Aug AI and Microsoft 365: It’s Changing Faster Than Most Businesses Realise
The conversation around AI and Microsoft 365 tends to focus on Copilot. But while everyone has been debating what Copilot might do in the future, Microsoft has been adding practical AI features across the applications businesses already use every day.
Some features require an additional licence, while others are included within particular Microsoft 365 subscriptions or are being introduced gradually. Either way, it is worth knowing what is available before paying for another separate piece of software.
Catch up on meetings without watching the whole recording
Returning from holiday to a calendar full of missed meetings is nobody’s idea of fun.
Microsoft Teams can now bring meeting recordings, transcripts, notes and shared content together in one recap. Depending on your licence, its more advanced features can identify speakers, pull out important points and suggest follow-up tasks.
Teams can also create different types of summaries, including an executive overview or a summary organised by speaker. That makes it much easier to find out what was agreed without watching an hour-long recording from the beginning.
Microsoft has also introduced a Meeting Recaps app, giving users one place to find and review previous meetings.
Outlook can help you get through a busy inbox
AI in Outlook is moving beyond simply writing emails.
It can summarise a long email conversation, identify the main points and help draft a response. Newer features can also assess incoming messages and assign a priority based on factors such as the sender, the people involved and the content of the email.
That does not mean Outlook should be allowed to decide what matters without any human judgement. It does mean someone returning to hundreds of emails can find the important conversations more quickly.
Copilot Chat in Outlook can also answer questions about your inbox, calendar and meetings. What it can access and do will depend on the Microsoft 365 licence assigned to the user.
Create documents from information you already have
Starting with a blank page can be the slowest part of writing a proposal, report or presentation.
Copilot in Word can create a first draft using an existing document as its source. PowerPoint can use a Word document to prepare a draft presentation, including slides, images and speaker notes.
The result will still need checking and editing. AI can misunderstand the source material, miss context or produce something that does not sound like your business. Used properly, however, it can provide a useful first version for someone to work from.
Find information without remembering the filename
Most businesses have accumulated years of documents across SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and email. The information is usually there somewhere. Finding it is the problem.
Search within the Microsoft Copilot app can look across people, files, messages, meetings and SharePoint sites. Copilot in OneDrive can also summarise and compare files, helping users understand what they contain before opening each one individually.
This becomes particularly useful when you can remember what a document was about but not what someone called it or where they saved it.
Are these features included in your Microsoft 365 licence?
This is where things can become confusing.
Microsoft features are introduced at different times, and access can depend on the subscription, Copilot add-on, Teams licence and settings chosen by your Microsoft 365 administrator.
Before buying anything new, it is worth checking:
- Which Microsoft 365 licences you currently have
- Whether everyone has the right licence for their role
- Which AI features are already available
- Whether paid licences are being assigned to people who do not need them
- Whether your data and permissions are ready for AI-assisted search
AI can only work safely with the information a user is permitted to access. If your SharePoint permissions and file storage have become untidy, it is sensible to address that before introducing more advanced AI features.
Still using Office 2021?
There is also an important deadline approaching.
Microsoft support for Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 ends on 13 October 2026. After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes or technical support for those products.
The applications may continue to open, but using unsupported software can increase security and compliance risks.
If your business bought Office as a one-off purchase rather than using the Microsoft 365 subscription applications, now is the time to check which version is installed.
Get more from Microsoft 365
The real benefit of AI is not generating impressive demonstrations. It is helping people spend less time searching for files, catching up on meetings, sorting email and producing first drafts.
WTS Systems can review your current Microsoft 365 setup, explain which features are available and help make sure you are paying for the right licences.
If you would like us to take a look, speak to the WTS Systems team.