Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Build, took place from May 23 to May 25 in Seattle, Washington, with a mix of in-person and online sessions. The event showcased the latest innovations and updates from Microsoft across its platforms and services, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI), Windows 11, and archive formats.
AI everywhere
One of the main themes of Build 2023 was how Microsoft is integrating AI into many of its products and services, such as Bing, Edge, GitHub, and Office. The company announced new features and tools that leverage AI to enhance user experience, productivity, and creativity.
For example, Microsoft introduced CoPilot, a new AI assistant that helps developers write code faster and smarter. CoPilot is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT model and can generate code snippets based on natural language queries or existing code context. CoPilot is available as a plugin for Visual Studio Code and Edge.
Another AI innovation from Microsoft was Bing AI, a new service that allows users to search the web using natural language questions and get answers from multiple sources. Bing AI can also generate summaries, paraphrases, and citations for the results. Bing AI is accessible through Bing.com or Edge.
Microsoft also demonstrated how it is using generative AI to create content such as poems, stories, essays, and songs. The company showcased some examples of its generative AI projects, such as PoetBot, StoryBot, EssayBot, and SongBot. These projects use deep learning models to generate original and creative content based on user input or prompts.
Windows 11 updates
Another highlight of Build 2023 was the announcement of new features and improvements for Windows 11, the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system. Windows 11 was released in October 2022 and has been well received by users and critics alike.
One of the new features that Microsoft announced for Windows 11 was a force quit option on the taskbar. This feature allows users to close crashed or buggy apps directly from the taskbar without having to open Task Manager. This feature is similar to the one available on macOS and is expected to be available soon.
Another new feature that Microsoft announced for Windows 11 was native support for RAR, Tar, 7-zip, and gz archives. This means that users can now open and extract these archive formats without needing third-party software. This feature has been long requested by Windows users and is also expected to be available soon.
Microsoft also announced a new Windows Copilot AI assistant that helps users with various tasks on their PC. Copilot can provide tips, suggestions, reminders, shortcuts, and more based on user behavior and preferences. Copilot can also learn from user feedback and improve over time. Copilot is integrated with Cortana and can be accessed through voice or text commands.
Other announcements
Besides AI and Windows 11, Microsoft also made several other announcements at Build 2023 that are relevant for developers and professionals. Some of these announcements include:
- A new Dev Home for developers that provides a centralized hub for accessing Microsoft’s tools, resources, documentation, tutorials, samples, forums, blogs, events, and more.
- A new Secure digital event that will take place on March 28th 2023 for security professionals to learn and share comprehensive security strategies to protect more with less.
- A new Envision digital event that will take place on September 15th 2023 for business leaders to hear diverse perspectives from a worldwide audience and gain fresh insights as executives across industries come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this era of digital disruption.
- A new Ignite digital event that will take place on November 15th-16th 2023 for IT pros, decision makers, implementors, architects, developers, and data professionals to explore the latest tools, receive deep technical training, and get questions answered by Microsoft experts.
- A new Powerful Devs digital event that will take place on February 15th 2023 for developers to learn how to leverage the Power Platform to build applications faster and with far less effort.
Microsoft Build 2023 was a successful event that showcased Microsoft’s vision and innovation for the future of technology. The event also provided valuable insights and opportunities for developers and professionals to learn new skills and connect with the community. For more information about Build 2023 or to watch the sessions on demand visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/events/.
