How I Prompt: 10 Leaders Share Their Favorite AI Time-Savers From ‘What are our top challenges?’ to ‘Summarize this email thread,' Microsoft executives share their favorite AI promptsDrop a few simple conversational prompts into AI, and the results are pretty astonishing. But these tools also have a deeper potential to transform how work gets done for those who learn how to fully leverage it.Think of generative AI as a digital assistant that augments your own knowledge and capabilities. If you take a few seconds to give it context and explain your goals, you can create things faster, complete tasks with ease, and lessen your cognitive load.As you experiment, you’ll develop your own approach to collaboration. To help you get started, we asked 10 leaders here at Microsoft how they use prompts to boost creativity, save time, and stay focused on the most meaningful and rewarding parts of their jobs.Sumit Chauhan, Corporate Vice President, Office Product GroupWhen I get in to work in the morning, I’m already behind. There are unread emails and chat messages to catch up on while I’m simultaneously jumping into my first meeting. With Copilot in Outlook, I can type summarize, and boom—I have a pretty accurate rundown of the highlights of a long thread. Or let’s say I have to generate a deck based on documents, emails, previous presentations, what have you. I can go into PowerPoint and say, generate me a deck based on these things, and I get an outline or a draft of a deck. Just that one thing saves me an enormous amount of time.Jared Spataro, CVP, Modern Work & Business ApplicationsWhat makes Copilot feel almost magical is the fact that it has a deep understanding of me, my job, my priorities, and my organization. It knows my entire universe of data at work. I can write:Quickly summarize the meeting I had at 11 a.m. yesterday.Who attended?What decisions were made?Give me a sense of what you think the next steps should be.Put that summary into an email to Jun, and propose a time when we’re both free next week to discuss.Write it in Japanese.Colette Stallbaumer, General Manager, Microsoft 365 and Future of WorkTime is our most precious resource, and Copilot helps me reclaim some of that time at work. During a busy day, my most frequently used prompts start with “Find me”:Find me the Q2 news deck that Marta shared in a meeting this week.Find me the most recent Work Trend Index research document from Grace.Find me the hybrid work playbook we created in 2021.No more hunting for specific documents, decks, or emails. Copilot combs through all my folders and files to quickly find what I need—even if it’s a file I haven’t accessed in years. I find it saves me time and helps me stay focused on the strategic and creative work that matters most. Amy Coleman, CVP, Human Resources & Corporate FunctionsOnce a week, to keep myself informed and prepare for meetings with global HR partners, I ask Copilot:What are the top challenges facing global HR organizations this week in September 2023?What about in Australia, 2023?Are HR trends in the US for September 2023 different than the HR trends in Germany for September 2023?Show me HR research across all of our global offices from the past three months, 2023.Who are the top voices talking about these challenges?It opens the door to possibilities rather than simply coming to a conclusion.Jaime Teevan, Chief Scientist & Technical FellowWhen I’m reading an article, I get better summaries when I say, summarize this article for a Microsoft executive with a particular interest in research than when I just ask for a summary. Or if I’m trying to think critically about the article, I might follow up by telling it what I want the reply to look like: What questions should that exec ask of the article? Please include answers to the questions, quoting the article when possible. Basically, I get better replies by including details and direction.Deb Cupp, President, AmericasI meet with a lot of customers. There are often a lot of ideas generated and action items assigned during these meetings. When I need to send follow-up emails, I rely on Sales Copilot to kick-start the drafting process. I just tell it to generate a response, and it looks at my previous email exchanges with that customer, recent notes from the Teams call, as well as any relevant data from the CRM, and suggests an appropriate response email. I can take that and make some edits of my own before hitting send. These prompts are like my personal shortcuts to staying organized and nailing communication, even on the busiest workdays.Jon Friedman, CVP, Design & ResearchI don’t write code. But I wanted to write JavaScript for an app that ran on mobile devices, so I prompted the AI with all the things I wanted the app to do, and it spit the code back at me. Then I asked, where do I put this code to look at it more carefully? It told me where and helped me troubleshoot errors. I didn’t just ask it to do something for me; I asked it to teach me too. It was like collaborating with a patient programmer.Kathleen Mitford, CVP, Global Industry MarketingPrompts like, write a list of… or compare… or give me examples of… give me interesting options and possibilities, and help me to explore creative ideas and build new work habits. Communication and iteration is key at work, and that includes communication with AI. I observe how Copilot responds to my prompts, then I ask it to evaluate its own response, then I ask it to iterate again. It’s like an ongoing dialogue, arrived at by testing and learning continually.Merrie Williamson, CVP of Azure Infrastructure, Digital & Application InnovationI am always looking for ways to go deeper in learning about our specific customers. One useful time saver is telling Copilot, highlight key trends and insights in this company’s quarterly earnings report. It’s a quick way to add the additional context I need to drive a great conversation for customer meetings.Tara Roth, CVP, Microsoft 365 Customer Success EngineeringI love the ability to say, surface key action items for Teams meetings. It’s not always perfect, but it gets you close enough that you can then just quickly edit and add or take away whatever you want. I feel like I can be more attentive in the meeting because I’m not worried about taking notes. I can fully engage with the confidence that Copilot will have captured the key items accurately enough that I can then go modify and send out the summary.
Mastery Logistics Systems develops an innovative, cloud-based transportation management system with Microsoft Azure Mastery Logistics Systems (Mastery), a leader in logistics technology, has built an innovative, cloud-based TMS that has brought new capabilities and opportunities to logistics organizations. Mastery was founded with a vision to improve the process of moving goods across the globe by solving for complexity and automating manual processes for enterprise carriers, logistics service providers, and large shippers. The company required a scalable and adaptable solution to solve industry-specific challenges. By developing a solution with Microsoft Azure, Mastery has brought imaginative solutions to life, expanded its workforce from 50 to 1,000 staff, and now offers its clients enhanced productivity and visibility—all in one platform.The logistics industry faces a labyrinth of challenges, varying from optimizing complex supply chains to making and implementing real-time decisions amid constantly changing variables. Mastery Logistics Systems (Mastery) is a visionary transportation management technology company that has risen to solve these problems by building a modern, cloud-based platform from the ground up. Using Microsoft Azure, the company has designed a scalable and adaptable transportation management system (TMS) that improves efficiency and reduces costs for its clients. Mastery’s new technology solution helps its clients improve customer experiences while driving growth and automation.Streamlining operations, boosting connectivity, and enhancing automation with AzureMastery’s innovation is led by industry pioneer Jeff Silver and cofounder Marianne Silver, who have brought together top technology and industry talent. In 2019, Jeff Silver founded Mastery with the goal of creating a solution to address the industry’s fragmented and aging systems, manual planning, ad hoc decision-making, and the complexities inherent in disconnected supply chain enterprises.The company set out to develop a software as a service (SaaS) solution that would be available in the cloud with real-time updates and analytics and that could be configured to integrate with other systems. Mastery’s core mission is to create “the world’s first lovable TMS.”Mastery understood the need to build robust, scalable, and accessible technology, leading the company to explore solutions from Microsoft. The result was Mastery’s flagship product, MasterMind, a cloud-based TMS engineered to streamline operations, enhance connectivity, and automate cumbersome processes.MasterMind provides solutions for multiple aspects of transportation management, from automating procurement to simplifying contract management and dynamic, multimodal routing. Users can use advanced analytics to optimize decision-making, whether they’re selecting the best drivers, planning fleets, or choosing the most cost-effective transport mode. The TMS can even be configured with application programming interface integrations to connect with external partners, facilitating collaboration and data exchange. The software also streamlines accounting and billing processes, manages driver pay and settlements, and helps users with in-app training.Mastery chose Azure for MasterMind because of its robust functionality and cost-management capabilities. Much of Mastery’s early success was driven by its collaboration with several partners who offered hands-on assistance with developing MasterMind within Azure. With the confidence that its product offered value to the logistics industry, Mastery was ready to expand.Optimizing MasterMind with help from Microsoft Unified SupportAlong with their wealth of industry-specific knowledge, Mastery’s leaders have a track record of success working closely with Microsoft, which led to their decision to grow with the company. “We’re building the world’s first lovable TMS using the world’s most welcomed cloud provider,” says Darren Cockrel, President and Chief Information Officer at Mastery.Mastery relied on Microsoft to grow its cloud footprint. Direct licensing and teams from Microsoft Unified Support helped to smooth data migration, system integration, and training to adapt to the new environment. The scalability and reliability of Azure were key to this shift.“Getting that mission-critical support early on and having the dedicated team of experts that we can reach out to, that always pick up the phone when we call, have been huge benefits for us as we’ve grown,” says Matt Kugler, Chief Information Security Officer at Mastery. This step in Mastery’s journey laid the foundation for enhanced efficiency and productivity and accelerated development of the company and its software.Empowering 65 percent of staff to contribute code with GitHub Copilot from MicrosoftMastery scaled up its operations, growing from 50 to 1,000 staff members, while continually improving its product. The company recently embraced Github Copilot, a Microsoft Copilot AI assistance tool that offers intelligent code suggestions, explanations, and automatic change documentation. Mastery uses Copilot to drive coding efficiency, automate repetitive coding tasks, and improve the developer experience.After adopting the array of support tools and developer resources available from Microsoft, an impressive 65 percent of staff has actively contributed to writing code, and Mastery has successfully implemented many of those contributions. “We’re seeing a 25–26 percent acceptance rate on developer suggestions, and we expect to see the numbers go even higher, so we’ve been happy with it,” says Cockrel.These internal benefits directly improve the client experience because Mastery can innovate quickly. “From a product perspective, we get to deliver faster and at the same or higher quality. That puts more time into making new things that thrill and excite our clients, opening up new ways of working, more automations, and even more integrations. What investment can you make today that makes your developers happier while accelerating dates?” says Cockrel.Mastery is quick to recognize industry needs and provide solutions. For example, MasterMind added a feature that accounts for drivers’ preferences when making routing decisions. Clients can accommodate their employees in a way that was previously unheard of, keeping drivers happy and bringing unique value to the industry. “Our partnership with Microsoft has fueled our culture and our values of Strength and Artistry,” says Marianne Silver, Chief People Officer at Mastery. “Our team is flourishing, amplifying our core value of Mastering Our Craft.”Driving innovation in the transportation industryMastery is at the forefront of driving innovation and growth in the transportation industry and is headed toward a future of continued creativity and progress. The company tagline, “Complexity Demands Mastery,” serves as a guiding principle for Mastery’s team members. It drives their efforts to provide clients with valuable insights, guidance, and solutions as they migrate from legacy and fragmented on-premises systems to MasterMind and Azure.MasterMind’s holistic approach helps organizations operate efficiently and exceed client expectations, ultimately improving the entire supply chain ecosystem. The company is excited for the future as it focuses on SaaS development and delivery, along with exceptional client experiences.“Being in Azure gives peace of mind—that one piece of the puzzle we don’t need to worry about. This lets us focus on our road map and on what capabilities we can add to MasterMind for our clients,” says Gopal Nagappan, Chief Technology Officer at Mastery.
Modernizing government with frontline worker technology Every day, government workers worldwide serve their communities. Responders dash into crisis situations; caseworkers make decisions on child placement; and public works staff work tirelessly to serve the needs of their community. However, aging systems sometimes fail to connect critical data with the people who depend on it, leaving administrators to cobble together timely, manual, and limited solutions to facilitate critical programs and services.Technology can empower these dedicated government frontline heroes with digital solutions. Organizations that maximize existing resources can unlock their teams’ full potential through better coordination and automation. Opportunities to transform government processes and operations are immense, driving increased safety, more responsive services, and innovation that directly benefits the people in the community. Progress begins with taking steps to realize the full capability of tools many agencies are already using.Transforming the frontlines of public serviceGovernment workers are the central pillars of safe, healthy, and thriving communities. The people they serve include you, me, and every member of our families, as well as the communities where we live and work. The resources and services these frontline workers provide involve every level of government, including employment assistance, social housing, senior care, child welfare, disability support, and Indigenous affairs. They provide services that help us to have safe roads and parks and recreation centers and to enjoy celebrations and parades within our communities. We know these frontline workers in many roles: the local police officer or firefighter, the social worker supporting the elderly, the after-school care provider, the nurse who gave us a flu shot, the sanitation worker, the person who installed that stop sign or fixed that water main break, or the voice that answered your 911 call. The list goes on and on. Our government frontline workers use technology to protect, serve, and save nearly all aspects of our lives.Yet aging tools and disconnected systems prevent these professionals from readily accessing information, collaborating seamlessly, or deploying innovative solutions when they’re needed most. Without modern digital foundations, government workers cannot access the technology and tools necessary to deliver secure and personalized experiences to the community. The good news is that many public sector organizations have adopted suites of tools, like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, taking initial steps on their digital transformation journeys. Agencies that are ready to move beyond their initial implementations have opportunities to maximize their existing investments more fully before expanding.With the right foundation in place, transformative technologies—like AI, data analytics, system automation, and intelligent chatbots—can make government teams more efficient. To pursue the next phase of innovation, organizations must first prioritize the basics, like security, collaboration, and task automation. This is true for all areas within the government. By optimizing the solutions and services already at their fingertips, organizations can smooth the path for workers to deliver expanded public services.Modernizing ERP systems for the futureWhile not widely known, frontline government workers also manage the critical enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that underpin public services and administration. In Colombia, the national government created Enterritorio as the organizational pillar of the planning sector and the region’s strategic partner. Enterritorio helps the national and regional governments in Colombia carry out the goals of their development plans and programs. Linked to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and overseen by the Financial Superintendence of Colombia, Enterritorio’s main objective has been managing resources from other state entities to develop high-impact projects that improve and positively impact the lives of people throughout the country.Doing so means providing the process and services to support contracting through implementation and making disbursements and settlements of different taxes in each municipality of the country. Like most governments, Colombia was faced with legacy information systems siloed throughout departments. The government turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations as its solution. Read how Dynamics 365 helped Colombia to reduce 25 information systems into 1 and how the days needed to prepare reports dropped from approximately 15 days to 2.Protecting communities with intelligent technologyAs emergency services struggle to manage operations with the ever-growing number of weather or human-made events, the need for real-time data and situational awareness is paramount. Restrictive budgets for necessities like equipment further compound risks to public well-being. Many agencies are now pursuing AI solutions to augment human expertise and guide frontline decision-making.Cloud-based solutions, like AI, help fire companies realize life-saving value from their data—historical and in realtime—to inform decision-making. Solutions built on AI now exist to ingest real-time sensor data, predict fire spread through modeling, map crews and assets on location overlays, and coordinate synchronized responses. Wildfire management professionals have access to better data, which increases efficiency and reduces costs.Modern solutions can empower frontline workers with seamless workflows that maximize their productivity. When the frontline worker is able to access and share information securely and coordinate smoothly across teams, overhead goes down while outcomes improve. Technology succeeds when the people using it succeed.While public safety IT journeys vary, the mission is constant: use technology to equip responders facing infernos and other hazards. Read how Canada is driving impact for frontline firefighters.Realizing public sector innovationGovernment workers share a calling: serving communities when it matters most. Courts and public safety agencies around the world are beginning to showcase what’s possible when agencies maximize existing tools to boost accessibility, increase collaboration, and prepare for the future with technology already in place.Though organizational starting points differ, the opportunity remains for fully supported solutions available today to prepare and empower public sector workforces to better serve their communities in pivotal moments tomorrow.What could your agency accomplish if barriers disappeared?Through trusted, intuitive solutions from Microsoft, government employees are empowered to better serve communities in the moments that matter. Engage with your Microsoft representative and learn more at aka.ms/gov.
Walmart unveils new generative AI-powered capabilities for shoppers and associates Time and money are two of the most valuable resources people have. And one of the most popular ways for Americans to save on both, is shopping online. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American families spend six hours per week on household planning and shopping. Many of those families do so digitally at Walmart. The world’s largest retailer, famous for its low prices, generated over $82 billion in e-commerce sales in fiscal year 2023 and is steadily growing its active digital customers.In 2024, the company is further improving the digital shopping experience, building generative AI into its search function to deliver customers a helpful and intuitive browsing experience. Using a combination of Walmart proprietary data and technology and large language models, including those available in Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, as well as retail-specific models built by Walmart, the new design serves up a curated list of the personalized items a shopper is looking for.At CES 2024, Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella introduced the new AI innovations to benefit Walmart customers.Study after study shows that AI is driving impact and value across businesses.McKinsey reports AI will create $400-660 billion in value for the retail and consumer goods industry.FTI Consulting data shows nearly 80% of online shoppers believe AI personalization can enhance their online experience.An IDC study commissioned by Microsoft found that for every $1 a retail and consumer packaged goods company invests in AI, it is seeing a return of $3.45.Generative AI-powered searchWalmart built an all-new generative AI-powered search function across iOS, Android and its own website. The new capability is specifically designed to understand the context of a customer’s query and generate personalized responses. Soon, customers will have a more interactive and conversational experience, get answers to specific questions, and receive personalized product suggestions.For example, a parent planning a birthday party for a child that loves unicorns. Instead of multiple searches for unicorn-themed balloons, napkins, streamers, etc., the parent can simply ask the question “Help me plan a unicorn-themed party for my daughter.”One of the reasons why Walmart and other leading retailers are choosing Azure OpenAI Service is the ability to access the most advanced AI models in the world while backed by the enterprise-grade capabilities found in Microsoft Azure including security, compliance and regional availability. Generative AI in retail is particularly exciting as it can help usher in a new way of shopping; shifting from “scroll searching” to “goal searching,” which makes the digital shopping experience more seamless and intuitive.Don’t forget about the associates!Both Walmart and Microsoft share an aligned vision around how AI can help organizations and their people be more productive, more satisfied in their work and go on to solve the most pressing problems.Over the summer, Walmart launched a new tool, giving its 50,000 non-store associates access to its new “My Assistant” app, which was created and built by Walmart and leverages a unique build of Walmart proprietary data, technology and large language models in Azure OpenAI Service. In just a few months, the app has already made a big impact for associates, assisting with a range of tasks, from summarizing long documents to assisting in the creation of new content.A history of successThis is just the latest evolution in the Walmart and Microsoft relationship.In 2018, the companies established a strategic partnership to drive Walmart’s digital transformation. As one of Walmart’s preferred and strategic cloud providers, Microsoft has supported Walmart on a variety of different cloud projects. From powering access to electronic health records at its in-store clinics to centralizing, democratizing and optimizing data, the companies have and will continue to collaborate to accelerate innovation.Other ways to AIWhile Walmart’s approach to generative AI uses a combination of large language models, retail-specific models, and their own proprietary data built on top of Azure OpenAI Service, other retailers may have different scenarios that require an alternative approach. That’s why Microsoft offers a broad portfolio of prebuilt, low-code and pro-code solutions that can benefit all retailers and shoppers, no matter where they are on their respective journey.Visit the Microsoft Cloud for Retail page to learn more.
Empowering employees with generative AI at their fingertips Today’s business leaders are eager to embrace the transformative power of AI. Organizations worldwide are already reaping the benefits of their AI investments. The mean return on investment for companies worldwide is $3.50 for every $1.00 invested in AI, and 5% realized an average return of $8.00 for every dollar invested, according to research from International Data Corporation.Generative AI combines natural language processing with a new reasoning engine to boost employee productivity and creativity. Copilot for Microsoft 365 harnesses the power of generative AI to connect knowledge stored across Microsoft 365 applications, helping employees find the information they need and so much more. This everyday AI companion frees up time for employees to focus on the work that matters most to them.> Harnessing generative AI for productivity and innovation> Protect at the scale and speed of AI with Copilot for Security> Building the future faster with your everyday AI companionAmid the buzz about how AI is changing the workplace, business leaders are looking for more data about how this advanced technology is helping workers. As today’s employees deal with streams of emails and meetings, Copilot for Microsoft 365 provides an opportunity to improve workflows and fuel innovation. From operations to sales and finance to marketing, Copilot is empowering employees to be more productive, more creative, and more connected to the people around them.New data from surveys of early Copilot for Microsoft 365 customers shows that productivity gains are real. Among those surveyed, 70% reported being more productive, and 71% said they saved time on administrative tasks. For example, healthcare researchers and data scientists can search a few key phrases with Copilot and quickly locate studies and predictive models to support projects. Employees in matrixed organizations with frequent meetings can use Copilot and Intelligent Recap in Microsoft Teams Premium to make high-quality meeting summaries available to all who need them.Employees noted other benefits as well, with 68% of those surveyed reporting that Copilot improved the quality of their work and jump-started the creative process. “It helps [people] get to their ideas faster,” says James Thomas, Global Head of Technology at Dentsu Creative. “It’s not there to replace them. It’s just something they can use to supercharge their ideas.”As an example, members of your marketing team can take an existing Microsoft Word document and prompt Copilot to transform it into a short Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, complete with visuals. In minutes, they have a polished presentation ready for customers or internal leadership.Seventy-seven percent of early users said Copilot for Microsoft 365 was so useful that they did not want to give it up. Developers using GitHub Copilot for writing code have similarly positive views of the AI assistant. Of those surveyed, 88% reported that they were more productive with GitHub Copilot, and 74% said they were able to focus their time on more satisfying work.Discover how to empower employees with more time to focus on innovation and creativity with Copilot for Microsoft 365What can early Copilot users tell us about generative AI at work?Register now to discover the Art of the Possible with an AI-powered organizationRead about AI transformation in action to learn how businesses are innovating with AIAccess our new e-book, The Superpower Behind AI Is You | Microsoft 365The ever-increasing volume and velocity of cyberattacks requires new technologies to identify and thwart potential threats. The cybersecurity workforce is often stretched thin, but now they can close the gap at the speed of AI.Security and privacy protection are integral parts of all Microsoft products, and Copilot for Security, available for early-access customers, is no exception. Copilot for Security is centered around making it simpler for your cybersecurity team to identify and mitigate potential threats. It seamlessly integrates and is natively embedded across Microsoft Security solutions to safeguard your entire organization, consuming signals from each security tool and providing natural language guidance to increase team efficiency and manage daily security and IT workflows.Copilot for Security empowers your cyber defenders by improving the speed and accuracy with which they can complete tasks. When a security professional enters a prompt, the AI assistant generates custom insights for your organization based on your security tools. One survey of early users indicated that 44% were more accurate in answering questions about scripts used by the attacker, and 26% were faster across all tasks.As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, Copilot for Security is your AI assistant built with security, privacy, and compliance. You still control your organizational data and can protect it at the scale and speed of AI.Learn more about how Copilot for Security can simplify threat detectionCopilot for SecurityLearn how Copilot is helping security analysts move at the speed of AIWatch The Future of Security with AI on demandThese initial gains in productivity, quality, and innovation are only the beginning for generative AI. Microsoft Copilot is ushering in a whole new era of workplace computing as your everyday AI companion. Seventy percent of workers are eager to delegate as many tasks as possible to AI, according to the Microsoft Work Trend Index. Incorporating Microsoft Copilot into the daily work routine is the first step on the journey to becoming an AI-powered organization.With our commitment to responsible AI, Microsoft is here to help your organization unleash the power of AI-fueled innovation.Begin the work transformation today with secure, responsible generative AI from MicrosoftInvestigate the all-up value of AI and CopilotExplore responsible AI practices with MicrosoftLearn how a new study validates the business value and opportunity of AIFind out more about the business opportunity of AI