Microsoft describes a Copilot capable of brainstorming in meetings, in new patent

Microsoft is thinking about enhancing Copilot with the capability to turn it into a brainstorming assistant, streamlining and facilitating virtual meetings for all participants. This new enhancement was unveiled in a recently published patent suggestively called ‘VISUAL COLLABORATION SYSTEM AI COPILOT FOR IDEA GENERATION,’ available online.

The technology describes Copilot as a system that helps people collaborate using a brainstorming template. The template includes an AI chat interface that can take natural language commands from participants. These commands are combined with context prompts and sent to Microsoft Copilot, which responds. The response is displayed on the brainstorming canvas for everyone to see.

According to the whitepaper, the enhancement will allow Copilot to participate lively in brainstorming sessions within Microsoft Whiteboard. The AI model can generate ideas, answer questions, or provide information during brainstorming, as seen in the image below.

It’s worth mentioning that Microsoft announced Team Copilot earlier this year at the Microsoft Build conference in May. Team Copilot is an assistant that will be present in Teams chats to help all users access information quickly. It’s strikingly similar to the tech the Redmond-based tech giant has presented in this patent above.

Team Copilot is also capable of a Group Moderator feature that will allow it to respond to questions and help users access information. It will also be a manager, and Microsoft developed it to supervise projects.

On the other hand, in the patent, Microsoft envisions Copilot as capable of brainstorming by allowing it to collaborate with the other participants and leverage its AI capabilities to generate ideas, answer questions, and provide insights, which can be incredibly valuable in a team setting.

The patent also mentions that this Copilot can be easily integrated with Microsoft Teams, further solidifying the argument that it could be about Team Copilot.

Take a look by yourself, and read the patent here.