Microsoft Copilot for Teams brings more AI features to chat

Microsoft’s Copilot platform will imbue its enterprise chat app with new additional AI features soon that include improved calls, meeting summaries, messaging composition, and more.

Since Copilot appeared on the scene, Microsoft has been quick to lean on its pre-generative artificial intelligence to boost new features in its services such as Teams, and soon the chat platform will gain the ability to support Intelligent call recaps, pre-messaging composition, a singular UI for both audio-translated scripts and written chats as well as a new hybrid camera tech that bounces between remote and at work attendees during calls.

Microsoft details the list of new features coming to Teams in the next few months on its Microsoft Teams blog titled, What’s New in Microsoft Teams | Enterprise Connect 2024 Edition.

The new blog post covers what Microsoft announced at its Enterprise Connect 2024 conference, starting with a new Discover Feed that, “is a personalized feed that surfaces the most relevant content in channels, based on the people you work with or the topics you might be interested in.”

Teams will also use AI and machine learning to beef up its Voice Isolation technology by recognizing a user’s voice profile and suppressing all other “unwanted background noise.” A version of voice isolation is currently enabled within Teams, but the feature looks to be getting an upgrade soon.

Microsoft is also looking to help users craft fewer meandering messages to other employees with its new Copilot Compose enhancements that will act like an AI enhanced auto fill. Users will simply be able to enter a few words and Copilot will attempt to write out a succinct message. In addition, users will also be able to direct the tone of an auto filled message with prompts that include “make it funny” or “add a call to action.”

Intelligent Call recap is another feature Microsoft showed off at Enterprise Connect 2024 that will craft AI generated notes and actions items pulled from screening calls. Microsoft plans to have Intelligent Call recap work across VoIP and PSTN call with transcripts and summaries support available in the first half of 2024 for Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscribers.

Microsoft’s Copilot AI will also soon take over Teams adjacent hardware with the new IntelliFrame feature which will enable automatic camera switching between the available cameras during a call. ” When IntelliFrame is enabled in a meeting, it will use Cloud AI to check if there is a better angle of someone who is blocked from sight, and switch to that video feed in the meeting stage.”

IntelligentFrame isn’t a one-way street with Microsoft Teams also providing support for Multiple Camera view selection. When there are multiple video feeds all pouring in from the same Teams Room instance, remote attendees will be able to switch from different views leveraging the cameras nearest by.

Microsoft will also leverage machine learning and AI to update its filters to include a new Frosted Glass background effect that “helps keep your meetings private and professional while enabling more customization in how you show up.” Frosted glass is as it sounds, it allows users to apply a bokeh-like effect that can be customzied with the use of a transparent PNG to tailor it to business or personal brands.

Lastly, there is the Live translation of captions coming to Teams in April. Soon organizers will be able to select up to 10 languages that will support the “live translation of captions in town halls that attendees can choose from for a more exclusive experience.”

Microsoft also announced another handful of features and support plans for Teams at Enterprise Connect 2024 that includes the expansion of Teams Phone Mobile support with AT&T Business, Odido.nl, Vodafone Business and Virgin Mobile + O2 in the UK.

Teams Rooms and Devices will get an update on Windows as well as get integrated into the general Teams app for Windows with support for configuring up to three additional languages.

Microsoft will also be cleaning up the UI in Teams Rooms for Windows with a new Join Meeting window layout, home screen for Teams Rooms on Android, Feedback Page for Android, and a new Microsoft Planner experience within Teams all set for availability next month.