Microsoft CTO Encourages Developers to Create Groundbreaking AI at 2023 Build Conference

What’s a copilot, you ask? It’s an application that uses modern AI with a conversational interface to assist with cognitive tasks. And now, with Microsoft’s new plugin capabilities for its copilot services, developers can connect with different services and enjoy more AI extensibility.

But that’s not all. Microsoft has also introduced the new Azure AI studio service, which allows developers to build and deploy copilots with ease. And with the new Azure AI catalog model, which includes both closed and open-source models, the possibilities are endless.

Not the platforms; what devs do with them

Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott is thrilled about the new AI capabilities and what they’ll help developers achieve. He believes that what makes platforms great isn’t the foundational infrastructure, but what developers and individuals do with them.

“We have capabilities in our hands with these new tools in the early days of this new platform to absolutely do amazing things,” said Scott. “Literally, the challenge for you all is to go do some legendary sh*t so that someone will be in awe of you one day.”

Everyone needs a copilot, and now anyone can build one

During his keynote, Scott delivered a master class in what a copilot is and how to build one.

“A copilot, simply said, is an application that uses modern AI that has a conversational interface that assists you with cognitive tasks,” said Scott.

And with Microsoft’s new Azure machine learning prompt flow technology, building complex chains for prompts for AI workflows is now easier than ever.

“Prompt flow provides end-to-end AI development tooling that supports prompt construction, orchestration, testing evaluation, and deployment, and it makes it incredibly easy to leverage open-source tools and frameworks like semantic kernel and LangChain (in Python) to build your AI solution as well,” said
At the recent 2023 Microsoft Build Conference, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Kevin Scott, officially unveiled their 2023-2024 roadmap for the Platform, AI, Azure, and Data & AI portfolios. He started his speech by stressing the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the tech industry today, especially since AI has the power to power “groundbreaking applications and experiences for customers worldwide”.

During his keynote address, Scott encouraged developers to drive their development efforts towards AI in order to “find innovative solutions to real-world challenges and opportunities” and “create meaningful and impactful applications”, stressing that “AI has the ability to change the world”. To emphasize his point, he showcased various examples of how AI is being used by companies and organizations around the world, such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare analysis, intelligent energy systems, and more.

In order to achieve a smoother learning curve for AI development, Scott introduced the Microsoft Complete for AI, a tool that provides developers with access to enterprise-grade AI services and APIs. This new service helps developers reduce the time and effort needed to work on AI projects, allowing them to spend more time on creating truly innovative solutions with AI.

To promote further AI innovation among developers, Scott announced the “2023 AI 4 Impact Awards”, a competition where developers are tasked with creating AI-powered applications that can make a positive impact in the world. After seven weeks of coding and experimentation, the top 10 projects will be showcased to receive public and private recognition as well as financial rewards.

Scott closed his keynote by emphasizing that “It’s up to developers to create the groundbreaking AI applications of tomorrow”. With the help of Microsoft’s latest services and the upcoming competitions, it is clear that Microsoft is committed to helping developers unlock the potential of AI and come up with the most innovative solutions.