Every tech company wants you to think that their products will change how you work, live, or just change your life in general. However, very few examples actually live up to this promise. Personal computers have long been a part of our lives, but most people don’t think about how much they’ve really changed them.
These days, the iPhone has changed the way people communicate and has become the personal computer for most people in almost every way. However, usually the idea that a product or feature makes a lasting difference is little more than hype. That doesn’t mean companies won’t keep trying.
This is actually an important lesson, because hype creates expectations. This is useful if you are trying to sell something. Inspire people and they might buy what you make. The problem is when you make promises you can’t keep. After all, expectations are everything. This leads us to Microsoft’s announcement last week. At an event streamed on LinkedIn, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled a new AI-powered assistant for his Office productivity software called Copilot. The whole demo is impressive and well worth spending just 30 minutes of your time on. Fortunately, you can watch replays on YouTube.
During a demo, Microsoft showed that his Copilot could send an email summarizing a meeting based on meeting notes, or create a PowerPoint presentation based on a sales proposal in a Word document. It doesn’t sound like much, but considering how much time people in the office spend on this task, it’s actually very helpful.
In fact, I think Nadella is right in her opinion that Microsoft Copilot will change almost everything about how millions of people do their daily work. At its core, Copilot is a longtime dream come true that Microsoft first introduced as her Clippy. However, unlike Clippy, Copilot is actually useful. It’s also smarter because it gives you access to documents and existing data. During the presentation, Microsoft also took care to emphasize elements of the user experience. It’s a reminder that you have control and that you must make decisions about how you use what Copilot builds. When you compose an email, Copilot will ask you to review it before clicking send. Sometimes it even tells me it’s wrong. It doesn’t replace your job.
That’s right, the co-pilot. Why is this important? The copilot isn’t supposed to fly the plane for you, so he should help you get to the destination you set.Of course, you can take over, but you’re the pilot, you are responsible.
In this case, decide what to keep or send. Decide what information you will use or how you will share it with others.
