Microsoft has reportedly been using OpenAI’s GPT technology to improve Outlook search results so users can find what they’re looking for without having to search using keywords in emails.
Microsoft is also said to have looked at how these AI models could suggest replies to emails or recommend document changes to improve Word users’ writing.
It’s not clear if Microsoft plans to launch these features, or if it’s just experimentation for now. Microsoft will need to customize its models for individual users without compromising their data.
The Information reports that Microsoft has been working on privacy-preserving models using GPT-3 and the as-yet-unreleased ...
...GPT-4. Microsoft researchers have reportedly achieved early successes in training large language models on private data.
Researchers have reportedly presented their Office integration work to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, but it’s not clear if and when these GPT- or Dall-E 2-powered models would be available in Office products.
Microsoft already uses a variety of AI in its productivity apps.
Word and PowerPoint automatically suggest image and slide deck captions using AI algorithms, Microsoft Teams uses AI to improve ...
...echo, interruptions, and acoustics, and Microsoft built an AI-powered autocomplete for code using GPT-3 two years ago.
Microsoft Editor also makes your writing better by using AI to perform spellchecking, grammar checking, and text predictions.
Microsoft purchased an exclusive license to the underlying technology behind GPT-3 in 2020 after investing $1 billion into OpenAI in 2019.
“AI is going to reinvent how you do everything on Windows,” said Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Windows and Surface chief, on stage at CES last week.
Microsoft’s Surface team has been willing to build new hardware to take advantage of AI, including the new Surface smart camera. ...
...Several members of the Surface team discussed the impact AI will have on Windows and hardware in a recent Verge interview.
If Microsoft does push ahead with GPT-powered versions of Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint then it will represent a rapid commercialization of OpenAI’s GPT models.
Bing looks set to join PowerApps (Microsoft’s first commercial use case of GPT) with its own AI-powered search results soon.