Every day, we engage with organizations navigating growing business complexity across industries, geographies, and regulatory environments. From global manufacturers modernizing plants to financial institutions re-architecting for resilience, we are seeing the same pattern: ambitions are moving faster than traditional architectures can respond to. 

Organizations must also contend with geopolitical disruptions, supply chain volatility, and rapid advances in AI that are reshaping how and where companies operate. Competition is intensifying as incumbents and new entrants alike use AI technology to ship faster, scale smarter, and reset benchmarks. Meanwhile, customer expectations continue to rise, with users demanding seamless digital experiences on any device, anywhere, at any time. In this dynamic environment, adaptability is no longer a feature of great architecture, it is the foundation of competitive resilience.

Forrester study: How tech leaders are evolving their infrastructure strategy 

To better understand how infrastructure strategies are evolving, we commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a global study of over 600 cloud and edge decision-makers. What emerged from the data closely matches what we hear in our own customer conversations: leaders are increasingly unifying cloud and edge technologies as a strategic accelerator. The 2025 study, Edge Meets Cloud: A New Era of Scalability and Security, reveals how global IT leaders are no longer treating cloud and edge as separate environments, but rather an integrated approach that enables adaptability for business success.  

What tech leaders are prioritizing in 2025 

In the study, respondents were surveyed on their top business priorities for the next two years. The results revealed they prioritized enhancing customer experience, increasing operational resilience, and strengthening data privacy. These emerged as interdependent outcomes—requiring companies to invest across both cloud and edge environments, rather than choosing between them. 

Respondents also said that, in many cases, operational reality has not caught up with the needs of the business. The top blockers they identified were: 

• Siloed IT teams and disconnected platforms.

• Legacy applications that were not built to scale.

• High integration and maintenance costs.

• Security complexity and gaps in real-time insight.

Given these challenges, it’s no surprise that 65% of respondents said their organizations plan to merge their edge and cloud environments in the next 12 months. Why? Because operating in fragments slows everything down from innovation to insight to response time. 

The case for cloud and edge integration 

When organizations integrate cloud and edge environments, they unlock performance gains across every layer: 

• Reduced latency for faster customer-facing experiences. 

• Lower costs through smarter, localized processing.

• Better insights from mobile, IoT, and on-premises data.

• More cohesive security and governance.

• Streamlined collaboration across teams and workloads.

In fact, 84% of surveyed leaders say they would value a solution that helps consolidate edge and cloud operations across systems, sites, and teams. 

How to get there: Four strategic moves 

In the Forrester study commissioned by Microsoft, four key recommendations surfaced providing clear, actionable guidance for business and technology leaders looking to evolve their cloud-to-edge strategies. What stood out to me is how closely these recommendations reflect what we hear from enterprise customers. These aren’t theoretical ideas. They are grounded in what’s working today at scale, across some of the most complex IT environments in the world.

1. Break down silos 

Forrester’s first recommendation is to step back and ensure alignment between cloud and edge priorities. This goes beyond technology, it’s about cultural alignment across teams, shared goals across domains, and unified decision-making across cloud and edge environments. 

I have seen the impact of this alignment firsthand. Dick’s Sporting Goods, operating more than 850 stores alongside a growing e-commerce footprint, adopted a One Store technology strategy to unify how software is written, deployed, and monitored across all locations through Azure Arc. That cohesion didn’t just improve operational efficiency, it created consistent, high-quality customer experiences across every channel. When edge and cloud teams operate from the same playbook, adaptability becomes the default. 

2. Run AI where it works best 

Forrester emphasizes the importance of using technologies where they have the greatest impact. Sometimes that means running AI at the edge for real-time responsiveness. Other times, it means leveraging cloud resources for deep analysis and long-term learning. Often, it’s both. 

This flexible mindset is one we see increasingly in data-driven industries. LALIGA, which operates over 40 stadiums and serves more than 230 million fans globally, uses Azure Arc to orchestrate infrastructure and AI across environments. They process match-day insights on-site for immediate responsiveness, while simultaneously leveraging the cloud for strategic analysis. By allowing each environment to do what it does best, LALIGA delivers both agility and scale. 

3. Design for security and scalability 

Security no longer has a static perimeter, instead—it’s an integrated, continuous responsibility across every node, site, and service. Forrester recommends designing security and scalability hand-in-hand, particularly in environments that span hybrid and edge deployments. 

AVEVA, a global industrial software leader, faced the challenge of integrating dozens of acquired IT systems—many with their own infrastructure, policies, and compliance needs. Through Azure’s adaptive management and policy tooling, they unified governance across more than 50 distinct Active Directory environments. Now, AVEVA can project its full operational landscape into a single control plane, applying consistent security, observability, and compliance across all regions. It is a powerful example of scaling without losing control. 

4. Extend cloud-native to the Edge 

As organizations move away from legacy monolith applications, Forrester recommends extending cloud-native development patterns and technologies—like containers, orchestration, and modular architecture—closer to the edge. This accelerates delivery, reduces friction, and supports long-term flexibility. 

This is exactly what we’ve seen from Delta Dental, which modernized its core payor system, MetaVance, using containerized services on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Development and test environments live in the cloud, while production workloads run on-prem to meet regulatory requirements. Leveraging AKS, Delta Dental can use one underlying platform to manage all its applications, no matter where they run. The result isn’t just better performance; it’s future optionality. As constraints evolve, the infrastructure is built to adapt. 

What’s next for cloud and edge with Azure

To continue this conversation, join us for an in-depth video series featuring Forrester as we unpack the recently commissioned research and strategies shaping the future. 

The post Adaptability by design: Unifying cloud and edge infrastructure trends  appeared first on Microsoft AI Blogs.

The United Kingdom (UK) is on the brink of a half-a-trillion-pound opportunity, powered by AI and cloud technologies that are set to transform industries, boost productivity, and redefine the way we work. As Europe’s most advanced digital economy, home to 171 unicorns worth more than £800 billion, the UK has already proven its appetite for innovation, investing more than £20 billion in AI since 2016. But realizing AI’s full potential isn’t just about investment, it’s about action.

AI is no longer a distant concept. Businesses across every sector are already embedding AI-powered agents into their operations—automating workflows, streamlining decision-making, and eliminating digital drudgery to free employees for more impactful work. The rise of agentic AI—technology that doesn’t just respond to commands but takes action on our behalf—marks a major shift, poised to revolutionize everything from customer service to cybersecurity, driving efficiency, resilience, and innovation at scale.

And yet, a stark AI divide is emerging. More than half of UK organizations still lack a formal AI strategy, and 57% of business leaders report a growing gap in productivity between AI adopters and non-adopters. With employees and leaders already stretched thin, the demand for AI-powered solutions has never been more pressing.

The question is no longer whether AI will reshape the UK economy, but how quickly businesses will step up to seize the opportunity. Organizations that act decisively—building clear AI strategies and investing in the right capabilities—will be the ones that thrive. I highlighted several of these leading organizations during my AI Tour keynote, and I’m excited to share more of their journeys here. 

Pets at Home reimagines integrated pet care with AI

Pets at Home, the UK’s largest pet care company, is transforming its operations with AI agents powered by Microsoft Copilot Studio. The company, which includes 450 retail stores, an online platform, veterinary practices, and grooming services, initially operated in silos but underwent a digital transformation to unify the customer experience across all channels using Microsoft Azure.

With a centralized data platform in place, Pets at Home turned to AI to enhance efficiency. One of the first AI agents supported fraud detection, swiftly analyzing vast amounts of data to identify suspicious transactions, such as repeated use of the same image for fraudulent refund claims. This has significantly improved fraud investigation speed and accuracy.

AI is also powering personalized customer interactions. With 8 million loyalty program members and 10 million pets, the company uses machine learning to recommend tailored pet care solutions across its retail, veterinary, and grooming services. This ensures customers receive relevant, stage-specific pet care guidance.

The company’s veterinary practices are using AI to reduce administrative tasks, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care. AI-powered transcription services assist during consultations and operations, while scheduling automation improves efficiency, enhancing clinical focus, and aligning with the company’s mission of better pet care.

By integrating AI agents, Pets at Home has enhanced fraud detection, improved personalization, and streamlined veterinary operations, driving innovation and efficiency across its ecosystem.

Amey embraces AI agents for a safer, more connected workforce

Amey, a UK-based engineering firm, plays a vital role in designing, maintaining, operating, and building the country’s infrastructure. With services impacting 75% of the UK population daily, ensuring safety and efficiency is a top priority.

Access to safety information has long been a challenge for frontline workers, who previously had to stop tasks and manually sift through folders full of paper documents for relevant details. Without regular access to laptops or computers, Amey opted to democratize information access for its workforce with mobile-friendly AI-powered agents.

Now, 99% of its 118 million files are stored on SharePoint, and AI allows employees to retrieve answers instantly through a chat interface. No more digging through folders—critical safety information is now just a few taps away, preventing issues and resolving others faster.

The AI system boosts efficiency and safety by providing instant access to essential information, real-time troubleshooting, and multilingual support while maintaining English documentation. By filling gaps where supervisors aren’t always available, it reduces risks and empowers employees to work more confidently and get home safely every day.

With AI now embedded in everyday operations, Amey is setting new standards for workplace safety and efficiency, proving that technology is a powerful ally in protecting and empowering its workforce.

Nationwide streamlines operations and cuts response times with generative AI

Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, serves 17 million customers across more than 600 UK branches. After merging with around 250 smaller societies, it faced a tangled web of data. By applying Microsoft Azure, Azure Databricks, and Teradata’s VantageCloud, it streamlined everything into a powerful, centralized platform, empowering employees to access a complete view of customer needs in seconds, delivering faster, more personalized service with greater efficiency.

Nationwide has built upon that infrastructure by integrating GPT-4 within Azure OpenAI Service to augment various business functions. One of the most impactful applications has been in customer correspondence, where AI-generated letters have reduced response times from 45 minutes to approximately 10–15 minutes, a 66% improvement in efficiency. AI has also been deployed to automate routine back-office tasks, allowing employees to focus on addressing more complex customer inquiries and improving overall service quality, which reflects Nationwide’s philosophy of using AI as a “copilot” to assist employees rather than as an “autopilot” to replace them.

Nationwide has established an AI Centre of Expertise and an AI Council to oversee responsible AI use, ensuring transparency and responsible standards in collaboration with Microsoft. This framework builds customer trust while guiding the expansion of AI into contact center operations, credit risk assessment, economic crime monitoring, its virtual assistant Arti, and CO₂ emissions reporting.

Be My Eyes puts AI into the hands of blind and low-vision individuals

Be My Eyes has long connected blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and partner companies through live video assistance. Now, with AI, it’s radically improving accessibility. In collaboration with Microsoft, Be My Eyes is making AI models more inclusive for the 340 million people worldwide with no or low vision by integrating accessibility data to serve diverse needs better.

A key innovation is Be My AI, a tool that helps users independently navigate their digital world by providing AI-powered descriptions of on-screen content. Part of Be My Eyes for Windows, Be My AI makes it easier to browse websites, use applications, or read documents. It also provides descriptions of locally stored images, offering clarity on personal photos and saved graphics. Online images can be analyzed simply by copying them to the clipboard for a detailed text description. The tool even helps users prepare for video calls by checking if they are centered in the frame and describing their background before going live.

An interactive chatbot allows users to ask follow-up questions about descriptions for a more dynamic and personalized experience. While the app is still in beta, ongoing improvements and new features will continue to expand its capabilities, allowing Be My Eyes to improve accessibility and redefine independence for blind and low-vision people.

Virgin Money’s virtual assistant is “Redi” to transform customer service

Virgin Money, serving 6.6 million retail and business banking customers, sought to enhance digital customer experience by developing “Redi,” an award-winning virtual assistant. Built using Microsoft Copilot Studio and integrated with Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Redi bridges the gap between digital adoption and customer confidence.

Developed in close collaboration with frontline contact center staff and seamlessly integrated with the Dynamics 365 Knowledge Base, Redi features an intuitive digital journey that provides customers with timely and effective assistance. A core value to the company, the virtual assistant maintains Virgin Money’s distinctive brand voice, understanding colloquialisms and responding to informal language.

Virgin Money collaborated with compliance teams to ensure Redi’s interactions are clear and secure. The assistant introduces itself transparently and seamlessly transitions customers to human agents when handling complex issues, effectively triaging 90% of inquiries, boosting customer satisfaction ratings, and allowing contact center agents to focus on more complex tasks.

This strategic AI deployment exemplifies Virgin Money’s commitment to exceptional customer experience and recognition that the major role of agentic AI has in delivering that now and into the future.

AI for everyone in the UK: Decisive action

The UK’s AI journey has already been transformative, but the next era—powered by agentic AI—has the potential to be truly revolutionary. By and large, UK organizations recognize the competitive advantage AI has to offer, but have yet to fully unlock AI’s potential, citing barriers such as workforce readiness, strategic alignment, and regulatory uncertainty.

Overcoming these hurdles is challenging but certainly achievable. It requires investment not only in AI infrastructure but also in skills development. Microsoft has stepped in with full support for the UK economy, having made a multibillion-pound commitment to AI-enabled datacenters and bringing AI skills to an additional 1 million people by the end of this year, on top of the 1.5 million it has already given digital skills to.

This shared foundation is essential to putting the AI-powered economy within reach, but success will depend on how quickly and effectively businesses themselves take strategic steps to embrace AI. I posed these questions to those who attended the Microsoft AI Tour event in London, and I urge you to consider them as well: 

1. What are you trying to achieve in the next six months, and how can AI help you get there faster? 

2. How are you and your team set up to embrace the change, and what culture shifts are needed to ensure AI adoption is unencumbered? 
3. How can Microsoft and its partners be part of that journey? What do you need from us to accelerate your progress and deliver real outcomes? 

Together, we have the opportunity to shape an AI-powered future where businesses flourish, employees thrive, and the UK cements its position as a global leader in innovation. The time to act is now.

Find the resources to support your AI journey 

• Advance your AI transformation with AI business resources
• Microsoft Agents of Change
• ‘AI divide’ across UK organizations risks growth for many, new Microsoft research reveals

Microsoft AI

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The post The UK’s opportunity to seize growth in the age of agentic AI appeared first on Microsoft AI Blogs.

Now, the focus is starting to shift. Productivity gains are just the beginning of a broader transformation—one that goes beyond efficiency to reshape industry processes, decision-making, and customer experiences.

ROI of AI

How can industry leaders increase ROI?

Watch the video series

True AI transformation requires an industry perspective

In our conversations with customers, many are asking about the next wave of AI. They’re ready to expand beyond general AI applications and invest in solutions tailored to their specific challenges. While organizations recognize AI’s value and potential, it must address industry-specific needs to deliver the biggest results. 

Take healthcare, for example, where engaging with patients requires sensitivity, data privacy, and personalized care. That’s very different from retail, where personalization is all about tailored shopping recommendations and seamless experiences.

The same contrast exists in manufacturing and transportation. Manufacturers focus on optimizing production lines for efficiency and quality, while fleet operations prioritize logistics, route optimization, and fuel costs.

These differences show why AI adoption is moving beyond general-purpose tools to industry-specific solutions that drive even greater impact. In our recent video series on the Return on Investment (ROI) of AI, we explore this trend, real-world use cases, and how AI is transforming industries like financial services and retail. These insights reflect what I’m seeing in conversations with customers about the changing AI landscape.

Where to invest in AI for maximum impact

Today’s leaders are looking beyond AI for productivity and asking a bigger question: Where should we invest next to drive business growth? The key is to align AI investments with mission-critical priorities.

So, is the AI for industry buzz real, and is it worth the investment? The answer is yes—here’s why:

• Industry-specific AI solutions tackle complex challenges—such as regulatory compliance in financial services, seamless omnichannel shopping experiences in retail, and asset troubleshooting in manufacturing.  At Microsoft, we’ve worked with thousands of customers to identify industry use cases where AI delivers meaningful business results. Building on these insights, we offer customizable AI agents designed to accelerate time to value for our customers.
• Customizable AI agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio help businesses tailor AI to their needs. Agent Builder, a feature within Copilot Studio, simplifies customization with industry-specific knowledge and low-code tools. In addition, our customers have access to a wide range of adapted AI models to accurately and effectively address their unique needs.
• AI models, developed in collaboration with partners, and built for specific industries make adoption easier across every sector and region. These fine-tuned models are trained on industry data to support business-critical use cases.

To see industry-specific AI in action, let’s explore key use cases in financial services, retail, manufacturing, and healthcare.

Driving growth in financial services with AI

Financial services organizations are leading the way in AI adoption, and it’s paying off. They’re realizing a 4.2 times average ROI on generative AI initiatives¹—the highest across industries. Discover how PicPay uses Microsoft AI to answer product and service questions quickly and securely.

Key use cases for AI in finance industry include:

• Banking: AI enhances customer interactions, improves fraud detection, and streamlines meeting preparation.
• Insurance: AI speeds claims processing and resolution, identifies upsell opportunities, and improves customer engagement.
• Capital markets: AI personalizes client presentations, generates predictive insights, and accelerates research.

Watch the video to explore AI business transformation in financial services.

Retailers solve complex challenges with AI

Retailers are realizing a 3.6 times ROI on generative AI initiatives,² and some are tackling customer acquisition, profitability, supply chain reliability, and data complexity. Learn how ASOS, a British online fashion retailer, uses Azure AI Foundry to surprise and delight young fashion lovers with engaging, inspirational experiences.

Key use cases for AI in retail industry include:

• Personalized Shopping Agent engages in natural language conversations, delivering tailored recommendations and assisting with specific requests.
• Store Operations Agent integrates product search, inventory, orders, omnichannel pricing, and incident management into existing applications.
• AI-powered insights help retailers create targeted marketing campaigns that boost engagement and increase sales. See how Microsoft Cloud for Retail connects customers, employees, and data.

Watch the video to see why the retail industry is embracing AI.

How AI powers smarter manufacturing

Manufacturers are achieving a 3.4 times ROI on generative AI initiatives.³ They’re also using AI to speed time to market, streamline application lifecycle management, and simplify manufacturing processes. See how Schneider Electric addresses the company’s most pressing issues by innovating with Azure OpenAI Service.

Key use cases for AI in manufacturing industry include:

• AI-powered generative design accelerates product development by automating design processes, refining models in real time, and freeing teams to focus on manufacturability and compliance.
• AI-assisted coding helps developers write, debug, and optimize code faster, enhancing industrial software development and connected product functionality.
• AI-powered factory insights provide real-time data for root cause analysis, production loss reduction, and asset maintenance, boosting efficiency and safety.

Learn more about Microsoft technology in the manufacturing industry.

AI helps empower the healthcare workforce and enhance patient care

In healthcare, AI is transforming medical data management, personalizing clinician and patient experiences, and helping to improve patient outcomes—delivering a 3.3 times ROI on generative AI initiatives.⁴ See how AI innovation empowers healthcare teams to refocus on the clinician-patient connection at Northwestern Medicine, Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, and Atrium Health.

Key AI use cases for healthcare include:

• AI assistants help streamline clinical documentation, surface information, and automate tasks to improve efficiency, satisfaction, and patient care.
• Advanced healthcare AI models are designed to enhance disease detection, diagnostics, and treatment planning.
• Multimodal AI generates insights from unified healthcare data to identify care gaps faster for early intervention, develop more tailored care plans, improve the accuracy of diagnoses, and allocate hospital resources more effectively.

We’re here to help you drive AI success

Organizations that invest in industry-focused AI applications and stay current with AI industry trends are realizing the greatest ROI with AI. We’re here to help you take action now and position your business for innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

Watch the ROI of AI video series to learn more about AI ROI.

^{1, 2, 3, 4} IDC InfoBrief: sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC #US52699124, November 2024.

The post Beyond productivity: How industry-specific AI fuels growth appeared first on Microsoft AI Blogs.

The skills gap is widening, and it is our collective responsibility to bridge it. Business leaders and professionals are exploring ways to build and enhance critical skills within their teams, and Microsoft is leading the charge. 

In addition to launching ambitious skill-building initiatives such as the upcoming Microsoft AI Skills Fest, we’re also eager to spotlight innovative organization like Founderz, a groundbreaking online learning platform that has gone from a bold idea to a leader in AI skilling in just a few years. Their story is worth sharing not only because of their emerging role in ensuring the workforce is prepared for the future, but because it’s a testament to the power of innovation, perseverance, and the impact of just one company believing in a vision.  

One “yes” can change everything 

Co-founders Anna Cejudo and Pau Garcia-Mila had a simple but powerful idea: what if online business education could capture the depth, collaboration, and networking of the world’s top business schools—but in a way that was scalable, accessible, and built for the AI-powered future? 

“We felt there is still a big gap between the experience we have when we go to an on-site business school—where you meet the best professors, the best content—and the way we learn online,” explained Pau Garcia-Mila, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder.

They spent years building the technology behind Founderz, investing in AI-powered learning models that would make online education engaging, interactive, and deeply effective. But by 2023, they were at a breaking point. Funding had run out, and they needed a breakthrough.

In a final effort, they sent three emails to companies at the forefront of AI—hoping one of them would see what they saw: a future where AI education was truly transformative. Only Microsoft responded. 

Founderz was accepted into the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, which provided access to industry-leading AI services, expert guidance, and essential technology to supercharge their growth. Entering the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub at Tier 4 also unlocked USD150,000 in Microsoft Azure credits, enabling the company to scale their platform, refine their AI-powered learning model, and start delivering high-quality AI education at scale. 

Today, Founderz itself is helping change lives.

“In 2024, we had roughly 10,000 users learning AI with Founderz,” recalled Anna Cejudo, co-CEO and co-founder. “By the end of the year, we were at 50,000. And now, by the beginning of March, we reached 100,000 users training in AI. The real revolution isn’t AI—it’s education,” added Anna, highlighting the fundamental role of learning in driving change. They’ve also become a Microsoft Training Services Partner, making the decision to offer training exclusively on Microsoft AI technology.  

AI skilling done differently 

Founderz is far from being just another online course provider. Pau, Anna, and their growing team are rethinking how AI is taught by blending structured learning with real-time collaboration, personalized AI-powered support, and a hands-on approach to applying AI in real-world scenarios. 

At the heart of the Founderz learning experience are high-quality, cinematic-style lectures. Unlike traditional online courses that rely on static, slide-based presentations, Founderz films its courses in a MasterClass-style format, featuring top AI experts from Microsoft and beyond. This approach allows learners to hear directly from the people shaping the future of AI. 

Expert content in student’s native language 

But Founderz goes beyond delivering engaging content—it’s about accessibility. A core mission is to provide top-tier AI education in students’ native languages. Next-generation lip-syncing technology ensures that learners experience AI-powered content seamlessly, without language barriers.

“I can watch a Responsible AI class from Microsoft’s Mihaela Vorvoreanu in my language,” says Pau Garcia-Mila. “She speaks in first person, saying, ‘When we built this Responsible AI model at Microsoft.’ I’d love to be able to learn from the source in my mother tongue.”

Small group collaboration  

While putting “thousands of people in a virtual room” enables Founderz to pay the best professors at a lower per-student cost, the company also sought to build a platform that supported meaningful collaboration. AI-powered tools match students into small, diverse learning circles, where they tackle real-world AI challenges, share insights, and build lasting professional networks. 

Multilingual student support around the clock 

To further support its rapidly growing user base, Founderz’ team of AI-powered teaching assistants or “Fellows” provide real-time multilingual support, allowing learners to receive help in their native language while keeping operations efficient for the human support team.  

As Pau Garcia-Mila explained, “The Fellows are speaking any language in the world, but our human team sees everything in English,” ensuring seamless interaction across different languages. 

These AI-powered teaching assistants provide real-time feedback, analyze student interactions, and escalate complex questions to human instructors when needed. Whether a learner is a complete beginner or an experienced professional, Founderz ensures they receive the support they need to succeed. 

Education means opportunity

Founderz’ journey from a bold idea to an emerging AI skilling leader is proof that AI education is more than just accessing information—it’s about unlocking potential. Its pioneering efforts continue to inspire countless organizations to embrace AI education and drive meaningful transformation worldwide.

As Anna Cejudo puts it, “Education means opportunity, and if we can deliver high-quality education to as many people as possible, we’re giving them the chance to change their lives and control their futures.” 

At Microsoft, we couldn’t agree more. Microsoft’s mission has always been about creating technology that empowers others to innovate and solve real-world problems. This holds true in the age of AI. Our commitment to skilling is not just about technology adoption, it’s about people development. Over the past year, Microsoft has trained and certified over 23 million people across more than 200 countries in digital skills, with the goal of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in a world where AI will be commonplace and a natural extension of everything we do.  

Unlock the future—Join the Microsoft AI Skills Fest 

As part of our ongoing investment in global skilling, Microsoft is bringing AI skilling to everyone with the Microsoft AI Skills Fest—a global event designed to bring together customers and partners, tech and business professionals, and AI enthusiasts to help build the skills we all need to thrive in the AI economy.  

Beginning April 8, 2025, we’re kicking off the fun with an attempt to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most users to take an online multi-level artificial intelligence lesson in 24 hours. After that, we’re inviting everyone to continue building their skills with 50 days to explore Microsoft’s AI apps and services.  

Let’s make history together.

Microsoft AI Skills Fest

A global event designed to bring learners across the globe together to build their AI skills

Register now

¹IDC InfoBrief: sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC# US52699124, November 2024.

The post Founderz: Transforming AI education to unlock opportunity appeared first on Microsoft AI Blogs.

In a recent playbook, Accelerating sustainability with AI: Innovations for a better future, we outlined our five plays to advance sustainability, providing insight into our work at Microsoft and how business leaders around the world are creating a new path forward.

The reason to choose AI for this work? It has three unique abilities that can help organizations overcome key bottlenecks. AI can: (1) measure, predict, and optimize complex systems, (2) accelerate the development of sustainability solutions, and (3), empower the sustainability workforce. These capabilities make AI a critical enabler of progress.

Accelerate sustainability with AI

Explore actions and innovations

Get the playbook

How can business leaders harness AI to accelerate resilience, efficiency, and sustainability in their organization?

I recently met with Lindsay Myers, Vice President, Commercial Cross Solutions at Microsoft, who leads our Commercial Sustainability business, to talk more about this guidance and how business leaders can harness AI to accelerate resilience, efficiency, and sustainability in their organizations.

Toby: Hi Lindsay, before we dive into the playbook, can you share your thoughts on how organizations are adopting AI to address these interconnected goals of resilience, efficiency, and sustainability?

Lindsay: It’s important to highlight how interconnected these goals are in many organizations today. We often see initiatives started by sustainability teams result in significant cost savings for organizations. This might be efficiency gains for existing operations, or entirely new approaches like digital twins that enable rapid iteration before initial prototypes are built. When companies choose an approach like digital twins, it can reduce the materials needed for physical models—saving time and costs—while improving resilience through agility.

Explore customer and partner examples of AI innovation

Toby: Can you give me some examples of customers and partners who are doing this work today?

Lindsay: AI is making a real difference in helping organizations prepare for climate risks, innovate for maximum efficiency, and solve complex challenges. For example, in Germany, where urban flooding is a major concern, cities are searching for innovative ways to mitigate the impacts of heavy rainfall and its impact on communities and infrastructure. Esri, a global leader in geographic information system (GIS) software is helping cities unlock the power of digital twins driven by geospatial data and AI. This solution helped the City of Stuttgart cut its reality mapping time from five months to 24 hours, enabling local government and public safety staff to understand potential impacts and make decisions faster.

Stadtwerke München (SWM), the municipal utilities company serving Munich, has made it its mission to drive every aspect of the city’s energy, heating, and mobility transition forward. To accomplish this, it needed maximum-efficiency processes, such as predictive infrastructure maintenance and optimized operations planning. It has turned to Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT to efficiently provide power to its public transport fleet of 100% electrified vehicles.

Unlock new possibilities with data and AI

Toby: Those are inspiring examples; they give a real sense of AI’s potential. The playbook outlines 5 plays, or ways that organizations can unlock this potential. Could you describe some of these?

Lindsay: Let’s talk first about the first two plays and how they work together.

Investing in AI solutions to measure, predict, and optimize complex systems can drive both innovation and efficiency, helping companies focus on the most strategic priorities for business resilience.

For example, Mitiga Solutions, a global leader in climate risk intelligence and a Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund investment leverages AI, high-performance computing, and advanced climate models to predict the impact of physical climate hazards on any asset, anywhere in the world, from now until the end of the century. This helps infrastructure, commercial real estate, insurers, and companies across industries comply with climate disclosure regulations while proactively strengthening their resilience.

 With AI-powered solutions, businesses can swiftly tackle complex challenges across their own supply chains and for their customers. This not only positions companies as leaders in sustainability but can also unlock new market opportunities and enhance their competitive advantage.

It’s crucial to build a strong digital and data infrastructure to maximize AI’s potential—your AI is only as good as the data it relies on. That’s why having high-quality, representative data and the right processing infrastructure is essential. It enables teams to make informed decisions and provides accurate input for AI applications.

For many of our customers and partners, these two plays are closely linked. The foundational work involves bringing all the necessary data together in one place, like in Microsoft Fabric. What’s amazing about Fabric is it lets you reason over both internal and external data, which is incredibly helpful for things like regulatory reporting.

Once your data is set up properly, your team can use solutions such as Microsoft Copilot to ask questions of their data, generate reports, and learn from industry best practices. Copilot streamlines these tasks, reducing manual work and enabling practitioners to focus their time on new strategic initiatives.

Minimize resource use in AI design and operations

Toby: When I talk to organizations looking to adopt AI, customers and partners often want to learn more about what Microsoft is doing to reduce the environmental impact of AI. Could we talk a bit about that?

Lindsay: Absolutely. Let’s talk about play 3 and how that relates to our work at Microsoft.

AI has its own energy and water demands, so it’s crucial to minimize resource use and move toward powering AI systems with carbon-free energy. In addition, since AI infrastructure is often concentrated in specific regions, it is essential to support the local communities where datacenters are located. At Microsoft, we’re innovating across three critical areas to continue to advance the sustainability of cloud and AI services:

1. Optimizing datacenter energy, water, and waste efficiency while protecting ecosystems.
2. Advancing low-carbon materials and creating global markets to promote industry-wide sustainability.
3. Enhancing the energy efficiency of AI and cloud services.

Many of our customers and partners want to know not only what we’re doing, but also what they can do to manage resource use. Our Well-Architected Framework sustainability guidance provides a great starting point, as well as small language models that perform specific tasks using fewer resources than larger models.

Build workforce capacity to use AI for sustainability

Toby: The pace of innovation in this domain is incredible. Is there anything more you’d like to add in terms of how your team helps leaders move their ideas from concept to implementation?

Lindsay: The way forward on this journey is through people working together, and this is an area where we can help customers and partners make progress. Let’s talk about the final play first:

For companies to be able to put AI’s three game-changing capabilities to work, they must have skills to use AI effectively. Microsoft has training programs focused on building AI fluency, supporting nonprofits, businesses, and governments in advancing workforce AI technical skills and promoting safe and responsible AI development.

Microsoft’s AI learning hub can empower customers on their AI transformation journey, and customers can also use Copilot to connect with their data in Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability and sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric. With these tools, employees can quickly gain insights, understand gaps, and identify what’s needed to move initiatives forward.

Toby: Thank you, Lindsay!

Transform business using generative AI

For business leaders wanting to put these plays in action and guide their organizations through effective AI adoption, we’ve published the 2025 AI Decision Brief: Insights from Microsoft and AI leaders on navigating the generative AI platform shift. This report is packed with perspectives from top Microsoft leaders and insights from AI innovators, along with stories of companies across industries that have transformed their businesses using generative AI.

2025 AI Decision Brief

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In the 2025 AI Decision Brief, we share findings on how AI is rapidly evolving into what economists call a general-purpose technology. In this report, top Microsoft leaders and AI innovators say they expect generative AI to revolutionize operations, enable new and disruptive business models, and reshape the competitive landscape.

As AI grows more powerful and efficient, businesses have the opportunity to use these solutions to enhance employee productivity and well-being, improve customer engagement, and optimize business practices. In our latest webinar, Transform Your Business with Microsoft AI, I share real-world examples from leading organizations that are already driving value with AI. Plus, learn about three trusted Microsoft AI platforms designed to help you reap the benefits of this transformative technology.

At Microsoft, we’re here to help you navigate your AI transformation journey. Keep reading to find out how.

4 business benefits of AI transformation

When you apply AI to your business transformation, you’ll enjoy meaningful benefits related to employee experiences, customer engagement, business processes, and innovation. At Microsoft, we’re working with thousands of customers across industries and around the world to help them pursue these opportunities and realize the value of AI. 

Organizations are driving four major business outcomes with Microsoft AI.

1. Elevate employee experiences and boost productivity

One of the primary reasons organizations across all industries are tapping into AI is to increase productivity. According to an IDC study, 92% of surveyed companies said they’re using AI for productivity, and 43% said that productivity use cases currently provide their greatest return on investment.¹  

Plus, our customers tell us that by automating repetitive, mundane tasks, employees are freed up to focus on more complex and creative work. This shift makes the work environment more stimulating for teams and boosts their job satisfaction, which ultimately results in increased employee retention. 

2. Reinvent customer engagement

Organizations are using generative AI to help personalize customer experiences and improve customer service. These companies are tapping into AI-powered tools to:

• Provide service agents with tailored insights.
• Create customized content tailored to targeted customer segments.
• Streamline operations so customers can get information faster.
• Craft experiences that delight customers while lightening the load for employees.  

AI solutions also help organizations deliver faster customer service, leading to an increase in both customer and agent satisfaction. For service agents, sourcing the right information from a vast catalog of material can take a long time. Generative AI puts the necessary data right at their fingertips, saving them thousands of hours.

3. Streamline business processes

Many Microsoft customers are using generative AI solutions to transform operations and improve efficiency across various business functions. For example, IT teams are using AI to automate responses to routine tasks while keeping employees happy. Human resources departments are tapping into these solutions to speed up the hiring process, while financial teams use AI for fraud detection and risk assessments. 

4. Spark innovation

Organizations across industries are using generative AI to fuel innovation and speed up creative processes and product development. Using AI tools, teams can explore new ideas, design prototypes, and iterate quickly, cutting down the time it takes to get to market.  

For example, the automotive industry is using AI to design more efficient vehicles. And in healthcare, radiologists are using AI solutions to more quickly and accurately interpret detailed images.

All of these examples show the value of AI and the real outcomes that organizations are driving with these innovative capabilities. Check out more customer stories that illustrate how companies are transforming with AI.

Now let’s dive into how Microsoft AI can bring all of this to life for your organization.

Accelerate your AI business transformation with three trusted platforms

We offer three Microsoft AI platforms to help you transform your business, drive impact, and achieve more—Microsoft Copilot, Copilot devices, and the Copilot and AI stack.  

1. Microsoft Copilot

Driving AI transformation starts by bringing AI into the flow of work for every one of your employees. That’s exactly what Microsoft Copilot does. Copilot is rapidly becoming an essential solution for getting work done. 

Copilot streamlines universal tasks for every employee, from drafting emails to generating reports. This ensures that efficiency isn’t just a goal, but a standard practice. Whether it’s simplifying complex documentation for operations employees, enhancing risk management with real-time insights for financial analysts, or accelerating the onboarding process for service agents, Copilot is the intelligent assistant for the modern workforce. 

2. Copilot devices

In 2024, we introduced Copilot+ PCs—a new class of Windows PCs designed for AI transformation. These are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. Copilot+ PCs allow users to accomplish things you can’t on any other PC. These devices come with AI tools that enhance video calls, refine writing in documents, and supports advanced features, like real-time translations and image generation. 

Plus, this January, we introduced new Surface Copilot + PCs for Business. These devices transform the employee experience and help amplify efficiency and creativity at work.

3. Copilot and AI stack

The most advanced platform for creating AI solutions, the Copilot and AI stack empowers users to build more ambitious products by using advanced technology at each layer of the stack, including:

• Developer tools: The Copilot and AI stack begins with the world’s most-loved developer tools. Microsoft Copilot Studio is now used by more than 100,000 organizations to build AI solutions. The Visual Studio family of products, which includes both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code, are among the most widely used development tools in the world, with more than 40 million monthly active developers. And GitHub, used by more than 100 million developers, is the home of open source. 
• AI management: To help organizations simplify and scale their AI workloads, we recently announced the availability of Azure AI Foundry. Azure AI Foundry enables organizations to design, customize, and manage the next generation of AI apps and agents at scale. 
• Data and analytics: Of course, all of this AI innovation is built on a foundation of data. If you want to use your data to gain a competitive edge, you need data solutions that are comprehensive, secure, and connected. Microsoft Azure provides a comprehensive suite of data services that are secure by default and seamlessly integrated, allowing organizations to effectively manage and use their entire data estate.

Transform with trusted AI

When it comes to AI transformation, we believe that trust is the most important element of all. At Microsoft, we’re focused on helping customers use and build AI that is secure, safe, and private.  

All of this innovation is grounded in our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. And we want to help your organization accelerate your AI transformation with the Microsoft Cloud.  

To explore how Microsoft AI is driving real business outcomes for leading organizations, watch the 25-minute on-demand webinar.

Transform Your Business with Microsoft AI

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If you’re ready to take the next steps in your AI business transformation, check out Microsoft AI to get started today. 

¹IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC# US52699124, November 2024.

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Africa stands at the cusp of a transformative future, uniquely positioned to lead in AI-powered solutions. With a median age of 19 and 60% of its population under 35, the continent is home to a youthful, dynamic workforce. By 2030, this growing tech talent could solidify Africa’s role as a key player in the global economy. 

To further accelerate the continent’s digital and AI transformation, Microsoft South Africa has introduced its AI skilling initiative, a program which aims to equip one million South Africans with critical, in-demand digital skills by 2026, empowering individuals and businesses to thrive in an increasingly AI-powered world. 

Africa’s exceptional rate of new business startups, coupled with a growing wave of investment and innovation, has created a powerful synergy, positioning the continent as a thriving hub for AI-powered transformation. This potential was on full display at the Microsoft AI Tour stop in Johannesburg, South Africa, where innovative companies showcased how generative AI and AI agents are already reshaping industries and driving impactful change across Africa. 

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South African Revenue Service transforms tax filing with AI and cloud services

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has significantly enhanced the tax filing experience for South Africans by integrating AI and machine learning into its operations. Serving 14 million taxpayers across more than 200 sites, SARS manages an extensive volume of data.  

AI and data science are pivotal in efficiently handling this complexity. “Embracing AI in tax and customs administration is revolutionizing our engagement with taxpayers and traders,” explained Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of SARS. “It enables hyper-personalization, in the provision of service as well as detecting non-compliance. It automates routine tasks and augments the work of tax professionals with insights from data.” 

A key advancement is SARS’s ability to pre-populate tax returns using third-party data analyzed through AI models. In the recent fiscal year, 5 million individuals received automatic assessments without any action required on their part, often receiving refunds within three days. For those who opted to file manually, assessments were delivered in under five seconds. 

SARS has also enhanced taxpayer interactions by deploying a chatbot integrated with Azure Cloud Services and enabled with Azure OpenAI Service. This system provides personalized guidance based on individual records, having generated approximately 300,000 tailored responses to date.  

We must come to terms that our future is a co-existence with AI agents that in many ways will replace some of the work we do, augment all our work and significantly enhance our abilities as a species.”

Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of SARS

These initiatives underscore SARS’s commitment to leveraging AI to make tax compliance more straightforward and efficient for South African taxpayers. 

Lelapa AI promotes more human innovation with the help of AI 

Lelapa AI is an Africa-centric AI research and product lab committed to harnessing the power of AI to drive innovation and uplift African communities. By focusing on their unique strengths in efficient small language models, Lelapa AI aims to advance AI technology on a global scale, with a particular emphasis on tackling the complex challenges faced by the Global South. 

A flagship example of their work is InkubaLM, Africa’s first multilingual AI small language model. This groundbreaking tool is designed to support and elevate low-resource African languages such as Swahili, Yoruba, isiXhosa, Hausa, and isiZulu. By providing capabilities for translation, transcription, and other natural language processing tasks, InkubaLM addresses the digital underrepresentation of these languages, empowering African communities and ensuring a stronger presence in the global digital space. 

Rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because we are,”) Lelapa AI prioritizes the development of technology grounded in humanism and interconnectedness, championing responsible AI practices across the continent and beyond. Furthermore, the organization recognizes the importance of fostering opportunities for African AI talent, creating a platform where researchers can make meaningful contributions while receiving fair and equitable compensation. Through its innovative work, Lelapa AI is shaping a more inclusive and representative future for Africa in the global AI landscape. 

SPAR is revolutionizing the future of retail with Microsoft Copilot and AI  

SPAR, a prominent retailer in Africa and Europe, has effectively harnessed AI to address business challenges and enhance operations. By integrating Microsoft 365 Copilot into its existing Microsoft 365 ecosystem, SPAR has streamlined various tasks, leading to significant efficiency gains. Employees utilize Microsoft Copilot in Word for document creation and summarization, in Microsoft Teams for catching up on missed meetings and managing minutes, and in Microsoft PowerPoint for generating initial presentations.  

This strategic implementation has resulted in a 67% active user base among employees, saving approximately 715 hours—equivalent to 89 workdays or the output of four full-time employees. Notably, 93% of Copilot users report increased productivity, and 88% feel empowered to complete tasks faster. These outcomes, and SPAR’s continued investment into new applications like enhanced data visualization, deeper Copilot use, and AI-powered object recognition, underscore SPAR’s commitment to leveraging AI to enhance productivity and empower its workforce. 

AI for everyone in Africa 

As we embrace an AI-powered future, it is crucial to prioritize responsible and sustainable innovation that addresses Africa’s unique challenges, aligns with human values and cultural diversity, and ensures ethical, collaborative, and culturally attuned solutions through thoughtful regulation and stakeholder engagement. 

Digital skills are the foundation for modern innovation. By making AI education more accessible to Africa’s diverse populations, Microsoft is working to support home-spun innovation in Africa that will prepare the continent’s youth for high-tech jobs, reduce unemployment, and promote inclusive economic growth.  

Find the resources to support your AI journey 

• Explore Microsoft’s AI solutions.
• Advance your AI transformation with AI business resources.

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But achieving personalization at scale requires more than AI and data analytics—it demands a powerful, secure, and adaptive infrastructure that enables you to deploy AI. Without a scalable, high-performing cloud foundation, businesses face challenges like latency issues, fragmented data, and high operational costs—all while grappling with the growing importance of data security and compliance. For organizations ready to embrace the future, building the right infrastructure foundation is the first step toward achieving personalization at scale—empowering them to innovate faster, respond in real time, and deliver transformative, trustworthy customer experiences. 

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Overcoming barriers to personalization at scale 

Achieving personalization at scale comes with its share of challenges. Businesses often contend with fragmented data systems, privacy and compliance concerns, and the complexity of acting on data in real time. While these hurdles can seem daunting, understanding them is the first step toward finding solutions. 

Fragmented data is one of the most common obstacles to personalization. Customer information is often scattered across systems, departments, or even physical locations, making it difficult to gain a unified view. For example, PointClickCare found that siloed healthcare data across providers delayed critical care decisions, highlighting the importance of breaking down these barriers to enable better insights.

It’s common for people to work with multiple healthcare professionals for different treatments and prescriptions, for the best care, everyone needs to access, use, and trust the most current, accurate information.

Andrew Datars, Senior Vice President of Engineering at PointClickCare

Real-time data processing adds another layer of complexity. Personalization requires immediate insights and responses, but many businesses struggle with legacy systems that can’t handle fluctuating demands. MediaKind, for example, encountered difficulties delivering real-time media experiences during peak events—putting customer satisfaction at risk. With the increase in competition in the industry and the pace of innovation around engaging with customers through video, they needed to find a way to match their current demands and innovation needs. “People get really upset when their entertainment is offline. Seconds of downtime costs broadcasters and streamers millions of dollars in advertising and brand revenue,” Allen Broome, MediaKind’s Chief Executive Officer notes. 

Privacy and compliance can create significant challenges for businesses aiming to deliver personalized experiences. Analyzing sensitive customer data requires navigating a maze of strict regulations, such as ensuring data residency, meeting regional compliance requirements, and safeguarding user trust. These challenges are particularly pronounced in industries like legal, where the sensitivity of data and the complexity of workflows add additional layers of difficulty. Harvey, a platform designed for the legal sector, faces these exact hurdles. Security is paramount for Harvey due to the need to comply with varied regional security requirements and ensure that data never crosses regional boundaries. “The reason it’s been so hard to build technology for industries like legal is the workflows are so varied and complex, and no two days are the same,” explains Gabe Pereyra, Co-Founder and President at Harvey. By prioritizing security and compliance from the ground up, Harvey provides a trusted solution tailored to one of the most demanding industries. 

While these challenges are real, they are manageable with the right strategies. Recognizing and addressing these barriers allows businesses to take their first steps toward achieving personalization at scale, turning these obstacles into opportunities for growth. 

Redefining customer engagement with cloud and AI technologies 

Scaling personalization to meet modern customer expectations is a complex challenge, but cloud and AI technologies make it practical. Together, they empower organizations to process vast amounts of data, generate actionable insights in real time, and deliver tailored experiences at scale. 

For many organizations, data is scattered across disconnected systems, creating silos that prevent a unified view of customer behaviors and needs. Overcoming this barrier requires modernizing infrastructure to centralize data, enable seamless integration, and provide real-time access to actionable insights. Cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure make this possible by offering secure and scalable solutions that unify fragmented data sources into a single, comprehensive view. For example, PointClickCare leveraged Azure to consolidate siloed healthcare data from multiple systems into a unified network. PointClickCare modernized their infrastructure by deploying a cloud-based solution with key Azure products like Windows Server, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure OpenAI Service to securely integrate data, streamline workflows, and enable real-time access to critical patient information. This transformation provided healthcare providers with actionable insights, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced patient care.  

Personalization hinges on immediacy, and AI-powered cloud platforms enable businesses to process massive streams of data in real time, offering insights and actions when they matter most. Overcoming this challenge requires infrastructure that can handle both the scale and speed of data processing without delays. LALIGA achieves this by leveraging cloud-based AI and machine learning to analyze over 3 million data points per match, all processed in real time. Operating within a hybrid environment, they ensure consistent performance by distributing workloads intelligently across on-premises and cloud systems using Microsoft Azure Arc. This allows LALIGA to deliver engaging digital and in-stadium experiences, from detailed match statistics to personalized player insights, enhancing how fans connect with the game. 

To ensure real-time data provision, cloud infrastructure must be capable of adapting to variable demands. Cloud solutions provide elastic scalability, ensuring organizations can handle varying workloads without compromising performance. With 30 teams, more than 500 players, and each team playing 82 games per season, not including playoffs, the NBA have an enormous amount of player data to collect and analyze. In exploring how AI could help them process data on all on-court players’ specific live body movements, analyzing things like speed, dunk height, number of passes and dribbles, and even injury risk, simultaneously, can create a need for elastic scalability. The NBA used a Microsoft Azure solution, based on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), that can manage and process up to 16 gigabytes of raw data per game, not including RGB video signals—sometimes more if the game goes into overtime. The new solution is deployed and operational, and the data being collected is already helping the NBA better understand players’ strengths and weaknesses and improve their performance.  

Lastly, trust and security are fundamental to achieving personalization at scale. In today’s environment, businesses must be able to navigate strict regulatory requirements, safeguard sensitive customer data, and maintain user trust while delivering tailored experiences. Overcoming these challenges requires implementing robust security measures, such as end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls, and compliance monitoring, all of which can be enabled and streamlined through cloud platforms. Azure provides a unified environment where businesses can securely integrate data, enforce regulatory compliance across regions, and monitor potential risks in real time, ensuring sensitive information is protected at every stage. Harvey, for example, leveraged advanced encryption, access management, and compliance tools to meet the stringent security requirements of its clients. This solution enables law firms to confidently protect sensitive client data while delivering innovative, AI-powered legal services. As Harvey’s Chief Executive Officer explained, “Law firms trust Azure because it allows them to deliver cutting-edge, AI-driven legal services without compromising on security or compliance.” This commitment to security enables Harvey to focus on innovation while maintaining trust with its clients. 

Transform your business with scalable personalization 

Personalization at scale is essential for businesses striving to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving market. Customers increasingly expect experiences that feel tailored, anticipate their needs, and build trust. As cloud and AI technologies continue to advance, the opportunities for deeper, more impactful personalization will only expand. 

You can stay ahead of the competition by delivering personalized experiences that resonate with your customers. Here are some essential steps you can take to get started today:  

• Audit your data landscape to identify silos and unify disparate systems into a centralized platform for streamlined insights.
• Establish robust data governance policies to ensure compliance, security, and transparency, earning and maintaining customer trust.
• Invest in scalable, elastic cloud infrastructure that grows with your needs, so you can handle the demands of real-time personalization.
• Empower your teams with the training and tools needed to effectively leverage AI and cloud technologies, making personalization a reality. 

By acting now, businesses can not only meet today’s customer expectations but also pave the way to lead in a future driven by secure, scalable, and transformative personalization.

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¹ McKinsey & Company, The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying, November 2021.

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It’s no secret that India is well-positioned to be a global leader in the AI era, having embraced the power of AI to reshape industries, drive innovation, and unlock new opportunities across the nation. Boasting a vast talent pool, proactive government initiatives, and a thriving startup ecosystem, India is uniquely equipped to leverage AI to solve pressing societal and business challenges and optimize operations across a wide array of civic and business verticals.

A long-standing partner in India’s technological growth, Microsoft has solidified its commitment with a US $3 billion investment to expand AI and Azure cloud infrastructure in the country. This initiative is designed to accelerate AI adoption across industries, empower businesses to integrate AI into critical processes, and nurture local talent to meet the evolving demands of the tech ecosystem. These efforts underscore Microsoft’s confidence in India’s position as a global leader in AI innovation and technological advancement.

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Local ingenuity was on full display during the Microsoft AI Tour stop in Bengaluru and New Delhi, where organizations showcased how they are leveraging AI to tackle complex challenges, streamline workflows, and drive transformative efficiencies across industries.

MakeMyTrip powers the future of travel with AI

MakeMyTrip (MMT), India’s leading online travel company, is at the forefront of enhancing the travel shopping experience with generative AI. Over its 24-year journey, MMT has served more than 77 million users, offering comprehensive travel booking services. A standout feature powered by generative AI is Myra, their conversational bot. MMT is integrating an AI-powered workflow within Myra to assist users seamlessly at every stage of their travel journey—from pre-trip planning to in-trip support and post-trip follow-up. Built using large language models (LLMs) and orchestrated via Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, these services ensure smooth assistance throughout the travel process. As one of the early adopters of generative AI in travel tech, MMT is leading the next generation of travel experiences.

Persistent Systems improves contract management with AI-powered agent

Persistent Systems, one of the world’s fastest-growing digital engineering and enterprise modernization service providers, faced recurring challenges surrounding their contract management: inefficient workflows and lengthy negotiation cycles were causing bottlenecks in an otherwise agile organization. Persistent turned to the power of generative AI and Microsoft’s technology stack to reimagine their approach to contract management, developing ContractAssIst, an AI-powered agent built using generative AI and Microsoft 365 Copilot, to transform collaboration and streamline internal contract negotiations. Built to help ensure security and access controls, the tool helps to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and accelerate decision-making. 

As a result, ContractAssIst has reduced emails during negotiations by 95% and cut navigation and negotiation time by 70%, a task that currently takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Persistent has deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot to nearly 2,000 users and plans to extend it to a broader audience.

LTIMindtree unlocks data management with Microsoft 365 Copilot

LTIMindtree, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company with more than 84,000 employees in more than 30 countries, is leveraging AI in innovative ways to drive digital transformation and enhance business and IT operations. They have demonstrated how Microsoft 365 Copilot technology and AI agents are transforming their critical business functions, such as pre-sales, resource management, and cyber security. For example, custom built AI agents assist the resource management teams to quickly find the right employees with relevant skills and match them to specific projects; and help pre-sales and account managers create high-quality responses using historical data to incoming requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests for information (RFIs). They are also using Microsoft Security Copilot to create a unified command center for investigations, threat intelligence, and incident response, empowering them to build a next-gen Security Operations Center (SOC). As a result, LTIMindtree has seen a 30% increase in overall employee efficiency, with 20% less time spent on emails and day-to-day task allocation.

Streamlining health claims with ICICI Lombard’s AI-powered solution

ICICI Lombard, a leading private insurer in India, has developed an innovative solution to streamline health claims processing. Traditionally, claim adjudicators manually filed claims, a time-consuming process involving the review of 20 pages of documents. Leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Document Intelligence, and Azure AI Vision OCR service, ICICI Lombard’s new solution extracts relevant information from these documents, providing adjudicators with a consolidated view of the diagnosis and treatment. This innovation has reduced the time required to process claims by more than 50%.

eSanjeevani transforms healthcare access with innovative AI solutions

eSanjeevani, India’s National Telemedicine Service by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has integrated AI-enabled tools to enhance care quality and streamline teleconsultations, promoting equitable access to healthcare across the country. Powered by Azure, it offers secure, scalable, and accessible doctor-to-doctor and doctor-to-patient teleconsultations. eSanjeevani is advancing its AI journey with Microsoft AI, enhancing productivity, data analysis, and user experience. These innovations are helping eSanjeevani set new benchmarks in telemedicine and digital healthcare services. It is also developing a proof of concept with Microsoft Copilot to transcribe doctor-patient conversations in real time for advanced speech analytics, aiding data-driven decisions. Serving more than 330 million patients, 98% from rural areas, eSanjeevani is today the world’s largest telemedicine initiative in primary healthcare.

AI for everyone in India

India’s AI journey is not just about innovation, it’s about transformation across industries and lives. From travel to healthcare, banking to engineering, the case studies showcased here demonstrate the immense potential of AI when paired with the right tools, partnerships, and vision. Microsoft’s investments and technologies have enabled organizations in India to tackle challenges, streamline processes, and unlock new levels of efficiency and growth. As India continues to lead in the global AI revolution, these examples serve as a testament to how AI can create meaningful impact, fostering a future where innovation drives progress for everyone.

Find the resources to support your AI journey

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• Advance your AI transformation with AI business resources

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My first concert with my son was a Coldplay show in Vancouver a couple of years ago. I was completely captivated by the show, the music, the immersive experience, and the focus on sustainability—but mostly by watching my youngest experience a concert for the first time. It was truly magical. The band has always been at the forefront of innovation and generating magic with their fans. 

To coincide with their latest project, A Film For The Future, the band collaborated with Microsoft to produce an AI-powered experience that lets fans interact with their new album MOON MUSiC in a unique and personal way.

After some initial skepticism when generative AI emerged, we’re now seeing creators and artists begin to experiment with AI as a creative booster—bringing fresh ways to interact with and enhance their work, come up with new ideas, and even get things done faster.

A Film For The Future is a highly collaborative project, bringing together a diverse group of filmmakers and animators to create unique segments for the 44-minute film, which provides a visual accompaniment to the new album. Each creator was given a broad set of themes and creative license to come up with visuals each felt best represented Coldplay’s music. That collaborative theme now extends to the fan experience, which transcends traditional passive viewing and enables you to create your own 15-second clip of the film using Microsoft Copilot and Azure AI. Your clip, or remix, is then added to the community playback here.

By going to the Community Remix section on the film’s website, you can see clips created by others accompanied by the “iAAM” track (“I Am A Mountain”) from “MOON MUSiC” and can create your own clip.

Not surprisingly, it’s a very emotive experience as you create your own personal remix. Mine is trust in summoning lightning, which is obviously awesome. You can fine-tune your own remix by adjusting the intensity of seven different attributes, such as passion, growth, and peace, that are represented as moons against a rainbow (trust me, you have to see it). Once you’re done, your remix is added to the community and you can download a video and image of your remix if you’d like. You can also create another remix.

Azure AIHow innovators are creating the future.

The memories of that Vancouver concert came flooding back while I was in the app, giving me a wonderful moment to plunge into a cherished memory. It was unexpected and kind of amazing. Not every app can evoke such a response. Coldplay certainly brings some emotional chemistry to the mix, but this creative use of AI opens new ground for fans. 

Microsoft collaborated with Seattle-based Pixel Lab to build this fan remix experience. The platform AI analyzes the emotional context of each video clip and dynamically assembles them to create a unique and immersive experience for every fan. This means that no two remixes are the same, and each fan gets a personalized journey through Coldplay’s music, making the experience deeply engaging and memorable.

From the Community Remix experience, you can chat with Microsoft Copilot about Coldplay, the new album, A Film For The Future, or whatever you want to chat about using simple prompts.

The fusion of generative AI and human creativity is opening new vistas for artists and businesses alike. The fan remix experience is more than a showcase of cutting-edge technology. Fans can now become co-creators, using Microsoft AI to craft their own unique interpretations of Coldplay’s music. It highlights one of the many strategic values of integrating AI into creative processes to unlock new opportunities for innovation and differentiation. 

Made with Azure AI Foundry

This fan remix experience was built with a collection of Azure AI services available in Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft’s unified AI platform announced a few months ago at Microsoft Ignite. It integrates advanced AI services like natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning to help organizations across industries create AI-powered solutions that accelerate innovation and differentiate them in the market. Azure AI Foundry enables everyone—from developers to data scientists, to business and IT leaders—to collaborate seamlessly design, customize, and manage innovative solutions that transform ideas into reality. 

Simplify development and improve AI efficiency with AI Foundry

Enhancing human creativity with AI 

At the heart of the Coldplay project is the belief that AI can enhance human creativity rather than replace it. Technology has been an important part of creative expression for a long, long time. Artists are often among the first to test the creative potential of technical innovation. Generative AI expands the role of technology in artistic expression, bringing audiences into the creative process, and in this case, elevating fans to co-creators with the artist. It’s a glimpse into how AI is changing expectations for how we engage with our favorite artists.

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