At Microsoft, we have commitments to ensure Trustworthy AI and are building industry-leading supporting technology. Our commitments and capabilities go hand in hand to make sure our customers and developers are protected at every layer.

Building on our commitments, today we are announcing new product capabilities to strengthen the security, safety and privacy of AI systems.

Security. Security is our top priority at Microsoft, and our expanded Secure Future Initiative (SFI) underscores the company-wide commitments and the responsibility we feel to make our customers more secure. This week we announced our first SFI Progress Report, highlighting updates spanning culture, governance, technology and operations. This delivers on our pledge to prioritize security above all else and is guided by three principles: secure by design, secure by default and secure operations. In addition to our first party offerings, Microsoft Defender and Purview, our AI services come with foundational security controls, such as built-in functions to help prevent prompt injections and copyright violations. Building on those, today we’re announcing two new capabilities:

• Evaluations in Azure AI Studio to support proactive risk assessments.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot will provide transparency into web queries to help admins and users better understand how web search enhances the Copilot response. Coming soon.

Our security capabilities are already being used by customers. Cummins, a 105-year-old company known for its engine manufacturing and development of clean energy technologies, turned to Microsoft Purview to strengthen their data security and governance by automating the classification, tagging and labeling of data. EPAM Systems, a software engineering and business consulting company, deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot for 300 users because of the data protection they get from Microsoft. J.T. Sodano, Senior Director of IT, shared that “we were a lot more confident with Copilot for Microsoft 365, compared to other large language models (LLMs), because we know that the same information and data protection policies that we’ve configured in Microsoft Purview apply to Copilot.”

Safety. Inclusive of both security and privacy, Microsoft’s broader Responsible AI principles, established in 2018, continue to guide how we build and deploy AI safely across the company. In practice this means properly building, testing and monitoring systems to avoid undesirable behaviors, such as harmful content, bias, misuse and other unintended risks. Over the years, we have made significant investments in building out the necessary governance structure, policies, tools and processes to uphold these principles and build and deploy AI safely. At Microsoft, we are committed to sharing our learnings on this journey of upholding our Responsible AI principles with our customers. We use our own best practices and learnings to provide people and organizations with capabilities and tools to build AI applications that share the same high standards we strive for.

Today, we are sharing new capabilities to help customers pursue the benefits of AI while mitigating the risks:

• A Correction capability in Microsoft Azure AI Content Safety’s Groundedness detection feature that helps fix hallucination issues in real time before users see them.
• Embedded Content Safety, which allows customers to embed Azure AI Content Safety on devices. This is important for on-device scenarios where cloud connectivity might be intermittent or unavailable.
• New evaluations in Azure AI Studio to help customers assess the quality and relevancy of outputs and how often their AI application outputs protected material.
• Protected Material Detection for Code is now in preview in Azure AI Content Safety to help detect pre-existing content and code. This feature helps developers explore public source code in GitHub repositories, fostering collaboration and transparency, while enabling more informed coding decisions.

It’s amazing to see how customers across industries are already using Microsoft solutions to build more secure and trustworthy AI applications. For example, Unity, a platform for 3D games, used Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to build Muse Chat, an AI assistant that makes game development easier. Muse Chat uses content-filtering models in Azure AI Content Safety to ensure responsible use of the software. Additionally, ASOS, a UK-based fashion retailer with nearly 900 brand partners, used the same built-in content filters in Azure AI Content Safety to support top-quality interactions through an AI app that helps customers find new looks.

We’re seeing the impact in the education space too. New York City Public Schools partnered with Microsoft to develop a chat system that is safe and appropriate for the education context, which they are now piloting in schools. The South Australia Department for Education similarly brought generative AI into the classroom with EdChat, relying on the same infrastructure to ensure safe use for students and teachers.

Privacy. Data is at the foundation of AI, and Microsoft’s priority is to help ensure customer data is protected and compliant through our long-standing privacy principles, which include user control, transparency and legal and regulatory protections. To build on this, today we’re announcing:

• Confidential inferencing in preview in our Azure OpenAI Service Whisper model, so customers can develop generative AI applications that support verifiable end-to-end privacy. Confidential inferencing ensures that sensitive customer data remains secure and private during the inferencing process, which is when a trained AI model makes predictions or decisions based on new data. This is especially important for highly regulated industries, such as health care, financial services, retail, manufacturing and energy.
• The general availability of Azure Confidential VMs with NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs, which allow customers to secure data directly on the GPU. This builds on our confidential computing solutions, which ensure customer data stays encrypted and protected in a secure environment so that no one gains access to the information or system without permission.
• Azure OpenAI Data Zones for the EU and U.S. are coming soon and build on the existing data residency provided by Azure OpenAI Service by making it easier to manage the data processing and storage of generative AI applications. This new functionality offers customers the flexibility of scaling generative AI applications across all Azure regions within a geography, while giving them the control of data processing and storage within the EU or U.S.

We’ve seen increasing customer interest in confidential computing and excitement for confidential GPUs, including from application security provider F5, which is using Azure Confidential VMs with NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs to build advanced AI-powered security solutions, while ensuring confidentiality of the data its models are analyzing. And multinational banking corporation Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has integrated Azure confidential computing into their own platform to analyze encrypted data while preserving customer privacy. With the general availability of Azure Confidential VMs with NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs, RBC can now use these advanced AI tools to work more efficiently and develop more powerful AI models.

Achieve more with Trustworthy AI 

We all need and expect AI we can trust. We’ve seen what’s possible when people are empowered to use AI in a trusted way, from enriching employee experiences and reshaping business processes to reinventing customer engagement and reimagining our everyday lives. With new capabilities that improve security, safety and privacy, we continue to enable customers to use and build trustworthy AI solutions that help every person and organization on the planet achieve more. Ultimately, Trustworthy AI encompasses all that we do at Microsoft and it’s essential to our mission as we work to expand opportunity, earn trust, protect fundamental rights and advance sustainability across everything we do.

Related:

Commitments

• Security: Secure Future Initiative  
• Privacy: Trust Center 
• Safety: Responsible AI Principles

Capabilities

• Security: Security for AI
• Privacy: Azure Confidential Computing
• Safety: Azure AI Content Safety

The post Microsoft Trustworthy AI: Unlocking human potential starts with trust  appeared first on The Microsoft Cloud Blog.

Last year’s AI Tour gave senior business leaders and technical practitioners a platform to come together and explore the transformative potential of AI, and we couldn’t be happier with the response it received. That’s why we’re hitting the road again, and this time we’ve tripled the cities on the itinerary to ensure we can reach more of our customers and partners around the world. We hope you’ll join us.

A global movement

The Microsoft AI Tour is more than an event; it’s a global movement that will begin September 24, 2024, and span over 60 cities around the world, from Mexico City to Johannesburg, Mumbai to Sydney, Seoul to Berlin, and many more. This free, one-day and in-person experience offers AI thought leadership, sessions to help build AI skills, hands-on workshops and connection opportunities designed to inspire attendees, while providing practical approaches for using the power of AI to improve productivity and deliver solutions that drive real impact for businesses. We’ll also showcase local customer and partner stories at each stop, which makes the AI Tour a great chance for attendees to deepen their connections with local peers.

Something for everyone

Whether you’re a senior business leader or a technical practitioner, you’ll find valuable insights and actionable solutions at these events. We’ve built the Microsoft AI Tour from the ground up to be a comprehensive AI experience at no cost to you.

For technical practitioners, the Microsoft AI Tour is a platform for learning, collaborating and staying ahead of AI trends. It offers immersive workshops on the latest AI technologies, hands-on experience with Microsoft and partner experts and a vibrant community ready to exchange ideas. We’ll also provide insight into the future of AI, helping attendees stay updated on the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

For senior business leaders, the AI Tour is a unique opportunity to understand how AI can drive growth and innovation for their organizations. Through expert-led presentations, attendees will gain insights into how to best leverage AI to solve complex problems and create lasting value. Plus, dive deep into how AI fits into the Microsoft roadmap, which will help those present align their AI strategies with the latest technologies and best practices.

Learn from Microsoft leadership

During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with industry-leading experts, partners and members of Microsoft’s senior leadership team. Leaders such as Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, and Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, will join us at select stops on the tour, where they’ll share how this new generation of AI is reshaping how people live and work.

We can’t wait for you to join us

AI innovation continues to grow, and how we conduct business and develop solutions will never be the same because of it. By joining us at the Microsoft AI Tour, you can position yourself at the forefront of that innovation and ensure you are prepared for whatever’s next on the horizon.

Ready to join this innovation revolution? Visit the Microsoft AI Tour website and request to attend the Tour when it comes to your city.

The post Unlocking the future of innovation: the Microsoft AI Tour appeared first on The Microsoft Cloud Blog.

AI’s transformative power is now evident globally. Deemed a technology of the future not long ago, AI-powered business transformation is unfolding across all sectors. It’s clear that mastering AI is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge, and Japan has risen to this challenge. Bolstered by robust infrastructure, advanced technological capabilities, and significant government support for AI initiatives, Japan ranks second on the Asia-Pacific AI Readiness Index.¹

To support this progress, Microsoft plans to invest $2.9 billion over the next two years to expand hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Japan. This marks the largest investment Microsoft has made in Japan since it opened its first international office there 46 years ago.

The investment also emphasizes AI digital skilling, which Microsoft aims to provide to more than 3 million people in Japan within three years, targeting full-time and part-time workers, developers, students, and especially women. In partnership with Japan’s government, we will open the first Microsoft Research Asia Lab in Tokyo. Here, we’ll focus on embodied AI, societal AI wellbeing, and scientific discovery aimed at strengthening cybersecurity defenses in response to Japan’s updated National Security Strategy.

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Microsoft’s expanded initiatives and partnerships with educational, governmental, and private organizations in Japan are poised to enhance AI capabilities across various sectors and amplify the societal benefits and economic growth that are already part of Japan’s culture of innovation. I’m excited to showcase some of the very organizations that are contributing to AI leadership, not only in Japan or Asia, but globally.

Dentsu unlocks employee creativity with Microsoft Copilot support

Dentsu, a global leader in creative media with a 120-year history and 72,000 employees, has effectively integrated Microsoft Copilot into its operations to tackle the increasing demand for high-quality content across multiple channels. As part of this integration, Copilot has been deployed to automate routine tasks such as email management and meeting recaps, and to enhance creative processes through faster ideation and content visualization. This strategic deployment also includes Microsoft Teams Premium, which offers features like intelligent recap and real-time translations, optimizing communication across dentsu’s global teams.

The adoption of these AI tools has significantly benefited dentsu employees by reducing the time spent on administrative tasks, thereby allowing more time for creative and strategic work. For instance, the automation provided by Copilot has saved employees approximately up to 60 minutes per day, translating into substantial productivity gains across the company. These efficiency improvements have also led to superior creative outputs, enabling dentsu to maintain its competitive edge in the fast-paced media industry.

“We started using Copilot with the hypothesis that it would elevate our people’s potential and bring additional value to our clients. I am delighted our high expectations proved to be accurate based on survey data and insights as we work to broaden access to this and other generative AI technologies,” said Brian Klochkoff, Executive Vice President, Innovation & Emerging Technologies at dentsu.

Moreover, the integration of AI has facilitated a cultural shift within dentsu, fostering an environment where technology enhances creativity rather than replacing it. The company continues to explore new AI capabilities through initiatives like Microsoft Copilot Studio, aiming to expand the use of AI across various functions to further streamline operations and enhance creative capabilities.

Recruit Co., Ltd. uses conversational AI to address nuanced customer requests

Recruit Co., Ltd., a prominent human resources technology company, has implemented a conversational AI user interface for Jalan.net, one of Japan’s leading travel booking platforms, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. Initiated in May 2023, this innovative application aims to quickly gather user feedback and adapt to customer needs not typically met by conventional search functions.

As a result, user interactions on Jalan.net have been significantly enhanced through more dynamic exchanges that accommodate nuanced and implicit customer preferences related to travel themes, purposes, and modes, which were previously difficult to discern. Attracting tens of thousands of users monthly, the implementation has been widely accepted, with negative reactions constituting less than 1% of user responses.

The successful implementation of Jalan.net has prompted wider integration of Azure OpenAI Service within Recruit itself, creating more than 30 internal environments for projects like interactive resume building and internal information sourcing tools. Moving forward, the company plans to automate approval processes for AI usage and integrate internal data into AI models to enhance personalized experiences, maintaining a focus on security and compliance.

TXP Medical enhances emergency response with AI-powered mobile service

TXP Medical has released an AI-based smartphone application for paramedics, NSER mobile. With nearly 22,000 users per month, NSER mobile streamlines traditional, labor-intensive operations such as manual data entry, paperwork, and direct telephone communications, which are error-prone and time-consuming. The service incorporates AI-powered voice command input, allowing emergency personnel to input patient data hands-free using voice recognition algorithms that accurately interpret medical terminology, even in noisy environments, while AI-powered image analysis processes images of medical documents. Employing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and advanced image processing allows NSER mobile to quickly extract essential data, speeding up the conversion of visual information into digital formats and reducing the need for phone confirmations with hospitals.

The impact of the NSER mobile service is notable, particularly in Kamakura, Japan, where it reduced average telephone communication time with hospitals from 3 minutes and 30 seconds to 2 minutes and 44 seconds, doubling the target time achievement ratio.

Overall, TXP Medical’s NSER mobile service not only boosts the operational efficiency of emergency medical teams but also improves patient care quality. It showcases AI’s potential to transform emergency medical services by optimizing critical processes and easing the workload on healthcare providers.

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DENSO enhances robot’s understanding with generative AI

DENSO Corporation, a leading automotive parts manufacturer in Japan, is leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to develop advanced autonomous robots capable of human-like interaction. Designed to understand and execute tasks based on verbal instructions, DENSO faced numerous challenges, including the robots’ ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances as well as managing the complexity of programming, ensuring operational accuracy, and integrating advanced AI technologies into practical robotic applications. These challenges were compounded by the need to create user-friendly interactions that allowed non-technical users to easily operate and instruct the robots based on simple verbal commands.

Advanced generative AI powered by Azure OpenAI Service addressed these challenges by enhancing the robots’ ability to understand and process complex verbal instructions for greater adaptability and functionality. The service improved operational accuracy through features that allowed for precise action selection based on input text, simplifying the programming process and making the technology accessible to non-technical users. Additionally, Azure’s cloud-based infrastructure facilitated scalability and flexibility in deployment, and streamlined the development processes, reducing complexity and boosting efficiency across various applications.

In addition, GitHub Copilot significantly enhanced DENSO’s development process by quickly generating and testing new robotic functions, thus reducing costs and accelerating capability expansion. This tool streamlined code generation and debugging, improving productivity and easing the learning curve for new developers.

Takeshi Narisako, Executive Officer of Cloud Service Development Department at DENSO, views the project as “a good start to research and development to create social value through the use of generative AI.” Looking forward, the company will invest in ongoing collaboration with various organizations, including Microsoft, to harness technological and operational strengths, furthering the development of AI-powered robotics and enriching society through human-robot interactions.

Mitsubishi Corporation leverages Azure OpenAI Service for customer GPT

Mitsubishi Corporation, one of Japan’s leading trade, investment, and management companies, is using generative AI to streamline text operations and support better investment and management decisions. Having explored AI from various vendors since 2015, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the company’s IT Services Department opted for Azure OpenAI Service to further the development of its custom generative AI application, MC-GPT, emphasizing security and comprehensive features.

“First of all, Azure itself is largest global service with the ability to handle a variety of languages including Japanese and English and operates securely at a high speed,” explained Hidenori Kurashima, team leader of the Process Transformation Promotion Team of Mitsubishi Corporation’s IT Services Department. “In fact, in the area of generative AI, Microsoft is ahead of the competition. On the other hand, peripheral tools such as Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Synapse Analytics are also available, making it easy to integrate with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel that we use in our daily work.”

Within two months of adoption, the company had created and evaluated two prototype applications internally. In collaboration with partner Knowledge Communication Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi established a robust environment for deploying Azure OpenAI Service extensively, integrating it with additional Azure services like Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Synapse Analytics for superior data handling and user interface development.

The prototypes generated interest from 12 different departments, prompting the company to create a customized AI engine using its internal data to address both overlapping needs and department-specific requirements. Looking forward, Mitsubishi plans to harness Microsoft’s extensive AI offerings, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, to further streamline business processes, boost operational efficiency, and enhance decision-making in investments and management.

AI for everyone in Japan

These stories illustrate the substantial progress Japanese companies are making in integrating AI across sectors and highlight Japan’s collective commitment to reinforcing its position as a global leader in innovation.

Microsoft’s extensive investment and strategic initiatives underscore the robust foundation being laid for cutting-edge technological advancements and AI integration, focusing on enhancements in digital skilling, cybersecurity, and AI-powered automation that supports economic growth and fosters an environment where technology enhances human creativity and operational efficiency.

We hope these narratives have not only informed but also inspired you to explore how AI can revolutionize your own fields of interest or business. As we conclude our series, we encourage you to take the next steps in your AI journey, leveraging the insights and innovations shared to ignite transformative projects in your own organization.

Take the next step in your AI journey by exploring Microsoft’s AI solutions, diving into our insightful white paper on the five pillars of AI success, and getting skilled up with Microsoft Learn’s AI learning hub to ensure you’re ready to leverage Microsoft AI to its fullest potential.

Footnote

¹New Salesforce Report Reveals How Asia Pacific AI Readiness Will Impact Deployment of Generative AI, Salesforce.

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