AI 365: Looking back at the year of AI

It’s been just over a year since the world came face to face with Generative AI. Since then, its impact has been profound—reshaping and creating models, changing the way we work, learn and interact with the world around us, and ultimately redefining our relationship with technology.

2023 will be remembered as the year of AI, but 2024 stands to be much more exciting, as the world comes to see AI’s transformative power in enhancing productivity, advancing healthcare, improving cybersecurity and fueling scientific breakthroughs.

Microsoft is leading the AI revolution, and as we look ahead, the most critical opportunities, priorities and imperatives have become clear.

AI for Industries

AI is reshaping how businesses operate and expand. It’s used across more industries than ever, and generative AI alone projected to add almost $10 trillion to global GDP over the next decade. But it’s not just about economics and tech—it’s about empowering organizations to achieve more with less, innovate quickly, and keep up with changing customer needs and markets.

Here in the Philippines, adoption and interest have been significant across the board, and we’re engaged in conversations with customers from every industry. But the most immediate progress and innovation we’ve seen so far is within our Banking and Financial Services Industry.

Among the earliest adopters in both Asia and the country are institutions such as Security Bank and ATR Asset Management Group (ATRAM). With them, we’re working to develop intelligent solutions that bring groundbreaking capabilities first to their employees and eventually to their customers.

AI is fast becoming a crucial aspect of modern business, boosting profits through predictive analytics and personalizing customer experiences. According to a study we commissioned with IDC, organizations see an average 3.5x return for every US Dollar they spend on AI within 14 months—some even see as much as 8x. This fuels innovation and enables companies to identify trends, seize new opportunities, and stay ahead of the curve. As we delve deeper into AI, the potential for growth is quite literally boundless.

AI for the People

We envision a world where everyone has access to AI and everything the technology has to offer—a world where everyone has access to their own AI copilot. Last year, we introduced hundreds of new updates and solutions that harness the power of AI and today the entire Microsoft experience and stack is AI-powered, starting with the productivity tools hundreds of millions of people worldwide use everyday: Microsoft 365.

Applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and even our browser Microsoft Edge, are now infused with large language models to help enhance creativity, productivity and remove us from the hours of drudgework that keep us from being innovative.

In our commitment to empowering organizations, we’ve introduced toolchains that allow them to build custom solutions. Take Copilot Studio, for example. It’s a low-code tool that allows customization of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and the creation of standalone Copilots. Then there’s Azure OpenAI Service, which gives developers access to some serious AI firepower, making it easier for them to whip up cutting-edge solutions. With these tools, organizations can maximize impact by creating applications specifically for their needs.

From there, we focused on role-based solutions. We’ve fine-tuned these to fit specific jobs and industries, aiming to supercharge productivity. There’s Microsoft Copilot for Finance that transforms finance operations with AI-driven insights and process optimization, Microsoft Security Copilot, the industry’s first generative AI solution that will help security and IT professionals move with greater speed, efficiency and collaboration, stacking odds in their favor against threats and Microsoft Copilot for Sales which extends support for customer service and sales teams.

Our AI innovations go beyond just technology. We’re taking a holistic approach to meet the diverse needs of businesses and individuals. By using AI to enhance human abilities, we’re helping organizations unlock new levels of creativity, productivity, and innovation.

AI for the Future

AI is here to stay, and we all need to adapt. Every day, people from all over the world deal with the questions and hurdles that AI brings. To help guide and focus their efforts, we provide three key imperatives: Amplify Human Ingenuity, Build your AI Compatibility, Be Responsible by Design.

First, AI is a tool—the greatest tool we’ve ever created—that can enhance human capacity and innovation in truly unprecedented ways. More importantly, it’s a tool we can all use and doing so empowers us to achieve more. Infuse AI into supply chains and workstreams today to unlock new opportunities for the future.

Second, everyone needs AI skills.

Harnessing AI is the skill of the future, as shown by our Work Trend Index 2023. We’re all going to need it. Investing in AI skills enables organizations to unlock its full potential, driving growth and maintaining competitiveness. That’s why we’re committed to helping individuals and businesses learn to use AI effectively through training and partnerships.

Lastly, it is imperative to be ethical and responsible from the onset, and with every step thereafter.

At Microsoft, we believe in doing AI right from the start, imposing a framework of governance every step of the way. Being responsible with AI is a big deal for us, and we’re setting the standard in the industry. We’re not just talking about it; we’re making it happen by working with policymakers and decision-makers. We make sure our AI tools, like Copilot, follow the rules too, so you won’t accidentally create anything harmful. We’re so serious about this that we even have a special commitment to copyright protection. It’s all about having the right rules in place, and that’s why we’re working hard to make sure everyone can use AI safely and responsibly.

It’s such an exciting time and we see immense potential for AI in the Philippines. Beyond our capacity to successfully harness this incredible tool, we believe firmly that we can lead the way in AI innovation and impact, leveraging our unique strengths and resources to establish ourselves as a global center of excellence. The time to act is now. Together, we can lead the AI revolution.