Microsoft is pushing its Bing Intelligent Services (BIS) deeper into its Office product suite as the company strives to establish itself as a leader in artificial intelligence. According to Microsoft, it plans to incorporate its BIS into Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook over the next few months. Microsoft has already introduced several features powered by its BIS, including an AI-powered outline tool in Word and AI-powered object recognition in PowerPoint.
The idea behind introducing the BIS into Office is to make it easier for users to leverage the AI that powers Bing in their day to day tasks within Office. This would include tasks such as quickly translating copy into other languages within Word, highlighting potential issues with grammar and word choice, as well as providing comprehensive search results to user queries within Outlook. Microsoft believes that integrating these tools into Office will not only make the user experience more efficient but will also promote the company’s overall AI strategy as a whole.
The introduction of these tools and solutions comes on the heels of Microsoft’s stated commitment to expanding its AI service offerings. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to roll out an AI assistant for Office applications, codenamed “Project Cortex”, later this year. This assistant will be able to read documents and recognize the context of questions asked by users. Microsoft also recently released its “Project Brainwave,” a cloud-based AI platform that will enable developers to quickly and easily create AI solutions.
By pushing its Bing Intelligent Services deeper into Office, Microsoft is also making a play to compete more directly with other platforms such as Google’s G Suite and Apple’s iWork. Microsoft believes that with its Bing Intelligent Services, it can offer users a superior experience and superior results compared to these competitors.
Ultimately, Microsoft is continuing its ongoing initiative of integrating AI into every aspect of its business. With the introduction of its Bing Intelligent Services into Office, it is clear that the company is serious about its AI strategy and will continue to push the technology into their products and services.
