Developers at Microsoft are rumored to be looking at new ways to incorporate GPT AI technology into many of its Microsoft Office applications.
According to a new report by The Information, the company is experimenting with placing language technology adapted from OpenAI into its Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook apps. A version of the program has already been included in Word’s auto-complete feature, which is based on a text-generating GPT model.
In examining the effects such a program could have on Outlook, insiders say that the company would utilize it to mitigate the necessity for customers to use keyword searches when trying to find specific messages in their email accounts.
AI functionality could further optimize Outlook by recommending replies to emails and even help Word users improve their prose. Thus far, there has been no confirmation on if Microsoft will actually implement these changes into the applications or if they are merely experimenting with the technology.
Microsoft’s adoption of OpenAI’s program would be a major game-changer for those who use these apps. In a similar vein to the highly successful ChatGPT, which is also an OpenAI product, users of Microsoft apps could complete complicated tasks, such as writing a work email, with a few simple words typed into the interface.
The company is also considering using transcripts from Microsoft Teams to augment the new software. In terms of PowerPoint, Microsoft is experimenting with utilizing Dall-E 2, another AI program developed by OpenAI, to place photographs into slideshows.
The Information’s reporting comes following rumors that Microsoft is planning to implement ChatGPT in a new version of Bing that will be released later this winter. While a far cry from the more ambitious plans that Microsoft has for Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, rumors persist that this version of the search engine would optimize user searches and is intended to make Bing more competitive with Google.
Although ideal for search engine functionality, experts warn that implementing ChatGPT into Microsoft’s more intricate applications is fraught with difficulties. Among the primary concerns of adapting AI technology into these programs is privacy.
Specifically, software developers would have to balance customizing the technology to meet an individual user’s needs while nevertheless protecting the personal information of customers. In this regard, features of GPT-3 and GPT-4, which is still in the development stage, are being looked at as bulwarks for customer privacy.
An additional problem associated with the technology is ChatGPT presenting inaccuracies as fact. This would be especially harmful in the crafting of business and professional documents, where the correct information is of critical importance.
While the implementation of these new AI programs might be seen as a major breakthrough for Microsoft’s productivity apps, the company has used variations of this technology in its applications for several years. Microsoft Editor, for example, has been used on Word to help users with spelling and grammar.
AI algorithms can also be implemented on PowerPoint presentations to suggest images, while Microsoft Teams uses the technology to improve acoustics and minimize interruptions. Additionally, for the past four years, Microsoft has worked closely with OpenAI, expanding its relationship with the burgeoning tech giant. The company invested a billion dollars in OpenAI in 2019 and bought the technology used to create GPT-3 in 2020.
During a press conference at CES 2023 last week, Windows and Surface chief developer Panos Panay hailed the increasing prominence of AI in Microsoft products, saying that it is reinventing how people use Windows.
Developers behind the Surface have also told of efforts to customize hardware on new versions of the Microsoft Surface to make use of AI technology. Among the most prominent examples of this is the new Surface camera, which includes features like reframing pictures and facial detection.
In all, industry forecasters say that Microsoft’s inclusion of GPT enhancements in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook would serve to commercialize the technology for the next several years.
Specifically, GPT technology in Microsoft products would behoove Google to implement the tool in its own programs, namely in its search engine and Workspace productivity apps.
