Five Straightforward Methods to Integrate Generative AI in your Workplace
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, one tool is making waves among faculty and staff at our university: Microsoft Copilot. This AI assistant, embedded within daily Microsoft 365 applications, promises to streamline administrative work, boost communication efficiency, and support teaching, all while improving collaboration.
At a recent Information Technology Services (ITS) Summer Series session, Shannon Glennon, Technology Transformation Specialist, shared tips and use cases for incorporating generative AI tools into day-to-day workflows.
One of the key practical applications of Microsoft Copilot is automating responses to common IT or HR questions via internal help desk bots built with Copilot Studio. This feature can handle tasks such as resetting passwords and explaining PTO policies, freeing up valuable time for more pressing matters.
Another useful feature is the ability to summarize lengthy documents, email threads, or meeting notes, enabling users to quickly grasp key points without exhaustive reading. This is particularly beneficial for research papers, academic articles, policies, and reports.
Microsoft Copilot can also draft and improve communications such as emails, reports, or presentations, offering AI suggestions for style, tone, and content generation. This feature can save significant time on administrative tasks, enabling faculty and staff to focus more on teaching, research, or student engagement.
The session also demonstrated the creation of blended AI agents that combine several tasks, such as answering questions and automating department workflows. For faculty, specific applications include lesson preparation, integrating values or customized content for classrooms, and using AI companions to personalize student learning experiences.
To make the most of these tools, the session offered some practical tips. Start with simple, well-defined tasks to realize quick benefits without complex setup, such as automating FAQs or meeting summaries. Learn to craft effective prompts or questions for Copilot to generate useful and accurate outputs, and always review AI-generated content critically.
Combining AI with existing data sources, such as SharePoint, PDFs, and email, can build rich knowledge bases for Copilot to access when assisting users. Customizing responses to align with organizational tone, culture, or specific faculty needs can enhance relevance and user trust.
Using Copilot for automating routine clerical work can free faculty and staff mental bandwidth for creative and strategic work, improving job satisfaction and work-life balance.
Microsoft Copilot can also save time by creating documents and presentations quickly, or by summarizing meeting transcripts into Word documents for future reference. It can generate custom visuals for presentations or social media posts with no design skills required.
With a Microsoft Copilot Work license, the tool can check Outlook calendars, propose time slots for meetings, and send invites. It can also generate PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, Excel sheets, Microsoft Forms, and more.
However, it's important to remember that AI is not infallible. It can return incorrect information and occasionally hallucinate, so it's crucial to always check its work.
To use AI tools and platforms on University-owned data, log in using syr.edu or g.syr.edu credentials on University-approved AI tools and platforms.
In conclusion, Microsoft Copilot presents itself as a practical, user-friendly AI assistant that can be customized to streamline administrative work, boost communication efficiency, support teaching, and improve collaboration for faculty and staff. It's not just a trend; it's a tool, and its usefulness depends on how it is used.
Don't forget to subscribe to the AI Insights newsletter for periodic tips, demos, and updates about Microsoft Copilot and other AI tools that can transform your worklife. And don't miss out on the opportunity to attend or watch recordings of upcoming ITS Summer Series sessions, such as the one on Aug. 12: Orange Access: Modernizing Identity Management.
Artificial-intelligence incorporated into Microsoft Copilot is being utilized to automate responses to common IT or HR questions, freeing up time for faculty and staff to focus on other tasks. This technology is also employed to summarize lengthy documents, email threads, or meeting notes, enabling users to quickly grasp key points.
