Office management edition
This week: Copilot is going to plan tasks across your apps by itself, Outlook is getting help with emails and meetings, and the first AI rules are now genuinely in force.
Copilot becomes a planner that carries out work across multiple apps
What was once a chat window is becoming an assistant that takes independent steps in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. For you as the person holding everything together, this changes the admin work, but control stays with you.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is shifting this month from question and answer to what Microsoft calls an orchestration system. That means Copilot can break a task into steps and carry out those steps itself across multiple Microsoft 365 apps. From a single instruction, it can produce a complete document, a spreadsheet, or a presentation, including formatting and charts. A central Copilot Tasks space is also coming, where all those tasks are gathered in one place, plus an AI that watches what is happening on your screen.
Background for subscribersCopilot can now carry out tasks across multiple apps, such as setting up a document or spreadsheet from a single instruction. In Outlook, it helps with the tone of your emails and the preparation of meetings. At the same time, new rules have applied since August 2026: chatbots must identify themselves as AI, AI content must be marked, and employers must train employees who work with AI. And phishing emails are now almost impossible to spot by their language alone, thanks to AI. That means: trust your process when a request seems suspicious, map out where your office uses AI, and discuss with your administrator what agreements are in place for sensitive data.
Copilot in Outlook: coaching on your emails and help with meeting preparation
Copilot in Outlook is getting two features that fit your daily work. Email coaching gives feedback on the tone and content of a draft email. Meeting preparation brings together the relevant documents and context in advance, so you no longer have to look them up yourself.
Background for subscribersThis is a taster.
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