Microsoft has launched a localized version of its popular teamwork app Microsoft Teams in China to cater to the surging demand for more efficient work apps. The software giant has also started to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to reshape productivity tools and accelerate the digital transformation of various industries in China. The localized Teams service is operated by Microsoft’s Chinese cloud computing partner, 21Vianet Group, and provides a comprehensive service experience and technical support.
Roan Kang, chief operating officer of Microsoft Greater China, has stated that Teams can improve communication efficiency at Chinese companies that go global and multinationals that aim to better serve the Chinese market. He further added that enterprises demand not just digital tools but also a “digital hub” that ensures innovation is comprehensive through higher quality, efficiency, security, and intelligence. Microsoft 365, a platform for communication, collaboration, and intelligent productivity built around Teams, is increasingly serving as an “organizational digital hub” in a growing number of businesses, he said.
In March, Microsoft launched AI-powered Copilot for its Microsoft 365 apps and services, designed to assist people in generating documents, emails, presentations, and much more. Copilot is powered by GPT-4, the latest large language model developed by the US-based AI research company OpenAI. GPT, which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a deep learning technology that uses artificial neural networks. Sitting alongside Microsoft 365 apps much like an assistant, Copilot appears in the sidebar as a chatbot that allows users to summon it to generate text in documents, create PowerPoint presentations based on Word documents, or even help with Excel tablets.
China Galaxy Securities noted that Copilot is expected to fuel the combination of AI-generated content and office software applications, which will profoundly reshape how people work. An increasing number of Chinese manufacturers are stepping up efforts to embrace digital technologies such as cloud computing and AI to innovate their operations, said Kitty Fok, managing director of market research company International Data Corp China.
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