Microsoft’s Latest Updates: Copilot and Windows 11 Expands

Artificial Intelligence and smarter digital tools continue to transform how we work, create, and collaborate. Microsoft’s latest wave of updates showcases how Copilot is embedding itself deeper into daily workflows, how classic apps like Paint are being revitalised with modern creative power, and how Windows 11 is becoming more customisable than ever before.

Key Takeaways

  • Copilot expands across Teams with dedicated AI agents for meetings, channels, and Viva Engage communities.
  • Copilot Chat arrives in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, powered by GPT-5 for smarter reasoning and faster answers.
  • Windows Paint evolves with project files, opacity controls, and AI-assisted features that rival professional editors.
  • Windows 11 gains video wallpapers, bringing back DreamScene-like customisation with modern performance.

 

Copilot AI Takes Over Teams

Facilitator: The Meeting Assistant

Microsoft Teams is becoming a smarter workspace thanks to Facilitator, a dedicated AI agent that actively participates in meetings. Unlike basic transcription tools, Facilitator:

  • Creates agendas automatically from invites (or from the opening discussion if no invite exists).
  • Takes real-time notes that all participants can edit collaboratively.
  • Assigns tasks during meetings, ensuring nothing is forgotten.
  • Captures spontaneous discussions, even from mobile devices during hallway chats.

This transforms meetings into actionable sessions where the outcomes are tracked and shared automatically, helping teams move from discussion to execution faster.

Smarter Collaboration in Channels 

Teams channels are also getting AI-powered agents. These agents act like digital project managers:

  • Generating status reports from conversations, meetings, and shared documents.
  • Answering questions based on a channel’s history and linked resources.
  • Searching across messages, threads, and plans to find the right information instantly.

Instead of scrolling through endless messages, employees can now ask the channel agent directly for what they need.

Building Community in Viva Engage 

Within Viva Engage, Microsoft’s workplace social network, agents help community admins keep engagement active without constant manual effort. They can:

  • Answer common questions from employees.
  • Post announcements automatically.
  • Learn from interactions to improve over time.

This ensures communities stay lively and informative, without taking too much time away from admins’ other priorities.

 

Copilot Chat Across Microsoft 365 Apps 

A Personal Assistant in Every App

Copilot Chat is now built directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. With just a click on the Copilot icon, users get access to:

  • Content-aware AI assistance that understands the document, spreadsheet, or presentation you’re working on.
  • File referencing shortcuts — simply type “/” to search for and include other files without uploading them.
  • Multi-image uploads for richer conversations and visual content creation.

This integration means AI is no longer an external add-on, it’s embedded into the very tools professionals use every day.

Powered by GPT-5

Behind the scenes, Copilot Chat now runs on GPT-5, Microsoft’s latest step toward more advanced reasoning and analysis. This gives users access to:

  • Researcher and Analyst agents, designed to dive deeper into data, trends, and ideas.
  • Richer conversations that move beyond single commands into multi-step reasoning.

For businesses, this means Copilot isn’t just a content generator, it’s a thought partner that helps explore strategies and decisions.

Find out more about Copilot here.

 

Creativity Boosts: Windows Paint Evolves

Project Files and Layers

Paint is about to get a serious upgrade. Soon, you’ll be able to save your work as .paint project files, preserving all layers and edits, much like Photoshop’s PSD format. That means you can close a project and come back later to continue editing without losing progress.

For small businesses, educators, or teams needing quick, low-cost visual editing, this upcoming feature could make Paint a much more practical alternative to costly design tools.

New Opacity Controls

Another enhancement arriving soon is an opacity slider for the Pencil and Brush tools. This gives creators more control over transparency, shading, and blending, opening the door to more polished, professional-looking results inside Paint.

Beyond Paint: Snipping Tool and Notepad Upgrades

It’s not just Paint getting smarter. Microsoft is also preparing updates to other built-in apps:

  • Snipping Tool: Will let you mark up and edit screenshots before saving, a big win for tutorials, quick design feedback, or training material.
  • Notepad: On Copilot+ PCs, Notepad will gain AI-powered skills like Summarise, Write, and Rewrite.

Together, these upcoming updates show Microsoft’s commitment to making even its simplest apps more powerful, flexible, and AI-ready.

 

Why These Updates Matter for Businesses

Productivity Gains with AI Agents

By embedding Copilot across Teams and Office apps, Microsoft is giving organisations new ways to reduce administrative overhead. Instead of spending hours writing notes, creating reports, or digging for files, employees can lean on AI to handle these repetitive tasks.

Creativity Without Costly Tools

The updates to Paint, Notepad, and Snipping Tool mean that businesses don’t need to invest in extra design software for basic but important visual tasks. For small and mid-sized enterprises, this reduces software costs while still giving teams creative capabilities.

 

FAQ 

Q: Do I need a Copilot license to use these features?

Basic Copilot Chat is included for Microsoft 365 business accounts, but advanced features like cross-file search and specialised agents require a Copilot license.

Q: How do Teams agents improve productivity?

Teams agents take notes, create agendas, assign tasks, and generate reports automatically. This means employees spend less time on admin and more time on collaboration.

Q: Are Paint’s new features available to everyone?

Currently, .paint project files and opacity sliders are rolling out to Windows 11 Insider builds. A wider release is expected soon.

Q: Will video wallpapers slow down my computer?

Video wallpapers do use more resources than static images, but Microsoft has optimised the feature to balance performance and visuals. On modern PCs, the impact should be minimal.

Q: What’s next for Copilot?

With GPT-5 integration and AI agents across Teams, expect Copilot to continue expanding into more apps and business processes, becoming an always-present digital colleague.

 

Find out how you can take advantage of these updates. Contact us today.