Microsoft Taps AI Agents to Transform Scientific Discovery

At the Build 2025 conference, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Discovery platform, which uses AI agents to ”transform the scientific discovery process.” The platform is ”scalable” and can handle certain scientific tasks ”from start to finish.” It will help accelerate research and transform the research process through artificial intelligence, the corporation claims. ”The platform enables scientists and researchers to collaborate with a team of specialized AI agents to help deliver scientific results with speed, scale and accuracy using the latest innovations in AI and supercomputing,” the announcement said. The company emphasizes the importance of creating a unified platform on which artificial intelligence can span both scientific disciplines and the cognitive processes involved in managing scientific thinking. To form such an interaction, AI agents must be able to: Reason on the basis of a complex and contextual graph that integrates all knowledge sources; Specialize in different fields and tasks; Learn from the results and adapt the entire research strategy accordingly. Discovery is built on Microsoft Azure. The company said it has partnered with a number of customers for collaborative innovation in different areas like energy, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and chemistry. Microsoft has trained Copilot to ”see” the screen and help with app settings Microsoft has started testing the Copilot update for Windows, which allows AI to analyze the image on the screen and give hints regarding the functionality of different applications. This is reported by The Verge. For example, Copilot Vision can help with basic Adobe Photoshop functions or analyze photos and web pages you visit. In one example, the AI assistant helped with the game Minecraft and optimizing settings in the Clipchamp video editor. Copilot is able to highlight parts of the screen to guide the user as they work through applications. ”Copilot Vision may seem similar to Microsoft’s Recall feature, which automatically takes snapshots if you allow it, but it’s actually more like sharing an app’s screen or the entire desktop in Microsoft Teams,” the publication emphasized. Microsoft has also begun testing Copilot’s file search feature on Windows, for example, by document text. Both only require the Copilot app on Windows, not a full-fledged Copilot Plus computer. The test has kicked off in the Windows Insiders program, and will begin rolling out to Windows 11 users in a few weeks or months. In October 2024, Microsoft presented an updated version of its Copilot AI assistant with voice mode and on-screen image understanding. Later, the corporation announced the addition of two ”reasoning” AI agents to Microsoft 365 Copilot to analyze large amounts of information and provide highly skilled expertise. Xbox unveils gaming AI assistant Xbox has announced Copilot for Gaming, an artificial intelligence-driven assistant that will be a ”personal gaming companion.” This was revealed on the podcast by the firm’s vice president of gaming AI, Fatima Kardar. A digital assistant can help you learn skills faster in your favorite game, connect with friends, or find new activities. ”Games are the only form of entertainment where you can get stuck. And that’s where you want something to come in that says, ‘Let’s help you get past this,’” Kardar noted. When interacting with Copilot for Gaming, the player is in control of the situation, deciding when they need the assistant’s help. The tool saves time on secondary tasks like searching, downloading, and updating. One of the future functions of the new tool is game assistance. The AI will be able to give advice on a specific situation and help overcome difficulties to improve gameplay. Copilot for Gaming helps in the strategy game Age of Empires IV. Data: Xbox. ”It’s not just about having AI come to your rescue, it’s about having it show up at the right moment. We do have to think about the experience we’ve created, but it doesn’t have to be intrusive,” Kardar elaborated. Copilot for Gaming will first appear on mobile platforms. Members of the Xbox Insider program will be able to try the tool first.

Source: Coinpaper