News from the AI & ML world

DeeperML

@www.microsoft.com //
Microsoft is pushing forward on multiple fronts to enhance its AI offerings, particularly within the Copilot ecosystem. Recent updates include the testing of new voices, "Birch" and "Rain," alongside a sneak peek at a fourth avatar, "Ellie," for the assistant. These additions aim to personalize the Copilot experience across Windows, web, and mobile platforms, giving it a clearer identity without fundamentally altering its core language model with each update. The new avatar, Ellie, is currently under development, and while only its background is loading, the animated figure is absent, hinting at a release window that is still undefined. These incremental avatar and voice additions are part of a broader strategy to give Copilot a clearer personality.

Microsoft's Semantic Telemetry Project is revealing insights into user engagement with AI. The data shows a strong correlation between the complexity and professional nature of tasks undertaken with AI and the likelihood of continued and increased usage. Individuals employing AI for more technical, complex, and professional tasks are more inclined to continue using the tool and to interact with it more frequently. Novice AI users tend to start with simpler tasks, but the complexity of their engagement increases over time. However, more expert users are satisfied with AI responses only where AI expertise is on par with their own expertise on the topic, while novice users had low satisfaction rates regardless of AI expertise.

Furthermore, Microsoft is tackling AI model efficiency with the development of BitNet b1.58 2B4T, a 1-bit large language model (LLM) featuring two billion parameters. This model is designed to run efficiently on CPUs, even an Apple M2 chip. BitNet achieves this efficiency through its 1.58-bit weights, using only three possible values (-1, 0, and +1), significantly reducing memory requirements and computational power compared to traditional models. While BitNet’s simplicity makes it less accurate compared to larger AI models, it compensates with a massive training dataset. The model is readily available on Hugging Face, allowing experimentation with it.
Original img attribution: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Frame-4-1.png
ImgSrc: www.microsoft.c

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References :
  • Microsoft Copilot Blog: Release Notes: April 16, 2025
  • THE DECODER: BitNet: Microsoft shows how to put AI models on a diet
  • www.microsoft.com: Semantic Telemetry Project data show that people who use AI for more professional and complex tasks are more likely to keep using the tool and to use it more often. Novice AI users engage in simpler tasks, but their usage is becoming more complex.
  • www.artificiallawyer.com: Judicial office holders in the UK are being encouraged to make use of Microsoft’s ‘Copilot Chat’ genAI capability via their inhouse eJudiciary platform.
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