Easy Methods to Integrate advanced Artificial Intelligence in Daily Office Tasks
Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool, is revolutionizing the way faculty and staff manage their daily tasks. This innovative technology can assist with drafting professional emails, scheduling meetings, creating documents and presentations, and even grading assignments [1][2][4].
The tool, as discussed in the ITS Summer Series session and related sources, offers a multitude of benefits. It automates routine tasks such as scheduling, grading, email drafting, summarizing documents, and transcribing meetings, freeing up time for more creative and strategic work [1]. Microsoft Copilot adapts responses to individual student data, improving administrative workflows through real-time insights into academic metrics and student progress [1]. It also supports decision-making with analytics on learning outcomes [1].
Moreover, Microsoft Copilot enhances collaboration and productivity by integrating AI assistance across Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. This integration allows users to generate content, analyse information, and automate repetitive tasks within familiar tools [2][4]. Users report saving 1–2 hours daily, enabling focus on teaching, team development, and higher-impact priorities, indicating significant workflow transformation in educational and administrative contexts [2][3].
AI is not without its limitations, however. It's important to remember that it's still prone to returning incorrect information and hallucinating occasionally [2]. Therefore, it's crucial to check the work of AI to ensure its accuracy.
In addition to Microsoft Copilot, AI can also summarize long texts such as research papers, academic articles, policies, and reports into concise, digestible summaries. It can even generate custom visuals for presentations or social media posts without requiring design skills [2].
To make the most of AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, Shannon Glennon, Technology Transformation Specialist, suggests using past emails to help AI tools learn your tone and style. With a Microsoft Copilot Work license, the tool can check Outlook calendars, propose time slots, and send meeting invites [2].
To learn more about Microsoft Copilot and other AI tools, consider subscribing to the AI Insights newsletter for periodic tips, demos, and updates [3]. You can also register for an upcoming training session, such as the one on Orange Access: Modernizing Identity Management on Aug. 12 [5].
When working with University-owned data, remember to log in to University-approved AI tools and platforms using syr.edu or g.syr.edu credentials [6].
Sources:
[1] ITS Summer Series Session: https://www.syr.edu/academic-affairs/its/events/summer-series [2] Shannon Glennon, Technology Transformation Specialist: https://www.syr.edu/academic-affairs/its/people/shannon-glennon [3] AI Insights Newsletter: https://www.syr.edu/academic-affairs/its/ai-insights [4] Microsoft Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot [5] Orange Access: Modernizing Identity Management: https://www.syr.edu/academic-affairs/its/events/orange-access-modernizing-identity-management [6] University-approved AI tools and platforms: https://www.syr.edu/academic-affairs/its/ai-tools-and-platforms
The Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool, not only assists faculty and staff with various tasks such as email drafting, scheduling, grading, and document creation, but it also integrates AI assistance across Microsoft 365 apps, enhancing productivity and collaboration [1][2][4]. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can be utilized to summarize long texts into concise summaries and generate custom visuals [2].
