Cram for your next meeting with Microsoft’s new Copilot feature in Outlook, AI-Powered ‘Meeting Prep’ – techAU

Microsoft’s Copilot AI is being embedded across their product portfolio and each month we see new Copilot features added, enhancing the value to those who subscribe.

This month, Microsoft has announced a new feature in Outlook called ‘Meeting Prep’. This is designed to address a challenge many of us have, when going from meeting to meeting and you’re short on time, you may need a little AI help to get ready before jumping on the next teams call, or walking into the next meeting room.

Microsoft will start rolling out this feature in December and Outlook users will see a new button appear in the Outlook UI. When you press the button, Copilot will assist you in preparing for upcoming meetings, right from your Outlook inbox.

This is designed to eliminate the typing pre-meeting workflow of searching through previous emails with the organiser to see the minutes from the last meeting, tracking down action items and generally coming up to speed with any to-do items, or background reading, important for the next meeting.

Copilot transforms your meeting prep

• Instant “Prepare” button: When you have an upcoming meeting, Outlook will display a prominent “Prepare” button at the top of your inbox. One click and Copilot springs into action.
• AI-Generated Agenda Summaries: Copilot intelligently analyzes your emails and related documents to generate a concise meeting agenda summary. This helps you grasp the key topics and objectives at a glance.
• Relevant Files at Your Fingertips: No more digging through folders! Copilot automatically identifies and summarizes relevant files, ensuring you have all the necessary information readily available.

Microsoft imagines the feature working like this.

You have a meeting with a potential client. Instead of wasting precious time searching for their proposal and past email exchanges, Copilot presents you with a neatly summarized agenda and all the relevant documents. You walk into the meeting feeling confident and prepared, ready to impress.

This upcoming feature will be an important asset for those Outlook users who have a Copilot license, and targets busy professionals, allowing them to reclaim valuable time and reduce pre-meeting stress.

While many of us wish this feature was available today, it is scheduled to roll out in December 2024, for both the web version and the new Outlook experience (sorry old Outlook users, may be time to upgrade).

Keep an eye out for updates from Microsoft and to read more about other upcoming features, head to Microsoft.com.