I and 125 fellow Western MBA alumni attended the Artificial Intelligence (AI) session at Deloitte’s last night in Downtown Toronto.  The key topic was the rapid advancement of AI in our daily lives.  What was most surprising was that > 50% Canadians are not at all aware of these rapid changes.  The main message from the panel of 5 hosts was that AI is in its early days.

As a Microsoft implementer of Copilot, this was never mentioned, even though it is the most commonly used AI after Chat GPT and will become # 1 soon.  Why?? – Copilot is heavily integrated into Office 365 now (the most commonly used software in the world today) and Microsoft is devoting $13 Billion in R&D for Copilot this year, a huge sum!

Vox uses Copilot daily, the expected benefit is a 19% reduction in effort, per US Government studies.  Well worth the time to learn.

Exploring the Future of Automotive Innovation with Microsoft Copilot: A Seminar Recap

On March 19th, 2024, the Ciociaro Club in Oldcastle, Ontario, became the focal point for a groundbreaking seminar that illuminated the path for the future of the automobile industry in the Windsor-Essex region. The event, meticulously organized and held from 1:30 to 3:30 PM, delved into how Microsoft’s cutting-edge AI technology, Copilot, is set to revolutionize the automotive sector. The seminar was not just an ordinary gathering; it was a beacon of innovation, showcasing the strides Microsoft is making towards enhancing productivity, creativity, and innovation within the automotive industry through Copilot.

The Essence of Microsoft Copilot in the Automotive Sphere

The seminar kicked off with an enlightening introduction, setting the stage for what was to unfold. The primary objective was crystal clear: to showcase the myriad benefits of Microsoft technology, especially Copilot, for the automotive industry. Attendees were given a comprehensive overview of where to begin and how to effectively implement Copilot to streamline operations, optimize processes, and elevate customer relationships.

Demonstrations and Insights

The heart of the seminar was rich with demonstrations and insightful sessions on Copilot’s capabilities integrated into select Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. These demonstrations were not just theoretical but provided practical insights into how Copilot can assist manufacturers in finding better solutions, creating superior content, and working in a more efficient and smarter manner.

Furthermore, the seminar spotlighted Business Central ERP and Dynamics 365, offering a deep dive into their features, benefits, and the new releases from Wave 1 2024. Through detailed walkthroughs, the attendees could see firsthand how these solutions bolster every business function – from sales and service to finance, operations, and marketing. The emphasis was on demonstrating how automation companies can leverage the power of Microsoft software, with a special focus on the year 2024.

Celebrating Local Achievements and Future Prospects

A notable highlight of the event was the speech from Invest Windsor Essex, which underscored Windsor’s burgeoning role as a hub for technological advancements and innovation. Adding to the celebratory atmosphere were the accolades awarded to Vox ISM – the 2023 Reseller Choice Awards for 50 Best Managed IT companies and CIO Review’s recognition as one of the 10 Most Promising Cloud Solutions Providers in Canada for 2024. These awards are a testament to the region’s growing prominence and the impactful role of Microsoft’s technologies in shaping the future.

Conclusion: A Seminar that Marks a New Beginning

The seminar not only educated but inspired attendees by illustrating the transformative potential of Microsoft Copilot within the automotive industry. It was an eye-opening event that highlighted Windsor-Essex’s position at the forefront of embracing technological advancements for growth and efficiency. The success of the seminar was evident in the enthusiastic engagement of the participants, the insightful discussions that took place, and the optimistic outlook towards harnessing the power of AI and Microsoft’s innovative solutions. As the event concluded, it was clear that the journey towards a more efficient, innovative, and technology-driven automotive industry had just begun, with Microsoft Copilot steering the way forward.

The purpose of the in-person seminar is to bring companies in the Windsor area up to speed with the latest technology from Microsoft. Chat GPT/Microsoft Copilot (Artificial Intelligence (AI)) is transforming the world of work, creating new opportunities and challenges for businesses and workers alike.

How can you prepare for this new era of work? How can you leverage AI to enhance your career and business performance? Please join us in person at the Ciociaro Club on March 19th at 1:30 PM. We will be demonstrating the latest AI technology from Microsoft, called Copilot, and how it interacts with Office 365, Business Central, and CRM.

AI can augment human capabilities, automate tedious tasks, and generate new insights from data. However, AI also requires new skills, new ways of working, and new mindsets to adapt and thrive in the digital age.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions about funding and network with other Manufacturers and Distributors in the area.

Discover how AI can transform your work and life.

Don’t miss this chance to get ahead of the curve and prepare for the AI era.

Click Here to Register Now

We at VOX ISM hope to see you on March 19th at the Ciociaro Club at 3745 North Talbot Road N0R 1L0!

The value of AI to 21st-century businesses has been likened to the strategic value of electricity in the early 20th century, a time when electrification transformed industries like manufacturing and created new ones such as mass communications. “AI is strategic because the scale, scope, complexity, and dynamism of business today are so extreme that humans can no longer manage it without artificial intelligence,” Chris Brahm, a senior advisory partner at Bain & Company, told TechTarget.

AI’s most significant impact on business in the near future stems from its ability to automate and augment jobs that are currently performed by humans.

Labor gains realized from using AI are expected to expand upon and surpass those made by current workplace automation tools. By analyzing vast volumes of data, AI won’t simply automate work tasks but will also generate the most efficient ways to complete tasks and adjust workflows on the fly as circumstances change.

AI is already augmenting human work in many fields, from assisting doctors in medical diagnoses to helping call center workers deal more effectively with customer queries and complaints. In security, AI is being used to automatically respond to cybersecurity threats and prioritize those that require human attention.

The advent of generative AI dramatically expands the types of jobs AI can automate and augment. Businesses and consumers have quickly adopted this new technology, using apps such as ChatGPT, Bard, and Copilot to conduct searches, create art, compose essays, write code, and engage in conversation. Indeed, AI’s potential to eliminate many jobs currently done by humans is a major concern for workers.

To learn more about Chat GPT and Microsoft Copilot — the AI revolution, join us for a free 2-hour Microsoft training session in Mississauga on Tuesday, May 7th.

Click Here to Register Now

Microsoft and Vox will host a plethora of training webinars and several in person events focused on AI in the first 6 months of 2024. These free training events typically last 45 minutes and are free and on a Microsoft Teams call. Most industry studies recommend you do a 2-3 days of training per year per employee. By attending the Vox seminars you will see what Microsoft has in store for 2024!.

Our internal review of the new Microsoft releases for 2024 have us very excited about the integration of Chat GPT/Co-Pilot into Microsoft Dynamics CRM & BC, and the entire Office stack.

AI-driven automation rapidly transforming an ERP market that continues its long march to the cloud, as many buyers seek modernization, efficiency and help with reporting. It is all about Co-Pilot in 2024.

The field of generative AI is experiencing explosive growth and creating new job opportunities across various disciplines. With the rise of powerful models and increasing demand for their applications, expertise in prompt engineering is becoming increasingly valuable. Microsoft has been adding a wide range of AI capabilities and virtual agents into Dynamics 365 that are designed to streamline sales, enhance customer insights, optimize supply chains and reduce fraud.

If you want to learn more about how Microsoft can help your business in 2024!

Click Here to Register Now

Everywhere you look today you’ll see ads for “AI“, and for good reason – it’s been the #1 topic during 2023 and will continue to be the focused trend for 2024. ChatGPT, Microsoft Co-Pilot and Fabric are just a few of the forms AI has taken and Microsoft is continuing to focus their development on further integrating AI tools into their full suite of products to help companies better position themselves and leverage the huge time-saving automations and insights-driven predictive analysis tools.

The benefits of using AI tools should not be underestimated and it is expected that over the next several years 80-90% of competitive businesses will be utilizing some kind of AI-based tool(s) as part of their standard processes. The sooner you can learn about these tools and implement them yourselves the better position you will be in to stay ahead of the curve and improve you competitiveness and efficiency.

However, it is important to realize that this same “AI logic”  is also being used by Cybercrime “threat-actors” to find new ways to get past your security and trick users into opening themselves up to phishing, malware and ransomware.  Over 80% of all cyber-based breaches still occurs due to human error – someone clicking, accepting or replying to something they shouldn’t.

With this in mind, throughout 2024 Microsoft will be continuing to spend over $1 Billion on Cyber-security alone and will focus their Security development on unique software and services to help mitigate the ongoing threat of AI Cybercrime. They have already developed their Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Software and Planning solution (“MS Purview”) – designed to provide you the software, tools, strategy and guidance to help further protect your data by categorizing the “kinds” of data you have, where it is, how, when and by whom it is accessed and then putting in-place controls to monitor, prevent and predict access to that data and block it as well as provide notifications etc.

Additionally, Microsoft now offers their “Microsoft Security Services for Incident Response” Service, designed to provide you proactive services before an incident occurs as well as breach response and recovery services should the worst happen and you do have a breach.

VOXISM has partnered with Microsoft to provide you a “fast track” to improving your security profile quickly without having to know everything off the bat… giving your IT time to learn more about all the additional security options while you stay more secure. Ask about our “Enhanced Security & Endpoint protection” and “Online Backup” Packages.

Additionally,  “Zero Trust” Policies will become more and more important in 2024, further helping to keep data safe by implementing and enforcing company policies with respect to who has access to what software, screens and data. Again, Microsoft has videos and documentation to help guide you through what this means.

Follow the links below to sign up for our free up-coming Webinars as we further explore the benefits of AI integration into the Microsoft 365 suite and the new Microsoft Security tools that have been developed to help further protect you against cyber threat-actors:

• December 20^th – Using AI for Forecasting – 2024 Tools

• January 9^th – Microsoft AI: ChatGPT & Co-Pilot A Comprehensive Guide

• January 11^th – How to use AI for Supply Chain