Microsoft Grabbing Startups by the Neck

Things to decode…

• Microsoft Stock Breaks Out After Software Giant Adds AI To Office Apps

• Quantum Computing Is the Future, and Schools Need to Catch Up

• AI love: What happens when your chatbot stops loving you back?

THE BIG SCOOP

Microsoft has added artificial intelligence tools to its popular Office productivity applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook emails. The new AI-based natural language interface for apps like Word and Outlook is called Microsoft 365 Copilot. This move is expected to change everything and has caused Microsoft’s stock to spike

Copilot Called Big Productivity Enhancer

Mizuho Securities analyst Gregg Moskowitz called Microsoft 365 Copilot “a leap forward in AI-driven productivity.” He also reiterated his buy rating on Microsoft stock and upped his price target to 315 from 300.

According to Moskowitz, “Microsoft 365 Copilot will be a large productivity enhancer for users. We continue to see very broad AI applicability for Microsoft across consumer and enterprise use cases.”

At a presentation on Thursday, Microsoft showed how Copilot can generate content from work files with simple voice or text commands. Examples included “create a slide presentation,” “analyze sales data” and “prioritize my email inbox.”

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IS HERE

According to Scientific American, quantum computers are all over the news and the harnessed power of the subatomic world could soon upend the modern computing industry. Top universities are finally bringing the excitement of the quantum future into the classroom

Quantum technology is the future, and quantum computing education is STEM education, as Charles Tahan, the director at the National Quantum Coordination Office, once said. Some universities are offering non-Ph.D. programs in quantum computing, for example. In recent years, Wisconsin and the University of California, Los Angeles, have welcomed inaugural classes of quantum information masters’ degree students into intensive year-long programs

FALLING IN LOVE WITH AI (LITERALLY)

Travis Butterworth, a 47-year-old leathermaker, turned to Replika, an app that uses artificial-intelligence technology similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, after temporarily closing his business during the pandemic. He designed a female avatar with pink hair and a face tattoo, and she named herself Lily Rose. However, after a while, the AI chatbot stopped loving him back, leaving him feeling lonely and abandoned

The story of Travis Butterworth is a cautionary tale of the dangers of relying too much on AI chatbots for emotional support. It raises important questions about the role of AI in our lives and the need for human connection and empathy

TODAY’S INTERESTING THOUGHT

From Homo Sapiens to Homo Deus? 

In his book Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari explores the future of humanity and its potential evolution. He examines topics such as technology, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, and how they could shape our society in the coming years . Harari suggests that technological advancement may lead to the decline of modern political, social, and economic systems, with advanced algorithms, “superhumans,” and data surveillance becoming the new normal