Navigating the AI landscape: Hamilton Azure Meetup 2023

We kicked off with Gary Blumgart, Theta's Head of Data and Digital, who emphasised the importance of good data and Power BI governance in today's AI landscape, with practical advice about tools and technologies.

"Create guardrails, not brakes".

‍

Next up, we heard from Luke Murray, a Microsoft MVP, who shared his expertise about designing effective sandbox environments. We learnt what the optimal pathway to production should look like, and considered a use case with 'Sam' the Data Scientist - a real life application of this way of thinking.

"A sandbox is a pathway to learning, not to production!"

‍

Peter Benson and Josh Mackenzie from Genesis shared their realistic and practical experience with AI and how they prepared for the Copilot Early Access Programme. As well as solid processes and governance, they stressed the importance of their people during this transition.

"Introducing AI like Copilot isn't just a technical step; it's a people processes. Readiness isn't automatic; it requires willingness and capability."

Their dedication to ethical considerations highlighted the significance of these in an AI driven world.

‍

Finally, Nick Westbrook gave us a recap of all the latest announcements from Microsoft Ignite. Exciting developments include Microsoft Copilot studio (build Copilots from scratch), Azure AI studio and Azure AI speech personal voice - where you can create a synthetic version of your voice in multiple languages. And is Dynamics 365 Copilot using Hololens going to be the next frontier for frontline workers? Welcome to the Ironman-esque era.

Huge thanks to Genesis for hosting us, and of course to our awesome speakers and all those who came along. Until next time.