Microsoft Innovation Podcast

Build AI Agents Overnight: Prompt-to-Prototype

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM  Simon Doy and Mark Smith explore the rapid shift from experimentation to production use of AI agents. The conversation focuses on practical agent design, Copilot Studio, RAG quality, and where automation fits better than full agents. Simon shares real client work in the NHS, small business realities, and how partners deliver Copilot adoption and agent-led transformation. A recurring theme is choosing the right level of AI, from automation with AI sprinkles to long running agent workflows, while staying pragmatic about cost, governance, and user experience. 🎙 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/814👉 What you’ll learn     How agentic workflows are moving from demos into real production use When simple SharePoint grounding is enough and when Azure AI Search is required How to combine automation and agents to avoid slow, interactive AI experiences Practical approaches to Copilot adoption for leaders and teams Why token usage, orchestration, and model choice are becoming operational concerns ✅ Highlights     “On Friday, I let Claude Opus go and build me a Teams agent overnight.” “The agentic side and being able to have these long running tasks is really shifting things.” “Customers are now getting much more open to trying things out.” “Copilot Studio is the first port of call.” “You don’t get the quality back from the agent that you need with complex content.” “How you chunk it is so important for RAG.” “Not everything needs to be a full on agent.” “Automation with AI sprinkles is sometimes the better option.” “My world is fast becoming measured by tokens.” “You don’t have to use the most expensive model on everything.” 🧰 Mentioned     Copilot Studio - https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio Azure AI Search - https://azure.microsoft.com/products/ai-services/ai-search EmpowerM365 -  https://empowerm365.com Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 ✅ Keywords      ai agents, copilot studio, microsoft 365, automation, rag, azure ai search, sharepoint, claude opus, agentic workflows, copilot adoption, power automate, tokens Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Copilot Chaos: A Simple Map of Microsoft's AI

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM Dani Kahil breaks down the growing complexity of Copilot and AI agents in the Microsoft ecosystem and how practitioners can make sense of it. The conversation focuses on practical mental models, minimum viable agents, and real-world use cases, including document-heavy processes in higher education. The core insight is that successful AI adoption depends less on tools and more on clear roles, scoped responsibilities, feedback loops, and realistic expectations of non-deterministic systems.  👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/813🎙️ What you’ll learn   How to distinguish between Copilot experiences, products, and build tools across Microsoft platforms Why diagrams and visual models help reduce AI and Copilot confusion for teams and leaders How to define a minimum viable agent to prevent scope creep Why treating agents like junior co-workers improves outcomes How feedback loops and incremental task expansion make agents useful in production  ✅ Highlights “It took me a lot of time to kind of process the information.” “I always like visuals and kind of diagrams.” “There are so many different versions of the different copilots.” “These are completely separate products.” “I started looking at them as roles and job functions.” “Treat your agent like a co-worker.” “In two minutes, you can build an agent, and it’s useless.” “Start with a very simple instruction at the beginning.” “It will never be 100%. That’s the nature of generative AI.” 🧰 Mentioned Diagram to download: https://danikahil.com/microsoft-copilots-and-ai-agents-ecosystem-diagram/ Youtube video of my walkthrough of the diagram: https://youtu.be/nZ8g11YthYI Microsoft Power Platform: https://www.microsoft.com/power-platformAzure AI Foundry: https://azure.microsoft.com/products/ai-foundryWindows Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-11?wincampaign=Copilot✅Keywords   copilot, ai agents, power platform, microsoft 365, copilot studio, agent builder, azure foundry, power apps, automation, generative ai, minimum viable agent, ai adoption Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

AI Adoption Isn’t IT: Exec Alignment Comes First

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM In this episode of AI Unfiltered, Kristen Perdue explains why AI adoption fails when leaders treat it like standard software instead of a fundamental shift in how organisations operate. The conversation focuses on executive mindset, cultural alignment, and communication gaps that quietly derail AI initiatives. Kristen shares how to prioritise the right use cases, close AI literacy gaps, and re‑engineer processes so AI drives growth rather than amplifying broken workflows. 👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/812  🎙️ What you’ll learn Why AI adoption is a leadership and culture challenge, not an IT rollout How executive misalignment undermines AI strategy and execution How to prioritise AI use cases based on real operational bottlenecks Why overconfidence in AI skills creates risk across organisations When process re‑engineering must happen before automation ✅ Highlights “AI is a different way of doing business. It’s not really a tool.” “It doesn’t work like software. It is a completely new way of doing business.” “Most approached it going, well, should I roll out AI?” “We started throwing darts at a dart board anywhere it landed.” “AI multiplies good and it multiplies bad.” “Only 21% of the companies deploying AI even touched re‑engineering their processes.” “That lack of communication is the reason initiatives fail.” “People are confident, but they score 40 out of 100.” 🧰 Mentioned Generative AI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence Process re‑engineering: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_reengineering McKinsey study on AI and process re‑engineering: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-how-organizations-are-rewiring-to-capture-value Section AI literacy report: https://www.sectionai.com/ai/the-ai-proficiency-report ✅Keywords ai adoption, executive alignment, ai strategy, generative ai, ai literacy, change management, process re-engineering, business transformation, leadership mindset, ai governance, organisational culture, applied ai Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

From AI Fear to Daily Habit: The 90-Day Playbook

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/811  This episode explores how organisations can move from AI curiosity to real, everyday value through the practical adoption work of Carina de Vries. Drawing on hands-on experience, it reframes AI from a tool conversation to a problem-first mindset. The focus is on building trust, improving quality, and creating small habits that stick. Listeners will learn why one-off training fails, how behaviour change really happens, and how to design an AI adoption journey that fits daily work rather than disrupting it. 👉 What you’ll learn     How to shift AI conversations from tools to real user problems Why small, repeatable habits matter more than broad AI training How to design an adoption journey that builds trust and confidence Ways AI can improve both productivity and quality of work How to help people move from experimentation to daily AI use ✅ Highlights     “I discovered ChatGPT and it helped me get back to work in just an hour a day.” “It’s just another tool in the toolbox, so what do you want it to deliver to you?” “We talk too much about the tool instead of a daily problem a user can relate to.” “People are already in a mindset that the current tool they’re using is better.” “It’s about building the habit, not just doing a one-off training.” “Make it small, because we tend to tell everything about the product all at once.” “If you can continue it another 30 days, then it’s going to be a habit.” “I wouldn’t know what to do without it because it’s saving me so many hours a week.” 🧰 Mentioned     ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com  Microsoft Copilot:https://copilot.microsoft.com M365 Copilot: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot  Copilot Chat: https://copilot.cloud.microsoft  Copilot Studio: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio  Gamma.app: https://gamma.app  Microsoft Teams: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com Ignite: https://ignite.microsoft.com Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 ✅ Keywords      ai adoption, copilot, chatgpt, user adoption, habit building, productivity, ai literacy, change management, microsoft 365, prompts, workplace ai, digital transformation Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

Compliance as a Growth Lever: Close Enterprise Deals

Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM In this episode, Mark Smith speaks with Caleb Mattingly about how startups and enterprises should approach AI governance, compliance, and risk as AI adoption accelerates. The conversation focuses on ISO 42001, common misconceptions about AI security, and why compliance is less about badges and more about trust, data quality, and long term viability. You will hear practical perspectives on when compliance becomes essential, how it functions as a sales enabler, and why human oversight still matters more than autonomous agents in high risk environments. 👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/810   🎙️ What you’ll learn How ISO 42001 differs from traditional security standards like ISO 27001 Why AI compliance is primarily about data quality, bias, and risk anticipation When compliance becomes a sales lever rather than a legal checkbox Why most organisations are not ready for autonomous compliance agents How startups should time compliance investments without killing runway ✅ Highlights “ISO 42001 does not prove that your AI system is secure at all.” “Most of it is not security related, it’s about data quality and bias.” “AI is only as good as the data that you give it.” “Compliance acts as a sales lever before it acts as a security guarantee.” “AI can make a lot of mistakes very quickly.” “Most companies are not ready for AI agents with admin access.” “SOC 2 in two weeks is not a thing.” “Compliance and security are not one to one.” “Enterprises care about whether you handle their data securely.” “It takes a minimum of five months to get SOC 2 done properly.”  🧰 Mentioned International Standards Organization: https://www.iso.org/ ISO 42001: https://www.iso.org/standard/42001  ISO 27001: https://www.iso.org/standard/27001  SOC 2: https://www.aicpa-cima.com/topic/audit-assurance/audit-and-assurance-greater-than-soc-2 EU AI Act: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj/eng ✅Keywords ai governance, iso 42001, ai compliance, startup compliance, data privacy, soc 2, iso certification, ai risk management, enterprise sales, ai regulation, security and privacy, responsible ai Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith