Summary of Microsoft Build: 4 major announcements you should be aware of.

      Microsoft Build 2025 is nearing its conclusion. The annual developer conference hosted by Microsoft is primarily targeted at software engineers and cloud developers, but there’s a wealth of information to explore even for those not in programming. As expected, the central theme of this year’s conference — continuing from previous years — is AI.

      During his opening keynote, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasized the significance of AI and the corporation’s goal of “building the open, agentic web at scale.” The vision is to shift repetitive, expensive tasks to AI agents like Copilot. Here are some of the key announcements from Microsoft Build this year.

      AI Enhancements for Windows File Explorer

      Microsoft/The Verge

      This appears to be a feature that could benefit everyone, not just developers. Windows File Explorer is set to integrate what Microsoft calls "AI actions."

      Available on Windows 11, these AI actions (or shortcuts) will allow you to right-click on any file and utilize AI to facilitate tasks.

      Among the notable features is the ability for Copilot to summarize an Office document directly from the File Explorer menu. You can also remove unwanted elements from photographs using AI or blur the background in Paint with assistance from Copilot.

      According to The Verge, there may be additional features beyond what Microsoft has discussed; four new image-related AI actions are currently being developed in the Dev Channel builds of Windows 11, including a function to find similar images online using Bing.

      GitHub Introduces an AI Coding Assistant

      A significant update here is that GitHub Copilot will now be accessible to all users of Copilot Enterprise and Copilot Pro+, with Copilot’s coding agent designed to save developers considerable time — potentially expediting the release of new features for everyone.

      While many developers are not particularly enthusiastic about the role of AI in their daily tasks, others recognize the advantages of automating simpler tasks, allowing them to focus on more complex coding. For those in favor, Microsoft has launched a new coding agent available on GitHub.

      The agent aims to assist programmers with one of the more tedious aspects of their work — debugging. It will also handle feature additions and code refactoring. “GitHub continues to be the hub for developers. […] We’re committed to supporting developers in building any applications. Trust, security, compliance, auditability, and data residency are increasingly vital today. Open-source remains central to GitHub, and we’re taking this next significant step,” stated Nadella.

      Direct PDF Translation in Edge

      For those who frequently work with PDFs, this upcoming feature will be exciting: you’ll be able to translate PDFs directly within the Microsoft Edge browser. By simply selecting “translate” in the address bar, you can utilize AI to translate the entire document into one of over 70 languages offered by Microsoft.

      Currently, this feature seems to be limited to Edge for Business. It’s being rolled out to Windows Canary users and should be available next month.

      Major AI Enhancements for Microsoft 365

      According to PCMag, the latest Copilot update is described as substantial. Satya Nadella labeled it the most significant update since the launch of Teams — and regardless of personal opinions, it’s undeniable that Teams has made a considerable impact globally.

      Copilot's AI-powered tools now include Chat, which is similar to ChatGPT, and a Search feature that enables Copilot to sift through your files and locate the information you need. The outcomes of both tools can be compiled in Notebook. Additionally, you can create images, PowerPoints, and videos with the Create feature.

      Microsoft is pushing AI even further by introducing Agents. With agentic AI being a hot topic currently, it’s no surprise Microsoft is participating. The new AI agents include Researcher and Analyst.

      Researcher uses deep reasoning to assist in crafting detailed reports. Copilot’s Researcher can search both the web and your own files, providing a thorough overview from various resources. Analyst tackles the analysis of data, including large spreadsheets, to help assess different data points and establish meaningful comparisons.

      While these AI agents are intriguing, they will only be available to large enterprises. Organizations must participate in Microsoft’s Frontier program to gain access. Hopefully, in the future, Microsoft will extend AI agents to broader Copilot availability.

      AI is Everywhere

      Microsoft

      At this stage, it’s no surprise that an event like Microsoft Build focuses extensively on AI. Many attendees anticipated news regarding products like the Xbox handheld, but that was not included.

      A significant number of the new features and updates unveiled during Build were not targeted at consumers. However, I recommend watching the complete video if you're interested in discovering more about what’s new. Also, don’t forget to check out our Best of Computex 2025 roundup for a comprehensive overview of the exciting technology that emerged this past week.