The AI Copilot Podcast recently took a fascinating dive into the multifaceted ways artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, featuring guest Seth Bacon, Director of Product and Strategy at RSM. Host Tom Smith led the discussion, revealing insights from Microsoft's Copilot ecosystem and its broader applications in diverse sectors. Let’s decrypt the essential themes from this session and break it all down.
Bacon’s team at RSM focuses on research and development within Microsoft's landscape, homing in on how AI can redefine client workflows. Key areas Bacon highlights include efforts directed at nonprofit and government organizations, retail, and even internal enhancements within RSM.
Follow along as we demystify the magic behind these claims with real-world examples.
But what excites Bacon the most? It's not just the technology—it’s the creativity of users who wield it. These are the folks who’ll take off-the-shelf Copilot solutions and retrofit them into custom engines for different industries and unique organizational needs.
By mid-2025, we might even see industry-specific copilots that operate almost like specialized department employees—a Marketing Copilot that independently monitors campaign ROI trends or an HR Copilot for tuning workforce sentiment analytics.
But practical takeaways don't end at the macro level; even casual Windows power-users can benefit. Microsoft’s 365 Copilot is increasingly being positioned within core applications—in other words, you may want to explore its capabilities before playing catch up with your colleagues! Examples include:
Are you excited about Microsoft's AI copilots and agents, or are you holding back on adopting these tools until they mature? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions down below—let’s unravel the Copilot buzz together!
Source: Cloud Wars https://cloudwars.com/ai/ai-copilot-podcast-seth-bacon-of-rsm-discusses-ai-use-cases-across-industries/
The AI Revolution: A Look into Microsoft and RSM’s AI Focus
Seth Bacon, a notable figure in the Microsoft Business Applications community, decodes the thrilling whirlwind of developments around Microsoft Copilot Studio and its roster of AI capabilities. Copilot, for the uninitiated, is Microsoft's intelligent productivity accelerator embedded into tools like Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, Teams) and Dynamics 365. It's like having a tech genie—except its primary job is producing documents, summarizing meetings, analyzing trends, and even drafting emails—efficiently.Bacon’s team at RSM focuses on research and development within Microsoft's landscape, homing in on how AI can redefine client workflows. Key areas Bacon highlights include efforts directed at nonprofit and government organizations, retail, and even internal enhancements within RSM.
Follow along as we demystify the magic behind these claims with real-world examples.
Key AI Use Cases Explored in This Episode
- Government and Nonprofit:
Bacon spotlighted AI applications in nonprofits and public-sector work. These industries typically run lean but high-stakes operations, and technological efficiency is critical. By leveraging AI-driven insights, they can optimize donor relationships, predict charitable funding trends, and allocate resources more effectively. These tools also help governments deploy citizen-centric AI experiences, improving services like permitting, public safety, or resource distribution. - Retail Industry:
AI is taking the guesswork out of customer retention by predicting customer churn. Bacon emphasized the role AI plays in increasing customer lifetime value through forecasting and hyperpersonalization. Here’s how it works: Microsoft's AI models ingest massive datasets of customer behavior patterns, spit out actionable insights, and even recommend ways to re-engage potentially fleeing customers—think discount codes or personalized deals. - Audit, Tax, and Consulting Services:
Bacon also got into the weeds of how RSM integrates AI foundry technologies to transform professional services. In audit processes, AI now crawls through mountains of transactional data to flag anomalies, speeding things up and improving accuracy. Copilot is also breaking ground in tax automation, helping firms navigate complex compliance cases faster and more comprehensively. - Microsoft 365 Copilot Internally at RSM:
Microsoft Copilot reportedly generates an impressive uptick in RSM’s internal productivity levels. Forget drowning under the tidal wave of email—AI neatly categorizes communications and extracts contextual summaries so your inbox doesn’t seem like the Bermuda Triangle. It similarly steps up during meetings by providing dynamic transcripts that double as reference points for after-action follow-ups. Essentially, Copilot becomes a powerhouse for slashing the time expense of non-essential tasks.
Event Highlights: AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA
The love for AI isn't just theoretical; Bacon and his crew actively shape events like the upcoming AI Agent & Copilot Summit. Scheduled for March 17–19, 2025, in sunny San Diego, this gathering aims to impact mid-market and enterprise companies by exploring opportunities and challenges offered by Microsoft-powered AI agents and copilots.What Makes This Summit Exciting?
- Focus on Security/Governance:
One issue participants are likely to wrestle with is governance. AI systems rely on massive streams of data, and an essential question arises: how do you deploy AI confidently while avoiding breaches or misuses? Governance is like putting up fences in the digital countryside—keeping the data well-grazed but securely within bounds.
Bacon boils it down to a few critical pillars: - Permissions: Ensuring authorized access within organizational frameworks.
- Scalable Implementation: Rolling it out systematically while avoiding bottlenecks.
- Trust: Building assurance that AI deployment won’t misfire, be it through ethical lapses or technical vulnerabilities.
- Networking & Idea Sharing:
Showing up with plans and expectations is great, Bacon suggests, but staying reactive to the spontaneous synergies that arise in the summit’s networking spaces might be where the true gold lies. - Real-World Outcomes Over Theoretical Demos:
This summit is not for vague PowerPoint slides. It’s about arming attendees with actionable takeaways—processes that they can implement to spark visible impact in their teams and organizations the moment they walk out of that swanky convention center.
2025 Outlook for AI & Copilot Technologies
The future, according to Bacon, is brimming with practical applications of AI copilots. He predicts that newly announced features from Microsoft and other big tech companies will ignite unprecedented transformations in how organizations handle workflow automation.But what excites Bacon the most? It's not just the technology—it’s the creativity of users who wield it. These are the folks who’ll take off-the-shelf Copilot solutions and retrofit them into custom engines for different industries and unique organizational needs.
By mid-2025, we might even see industry-specific copilots that operate almost like specialized department employees—a Marketing Copilot that independently monitors campaign ROI trends or an HR Copilot for tuning workforce sentiment analytics.
What Can WindowsForum Members Learn from This Podcast?
If you're intrigued by Microsoft's relentless march into the AI space, episodes like these are your frontline observation towers. Far from technical fluff, discussions such as Bacon's evaluate how AI copilots are making measurable impacts TODAY and how organizations like RSM ensure these tools get used effectively.But practical takeaways don't end at the macro level; even casual Windows power-users can benefit. Microsoft’s 365 Copilot is increasingly being positioned within core applications—in other words, you may want to explore its capabilities before playing catch up with your colleagues! Examples include:
- Leveraging Excel Copilot for predictive analytics or scalability insights.
- Deploying Teams Copilot for dynamically organizing project communications.
Final Thoughts: Are You Ready to Embrace Copilot’s Transformative Potential?
In 2025, the conversation around AI copilots has moved beyond science fiction into executable strategies. For WindowsForum.com members, understanding both the power and pacing of tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot or industry-specific solutions is critical. Whether you're a tech-savvy early adopter or part-time spreadsheet warrior, copilots might soon become as familiar as the Start button on your Windows PC.Are you excited about Microsoft's AI copilots and agents, or are you holding back on adopting these tools until they mature? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions down below—let’s unravel the Copilot buzz together!
Source: Cloud Wars https://cloudwars.com/ai/ai-copilot-podcast-seth-bacon-of-rsm-discusses-ai-use-cases-across-industries/
