Q&A: Microsoft Education’s CIO on the Role of AI in Education

The potential use cases for generative artificial intelligence appear endless. As this tech tool continues to evolve, it has given university leaders and faculty members the potential to solve a broad spectrum of institutional and pedagogical challenges.

Microsoft Windows devices are at the forefront of this transformation, enabling schools to harness the power of AI effectively. The devices are optimized for AI-driven solutions such as Microsoft’s generative AI tool Copilot, offering enhanced performance, security and user experiences that are critical for modern classrooms and that enable faculty members to personalize learning, automate routine tasks and create more engaging, interactive lessons.

To find out more about how generative AI is already having an impact on higher education, EdTech: Focus on Higher Education spoke with MJ Jabbour, chief innovation officer for Microsoft Education, about Copilot. Jabbour, who previously served as CTO for the New York City Department of Education during a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic, currently focuses on speaking with the public about safe and effective uses for AI, building tools to help people work with AI, and researching the interactions between humans and AI.

EDTECH: What is Copilot?

JABBOUR: Copilot is your everyday AI companion. It’s a new user interface built with the latest AI advancements in large language models, combined with Microsoft AI models, search indexing and Microsoft Graph, and informed by…