Microsoft Teams Unveils AI-Powered Home Decorator and Voice Isolation at Ignite 2023
During Microsoft’s Ignite 2023 event, the company announced several exciting updates for Teams, its collaborative messaging service. Among these updates are the introduction of voice isolation and a new “decorate your background” feature.
Voice Isolation for Clearer Communication
One of the highlights of the update is the rollout of voice isolation, an AI-driven feature that reduces background noise and enhances the clarity of conversations. This innovative technology can not only eliminate repetitive noises but also filter out other people’s voices, ensuring a more focused and distraction-free communication experience. The voice isolation feature is currently being rolled out and is expected to be generally available in early 2024.
Enhance Your Virtual Workspace with “Decorate Your Background”
Another exciting addition is the “decorate your background” feature, which allows users to enhance their virtual work environments. By analyzing the room users are working from, this AI-powered feature can clean up clutter, add plants to the walls, and create a more aesthetically pleasing background. With this feature, users can create an ideal work environment without the need for physical cleaning or décor adjustments. The “decorate your background” feature will be available in Teams Premium early next year.
Immersive Spaces and Microsoft Mesh
In a nod to the metaverse hype of 2021, Microsoft also announced the general availability of immersive spaces in Teams. Users can now create avatars and attend meetings within various 3D environments, where they can engage in interactive activities like playing games, roasting virtual marshmallows, and throwing beanbags. Microsoft Mesh, the tool used to create these immersive spaces, will also be generally available in January.
Other Noteworthy Updates
Alongside these exciting additions, Microsoft Teams also introduced some other useful features. Users can now customize emoji reactions, forward chats, create a group chat profile picture, and add a private second phone number for select callers. Additionally, new keyboard shortcuts have been introduced to improve productivity, and there are new tools available for IT administrators to manage teams more effectively.
Improved Performance and Experience
Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a re-architected Teams app for Windows and Mac, which significantly improved performance. Now, the web experience on Edge and Chrome is set to receive the same enhancements. Microsoft promises a doubling of performance and a 50% reduction in memory usage, making the web experience smoother and more efficient.
With these updates, Microsoft Teams continues to evolve as a leading collaboration platform, providing users with new features to enhance their communication and work experiences.