{"id":304,"date":"2025-07-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-09T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:00:00","slug":"choosing-the-right-ai-path-for-your-business-a-practical-guide-for-business-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-cm-edgedigital.pages.dev\/en-us\/microsoft-cloud\/blog\/2025\/07\/09\/choosing-the-right-ai-path-for-your-business-a-practical-guide-for-business-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the right AI path for your business: A practical guide for business leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With generative AI moving from experimentation to execution, the pressure is on to turn plans into progress. Every customer I talk to has done the homework: their use case lists are in, their priorities are clear, and their excitement is real. They\u2019re no longer asking, \u201cShould we use AI?\u201d Instead, they\u2019re looking at those use cases alongside a rapidly evolving AI landscape and asking, \u201cWhere do we start?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a great question, considering that a year ago building an AI agent meant calling in an experienced IT team. Today, teams in finance, human resources, and communications are building their own using low-code tools and off-the-shelf AI like Microsoft 365 Copilot<\/a>. What once took months and weeks now takes hours and minutes, and often fits right into the tools they already use. IDC predicts over a billion AI agents will be in use by 2028 as AI shifts from answering questions to taking action at scale.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does that mean you should begin with agents? Not necessarily. With so many tools and promises in the market, deciding where to start can be overwhelming. That\u2019s why we created The Business Guide to AI Solutions<\/a>\u2014to help you cut through the noise and focus on what matters: solving real business problems with the right kind of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Business Guide to AI Solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choose and apply assistants, agents, and custom tools as part of a secure, scalable AI strategy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get the guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Match the solution to your business goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all. The best results come from aligning the right AI solution with the specific problem you\u2019re trying to solve. Whether your goal is to boost productivity, streamline operations, personalize customer experiences, or build something entirely new, there\u2019s a path forward. Here\u2019s how to think about your options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need to boost team productivity and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks? Start fast with assistants<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our recent 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report<\/a> contains a lot of insight into how AI is reshaping work. It also put a spotlight on something many employees struggle with that can stall a company\u2019s progress: the infinite workday<\/a>. The pace of work keeps accelerating\u2014and for many, that means the day never really ends. People are starting earlier, working later, and staying buried in emails, Microsoft Teams chats, and meeting requests well into evenings and weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, the pace of business is relentless. Our approach can\u2019t be. A great place to start is AI assistants. And if your priority is to help your team be more productive, off-the-shelf solutions can deliver quick wins. Microsoft 365 Copilot is built into the apps your teams already use. Designed for fast deployment and immediate value across different roles, Copilot can help people work faster by summarizing content, generating drafts, and automating routine work in all functions\u2014including sales, marketing, finance, and human resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI)<\/a> increased productivity by 10% to 20% for 84% of Copilot users and increased their job satisfaction by 68%. The business saved more than 2,300 person-hours with automation, reduced the time spent on writing internal audit reports by 30% and saved one month of processing time to analyze 8,000 survey comments. And XP Inc.<\/a> uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to automate tasks, boosting productivity by saving over 9,000 hours\u2014a 30% increase in audit team efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Find<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Struggling with complex, manual processes that slow down operations? Automate with agents<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you’re ready to streamline more complex, multistep processes, agents can help. These autonomous tools go beyond assistants by taking action on your behalf\u2014coordinating tasks across systems, automating workflows, and supporting business operations at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agents are quickly moving from experimental to essential. We recently introduced advancements in memory, reasoning, and access control that make agents more effective across business environments. You can see this in action in the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations<\/a>, including multi-agent orchestration, agent tuning, and deeper integration with everyday apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Microsoft Azure AI Foundry<\/a>, developers can access a full stack agent factory with capabilities to automate business processes across the enterprise. For example, Fujitsu<\/a> boosted sales proposal productivity by 67%, enabling their teams to focus more time on customer engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also investing in open standards to help agents operate securely across systems so they can scale with your business, not just your tech stack. Read the broader vision for what\u2019s next<\/a> to learn how AI agents are shaping a more open, connected, and productive future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether built with low-code or pro-code tools, agents can have a big impact across teams. Carvana<\/a> built an AI agent named Sebastian to guide customers through the car buying and selling journey. To continuously improve Sebastian\u2019s performance, they developed Conversation Analysis Review Engine (CARE), an AI-powered platform that analyzes 100% of customer interactions. Together, Sebastian and CARE have helped Carvana reduce inbound calls per sale by over 45% in two years, reflecting a smoother, more efficient customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to tailor AI to your business without starting from scratch? Extend prebuilt solutions<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve started using Microsoft 365 Copilot, built-in extensibility gives you a way to go further. With Microsoft Copilot Studio<\/a>, you can connect AI to your own data, fine-tune prompts, and integrate functionality into your existing systems. This allows you to adapt AI to your workflows\u2014without the time and complexity of building something entirely new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A case in point is Pets at Home<\/a>, the United Kingdom\u2019s leading pet care business, which used Microsoft Copilot Studio to extend Copilot\u2019s capabilities for its profit protection team. By building a tailored agent that compiles cases for human review, the company streamlined internal workflows and expects to drive seven-figure annual savings, all without starting from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to create a competitive edge with something truly unique? Differentiate with custom AI<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When your needs are highly specific, customization enables you to design unique solutions that reflect your organization\u2019s DNA. With Azure AI Foundry you can build your own agents, train models with your data, and create experiences specifically made for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example ABB Group<\/a>, a global leader in electrification and automation, built a custom AI solution called Genix Copilot using Microsoft Azure OpenAI service to tackle complex industrial challenges like asset performance, energy optimization, and emissions monitoring. The result? Up to 35% savings in operations and maintenance, 20% improvement in energy efficiency, and an 80% reduction in service calls, all through a differentiated, AI-powered experience tailored to their customers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also build AI solutions tailored to your industry using Microsoft\u2019s industry-specific models and tools in Azure AI Foundry. Whether you’re in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, financial services, or education, our Microsoft Industry Clouds<\/a> provide prebuilt data models, templates, and AI services to help you move faster and deliver value sooner\u2014without compromising on security or compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build on a foundation of trust<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As AI becomes more powerful, so do the risks. Business leaders are asking the right questions: How do we protect sensitive data? How do we ensure compliance? How do we build AI systems that are fair, transparent, and accountable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Microsoft, responsible AI<\/a> isn\u2019t an afterthought\u2014it\u2019s built into every layer of our platform. Our approach is grounded in clear principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also provide the tools and governance frameworks to help organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n