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In the news | Microsoft Source
Why better AI starts with the people it often misses
Ask an AI tool for a picture of “someone at work,” and you’ll often get a person at a desk, in front of a computer, maybe holding a coffee cup. When people with disabilities appear at all, the images sometimes…
New Future of Work: AI is driving rapid change, uneven benefits
| Jaime Teevan, Sonia Jaffe, Rebecca Janssen, Nancy Baym, Siân Lindley, Bahar Sarrafzadeh, Brent Hecht, Jenna Butler, Jake Hofman, and Sean Rintel
For the past five years, the New Future of Work report has captured how work is changing. This year, the shift feels especially sharp. Previous editions have focused on technology’s role in increasing productivity by automating tasks, accelerating communication, and…
Ideas: Steering AI toward the work future we want
| Jaime Teevan, Jenna Butler, Jake Hofman, and Rebecca Janssen
Microsoft Chief Scientist Jaime Teevan and researchers Jenna Butler, Jake Hofman, and Rebecca Janssen unpack the New Future of Work Report 2025 and explore the ideal AI-driven working world. Plus, is AI a tool or a collaborator? And why the answer matters.
In the news | Microsoft Source
Using inexpensive MicroLEDs, Microsoft networking innovation aims to make datacenters more efficient
CAMBRIDGE, U.K. — Before appearing on a screen in your hand or on your desk, this story and its photos existed as pulses of light, fired by lasers, that passed through strands of glass as fine as a human hair.…
In the news | XBOX Wire
Empowering Creators and Players With Muse, a Generative AI Model for Gameplay
In nearly every corner of our lives, the buzz about AI is impossible to ignore. It’s destined to revolutionize how we work, learn, and play. For those of us immersed in the world of gaming—whether as players or creators—the question…
Project Silica’s advances in glass storage technology
| Richard Black
Project Silica introduces new techniques for encoding data in borosilicate glass, as described in the journal Nature. These advances lower media cost and simplify writing and reading systems while supporting 10,000-year data preservation.
Rethinking imitation learning with Predictive Inverse Dynamics Models
| Pallavi Choudhury, Lukas Schäfer, Chris Lovett, Katja Hofmann, and Sergio Valcarcel Macua
This research looks at why Predictive Inverse Dynamics Models often outperform standard Behavior Cloning in imitation learning. By using simple predictions of what happens next, PIDMs reduce ambiguity and learn from far fewer demonstrations.
Promptions helps make AI prompting more precise with dynamic UI controls
| Sean Rintel, Advait Sarkar, Jack Williams, Nicholas Wilson, Richard Banks, Neeltje Berger, Philipp Steinacher, Payod Panda, and Ian Drosos
Promptions helps developers add dynamic, context-aware controls to chat interfaces so users can guide generative AI responses. It lets users shape outputs quickly without writing long instructions.
Awards | Optica
Francesca Parmigiani elected as a 2026 Optica Fellow
Fellows are Optica members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics. Francesca was elected for her pioneering contributions to the field of high-speed optical communications and optical signal processing.