Microsoft unveils major overhaul for one of its most widely used products: 'A partner that acts'

Microsoft is preparing a major transformation of Outlook, rebuilding its email client for the era of artificial intelligence.

The company has reorganized its Outlook team under new leadership to make AI an essential part of how users manage their inboxes and time, The Verge reported.

Gaurav Sareen, Microsoft's corporate VP of global experiences and platform, outlined the vision in an internal memo. For Sareen, the goal of the new email client is to become the user's assistant, lightening the workload and making it easier to manage.

For users, this would mean an email client that can read messages, suggest responses, and manage schedules. As Sareen explained, per The Verge, "Copilot turns Outlook from a set of tools into a partner that acts."

Copilot, Microsoft's AI feature built into its Office apps, already helps people write emails, summarize conversations, and manage their schedules, according to TechTarget. Sareen suggested the next version of Outlook will build on that foundation.

Besides the overhaul, users can also expect more frequent weekly releases rather than quarterly updates, and prototyping and testing within days rather than months.

Future versions may automatically read emails, draft replies, and organize schedules — all guided by AI that learns from user behavior.

Microsoft's push to rebuild its email client around AI looks promising. This innovation could help users save time and reduce wasted effort. And on a broader scale, it promotes more efficient use of digital resources.

However, the same technology depends on massive cloud infrastructure.

Training and running AI models for millions of Outlook users consume large amounts of energy and water, as the United Nations Environment Programme notes. It also requires constant hardware upgrades that contribute to e-waste.

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While Microsoft's AI tools may help people and businesses be more efficient, they also raise important environmental questions about the impact of this rapid expansion of AI.

Tools like Copilot can drive progress, but they also come with environmental and social costs that companies must address responsibly.

Supporting brands' eco-friendly initiatives and monitoring critical environmental issues help ensure that technology advances in ways that benefit both people and the planet.

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