Microsoft SharePoint Blog articles

AI Skills Are Now in Public Preview: Teaching AI in SharePoint What to Know and How to Act

Zach_Rosenfield — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:30:00 GMT

In March, we shared our vision for AI in SharePoint: We’re transforming how teams build solutions, publish content, and organize information using AI. With AI in SharePoint, you start with intent, describe it in natural language, and move directly to working solutions that reflect how your business actually operates. It is a multi‑turn, collaborative experience that spans site, page, list, and library creation, configuration, and consumption.

Thousands of organizations have joined the public preview, and we are excited to co-develop with our customers as they use AI to transform every step of the content lifecycle. During this preview, customers have shared a clear feedback theme with us: They need AI in SharePoint to be even more aware of how their organizations operate – the norms, processes, and content preferences that are essential for how work gets done.

Today at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference, we’re announcing how we are addressing this customer feedback. Now you can teach AI in SharePoint about:

What to Know: Ask AI in SharePoint to remember something, and it will use a context file in the site to remember the norms and procedures for that site.
How to Act: Ask AI in SharePoint to store a repeatable process and it will create a skill that can be reused by team members.
What to Produce: Ask AI in SharePoint to create content and it will generate Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files and can also generate custom reports & dashboards aligned to the content preferences of your organization.

These capabilities roll out over the next couple of weeks for all opted-in public preview tenants and sites.

Teaching AI in SharePoint what to know about a site

Now, you can give SharePoint context it can remember across future sessions. Simply prompt it in chat to remember a shared rule or preference such as: "Remember that our team color is purple” or “avoid the use of aspirational language or marketing jargon.”

SharePoint saves context for preferences and rules, then applies it across the team

SharePoint saves that context at the site level, allowing it to operate with that information in mind for anyone who visits the site. When another team member uses SharePoint’s AI capabilities, such as generating content, it applies that shared context automatically, for instance by prioritizing purple in the color palette.

SharePoint’s ability to remember site context is rolling out over the next two weeks –to all AI in SharePoint public preview tenants. Learn more on how to get started.

Teaching AI in SharePoint how to act

Skills go beyond single pieces of context and enable you to define multi-step, repeatable shortcuts that reflect the processes of your team. They enable you to carry out work in the way your team expects. For example:

Generating quarterly reports from business data: A finance team can create skills to generate a quarterly report from data stored in the site.
Drafting proposals using past content: A sales team can create skills that define the structure of proposals and how it should be assembled from past proposals and product documentation. Sales team members can then generate the proposal as a Word document.
Creating a project tracker list based on team standards: A project team can create a skill to define how a project tracker should be organized, including required columns, column types, and allowed values for fields. Team members can then generate a list that follows those standards automatically.
Organizing content based on information architecture: A content management team can create a skill to apply corporate taxonomy when assigning metadata, renaming files, or organizing content into the appropriate structure.

To create skills for SharePoint, you just prompt it in chat to define a specialized capability.

Create skills for detailed, multi-step tasks to get repeatable outcomes

Anyone working on the site can invoke the site’s skills, so outputs are repeatable across the whole team. You can learn more about generating skills in this detailed help article.

Skills are now available to all AI in SharePoint public preview tenants. No additional setup is required. Learn more on how to get started.

What to produce: Generating content aligned to your preferences

Most real content workflows don’t end with a chat session – they end when the deliverable is produced. Now, new content generation tools enable AI in SharePoint to complete content workflows.

You can prompt SharePoint directly to generate files – Word, Excel, PowerPoint – as well as structured artifacts — reports, visualizations, interactive summaries — without any code. Ask SharePoint to generate a quarterly report, turn results into a press release, or draft a proposal based on past content, and it produces a live, interactive output you can act on without leaving SharePoint.

Teammates can leverage skills others have previously saved to the site and build structured, interactive artifacts, like reports

And because you can save the creation of that output as a skill, you get consistency over time. Ask SharePoint to generate your weekly report once, save that process as a skill, and every time it produces the same structured output the same way that your whole team can rely on.

Ask SharePoint to create documents from files saved on your site

This is what context, skills, and content generation produce together: AI in SharePoint that applies your organization's standards consistently and generates useful outputs on demand. This foundation of trusted, well‑structured content also helps power better responses from Copilot and agents across Microsoft 365, enabling more effective end‑to‑end workflows through Work IQ.

AI-driven content generation starts rolling out to public preview in late April through May.

How it works: Using open markdown files

This approach to shared context, skills, and content generation reflects an emerging industry pattern for AI systems: separating what AI needs to know from how it should act and what it needs to produce and applying it all consistently across workflows.

Context and skills are saved as plain-text Markdown (.md) files in the all-new Agent Assets library in the site, so they are versioned, governed, and editable by the right people on the team. SharePoint and OneDrive now support native viewing and editing of Markdown files directly in document libraries, allowing teams to open, update, and refine these shared capabilities in the browser without relying on developer tools.

SharePoint and OneDrive’s native markdown file editor

Updates to context and skills can happen naturally through the chat experience as you work. Just prompt SharePoint to make a change, and it applies that update directly behind the scenes. While it’s never required for users to visit the markdown files directly, they are there as a simple way for anyone on the team to see the know-how that might otherwise live in one person’s head. Now, the whole team can share, review, and improve it over time.

Become an AI in SharePoint champion

Ever since SharePoint’s early days, people have been a hero to their coworkers by configuring SharePoint to best fit their team’s business needs. Today’s announcements are the next generation of this heritage – and it’s never been easier to become a SharePoint champion for your team.

AI in SharePoint is available now in opt‑in preview for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Try the preview today: https://aka.ms/SPAIoptin

Join us for more AI in SharePoint deep dives this week at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference in Orlando:

Meet AI in SharePoint (2:45-3:30 pm ET on Tuesday, April 21)
AI in SharePoint: From Content Chaos to Clarity and Impact. Get Copilot Ready! (11:15 am - noon ET on Wednesday, April 22)
Using SharePoint AI to Solve Business Processes (1:30-2:15 pm ET on Wednesday, April 22)
Microsoft Lists – Organize, Automate, and Act with AI (9-9:45 am ET on Thursday, April 23)
SharePoint: AI-Forward Content Creation & Curation for the Modern Intranet (10-10:45 am ET on Thursday, April 23)

Learn more about skills as part of AI in SharePoint

Building a modern digital workplace on Microsoft 365 - WebVine - SharePoint Partner Showcase

VesaJuvonen — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:38:28 GMT

We are excited to share a new episode on our partner showcase series focused on SharePoint in Microsoft 365. In this brief discussion Chloe Dervin and James Dellow from WebVine join Vesa Juvonen from Microsoft to showcase different features and capabilities they've built for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint using SharePoint Framework (SPFx).

WebVine is a Microsoft partner specializing in modern intranets, information management and digital workplace solutions built on Microsoft 365. With products like Injio Intranet and Injio Docs, WebVine helps organizations connect people, manage information effectively and enable practical AI experiences across the digital workplace.

Injio Intranet

Injio Intranet is WebVine’s modern intranet solution built on Microsoft 365, designed to help organizations connect people, communicate effectively, and find information with ease. Delivered on SharePoint Online, Injio provides a structured, branded digital workplace that supports consistent information architecture, strong governance, and ongoing adoption.

Injio Docs

Injio Docs is WebVine’s controlled document management solution built on Microsoft 365, designed to help organizations manage policies, procedures, and critical documents with confidence. Built on SharePoint Online, Injio Docs provides structured governance, version control, and automated workflows to support compliance and consistent information management across the organization.

See a live demo and further details from the following video.

Find out more about Intelligent Decisioning from following resources:

Microsoft 365 and SharePoint include great out-of-the-box features that you can extend and tailor to your user experience goals using no-code, low-code, or pro-code approaches. This flexibility enables customers to configure and build unique and powerful experiences at Microsoft 365 for corporate communications, employee experiences, and business processes.

Microsoft SharePoint
SharePoint 25th anniversary announcements - new AI features and more
SharePoint help & learning
Intelligent intranet overview
SharePoint Framework provides a secure, modern way to build custom and AI-enhanced experiences in SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
SharePoint Embedded enables building solutions outside of Microsoft 365 with a custom user interface, but continues storing files in SharePoint.
Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel for videos and guidance

Do you have offering(s) for the SharePoint which end users can use and you would be interested in sharing your story with the ecosystem? Let us highlight your solution(s). We welcome all kinds of solutions which highlight the art of possible with SharePoint. Please fill in the following form to get us connected with you and we will get back to you on planning the right model together - https://aka.ms/sharepoint/partner/showcase.

Board and executive meeting management - Pervasent - SharePoint Partner Showcase

VesaJuvonen — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:43:05 GMT

We are excited to share a new episode on our partner showcase series focused on SharePoint in Microsoft 365. In this brief discussion Nicklas Pernblad (CTO) from Pervasent, join Vesa Juvonen from Microsoft to showcase how Pervasent has created really polished and advance solution for board and executive meeting management using SharePoint Framework (SPFx).

Founded in 2008, Pervasent offers Microsoft 365-based board solutions to secure and streamline the preparation and distribution of materials for board and executive meetings. Today, Pervasent's Board Papers and Team Papers solutions are used by organizations ranging from small nonprofits to some of the world's largest financial and healthcare institutions in over 35 countries. Leveraging the safety and reliability provided by Microsoft 365, Pervasent's solutions have been approved for use by government agencies requiring the strictest security for their sensitive meeting materials.

Pervasent's SharePoint-based Board Papers and Teams-based Team Papers board solutions are deployed in an organization’s Microsoft 365 tenancy and leverage all the security and user management tools provided by Microsoft 365. A simple browser interface lets meeting organizers quickly assemble meeting agendas and documents using a flexible set of drag and drop, form and datasheet features. Organizers can cut the time required to prepare for board and executive meetings in half.

Native Board Papers and Team Papers apps installed on board members and meeting participants' PCs, tablets and phones offer a friendly book-like interface for reviewing and marking up documents, online or offline, and are designed for users that may not be comfortable with technology. In the app, meeting participants add and share notes, electronically sign pages, and cast votes with one or two clicks. Copilot integration lets participants query meeting documents. Participants come to meetings prepared, and that means shorter and more effective meetings.

See a live demo and further details from the following video.

Find out more about Intelligent Decisioning from following resources:

Microsoft 365 and SharePoint provide a great out of the box features, which can be extended and adjusted based on the user experience objectives using no-code, low-code, and pro-code options. This flexibility enables customers to configure and build unique and powerful experiences at Microsoft 365 for corporate communications, employee experiences and business processes.

Microsoft SharePoint
SharePoint 25th anniversary live stream - new AI features and more
SharePoint help & learning
Intelligent intranet overview
SharePoint Framework provides a secure, modern way to build custom and AI-enhanced experiences in SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
SharePoint Embedded enables building solutions outside of Microsoft 365 with a custom user interface, but continue storing files in SharePoint.
Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel for videos and guidance

Do you have offering for the SharePoint which end users can use and you would be interested in sharing your story with the ecosystem? Let us highlight your solution(s). We welcome all kinds of solutions which highlight the art of possible with SharePoint. Please fill in the following form to get us connected with you and we’ll get back to you on planning the right model together – https://aka.ms/sharepoint/partner/showcase.

SharePoint Showcase: How SharePoint uses AI to strengthen Work IQ’s data layer

John_Mighell — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:00 GMT

A recently published whitepaper from Omdia, “Expanding Your Knowledge with Microsoft’s AI in SharePoint” highlights a consistent conclusion. AI performance depends on content readiness which underscores the importance of content quality, structure, freshness, and governance to shape the reliability of AI outputs.

As a load-bearing structural component of Work IQ’s data layer, SharePoint serves as a primary knowledge platform across many organizations. With over a billion users each year, SharePoint is also the number 1 grounding source for Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents.

Consequently, the AI capabilities currently available inside SharePoint –which support how content is created, structured, governed, and discovered –significantly influence the quality of the Data layer within Work IQ as the “brain” behind Copilot.

This month’s Showcase offers four AI capabilities in SharePoint that help strengthen how Copilot and agents reason over enterprise knowledge. Please note, there are some prerequisites that need to met which are summarized on MS Learn, HERE.

Now let’s dive into the four capabilities, including instructions on how to access and steps to optimize usage.

Content management practices that improve AI outcomes

AI performance reflects the quality of the information it uses; accurate, structured, and current content leads to reliable results.

Omdia’s whitepaper points to common patterns across enterprises which include:

Diffusion of content spreads across sites and libraries.
Multiple versions of documents exist.
Link degradation and diminished relevance of pages over time.

These conditions affect how AI surfaces answers because AI reasons over content as stored.

AI in SharePoint evaluates content quality across sites and libraries. It surfaces improvement recommendations for site owners and content managers with an emphasis on actions that raise content clarity and usability.

Examples may include identifying pages with low engagement, highlighting broken links, and surfacing gaps where users search for information. AI also prompts content refresh actions when guidance no longer reflects current needs.

This capability operates directly within SharePoint experiences that teams already use, and supports ongoing readiness without introducing separate review cycles or tooling.

Action to take

Select high impact sites such as HR, Legal, or IT guidance.
Within a site, choose the floating button and select Improve this site.
Review AI-driven recommendations for stale content, content gaps, and broken links.
Update, consolidate, and refresh content based on those signals.

Learn more: SharePoint Advanced Management overview - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

Metadata extraction that improves AI responses

Metadata provides essential signals for AI reasoning. In this scenario we define metadata as structured information that enables AI systems to understand meaning, relationships, and context.

While many SharePoint libraries contain valuable documents, in the past, tagging documents with metadata was a manual task resulting in inconsistent tagging across libraries. Furthermore, inconsistent structure across high-value content (e.g., contracts, policies, and technical documentation) can adversely affect precision for search, filtering, and AI responses.

AI in SharePoint helps address metadata gaps. It can suggest metadata columns based on document patterns, extract and populate values directly from file content, as well as infer additional details using context across the library. Once applied, metadata supports accurate filtering, grouping, and discovery – improving how Copilot and agents interpret relevance and scope.

As a result, manual effort for content owners is greatly reduced while simultaneously increasing consistency at scale. Over time, structured metadata strengthens confidence in AI-generated summaries and answers.

Action to take

Identify one library with high business value.
Within the library, choose the floating button and select Add autofill columns.
Ask SharePoint to create columns for the metadata you want AI to extract.
Review results and refine as needed.

Learn more about metadata and response quality in the October, SharePoint Showcase.

Admin agent support for content cleanup and governance

Governance plays an important role in AI outcomes; content lifecycle, storage usage, and permissions all influence what AI surfaces.

The SharePoint Admin Agent applies generative AI to SharePoint Advanced Management insights. It enables administrators to ask natural language questions about site lifecycle, storage patterns, and permissions exposure.

The agent analyzes reports regarding inactivity, storage usage, and permissions distribution and then summarizes findings along with sharing recommended actions. This approach helps administrators focus attention on sites that affect risk and efficiency.

Examples include identifying inactive sites with large storage footprints, surfacing ownerless sites, and highlighting broad access patterns. These insights support informed cleanup and governance planning.

As such, cleaner and well- governed environments improve AI grounding. Permissions accuracy ensures responses align with access boundaries and reduced duplication improves signal quality for AI reasoning.

The Admin Agent supports a human review model. It’s recommended that administrators evaluate insights and determine next steps which is in keeping with common responsible AI practices.

Action to take

Use the SharePoint Admin Agent to review inactive and storage heavy sites.
Prioritize cleanup and ownership alignment.
Strengthen permissions governance for high visibility content.

Learn more: SharePoint Admin Agent overview - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

Practical improvements in document libraries and content organization

AI capabilities in SharePoint support everyday work inside document libraries with an emphasis on structure, clarity, and usability.

Within libraries, AI is ready to help organize files using metadata-driven views and groupings. In addition, new content is classified on a consistent basis as it arrives. And, it can enable automation tied to content changes.

Examples include triggering review workflows when documents update and surfacing grouped views based on inferred attributes. These features help reduce friction for users navigating large collections.

At the site level, AI surfaces improvement suggestions based on usage patterns and can identify areas where users search for information. These insights are then leveraged to recommend content updates or new pages that align with observed needs.

Continuous improvement of the knowledge platform in response to real usage signals helps evolve the content and improve the structure over time. As a result, not only are AI outcomes strengthened within familiar SharePoint experiences, but daily productivity is improved.

Action to take

Review frequently used document libraries.
Apply metadata-based views and groupings.
Use AI recommendations to refine site structure and content placement.

Learn more: Create document library with AI - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

In closing

Teams that invest in content readiness will see strategic advantage in the long run as they will have strengthened content trust, alongside improved AI accuracy, higher productivity, and decision quality across Microsoft 365.

Looking ahead, the Microsoft 365 Conference (April 21-23, Orlando, Florida) includes several sessions which dive into the latest innovations coming in SharePoint including latest AI capabilities and best practices around libraries and metadata management. You can find out more about the conference via this blog post or register for the conference HERE.

Recommended sessions:

From Chaos to AI-Ready in 30 Days: Meet the SharePoint Admin Agent, Grounded by SAM (Tuesday, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM EST)
Meet AI in SharePoint (Tuesday, 2:45-3:30 PM EST)
AI in SharePoint: From Content Chaos to Clarity and Impact. Get Copilot Ready (Wednesday, 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM EST)
The Future of SharePoint: AI Ready to Discover, Publish and Build (Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:15 PM EST)
Using SharePoint AI to Solve Business Processes (Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:15 PM EST)
SharePoint: AI‑Forward Content Creation & Curation for the Modern Intranet (Thursday, 10:00 – 10:45 AM EST)

Announcing the winners of the SharePoint Hackathon 2026

VesaJuvonen — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:28:36 GMT

We are excited to announce the winners of the SharePoint Hackathon 2026. We had a total of 125 submissions on this hackathon by customers and partners. It was a great pleasure to review the submissions during the past week. Thanks you all for being part of the hackathon 🙏

SharePoint Hackathon was a two week long online event with 6 live streams. Attendee had an option to participate to submit video showcasing their creation built with SharePoint. We had six different official submission categories, and many submissions were valid for numerous categories. Judging was performed by the feature owners from Microsoft on the specific categories.

Award ceremony for the hackathon was live streamed in YouTube on Wednesday 26^th of March.

You can watch the recording of the award ceremony from the Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel.

Nominees and winners in categories

Most beautiful Intranet home page

Recognizes a SharePoint site with outstanding visual design, branding, layout, and usability that delivers a polished and engaging user experience.

Winner in this category was "Digital for Future" for the best SharePoint design category by Carlo Bresolin & Matteo Tomasulo 🥇