Event Recap - European Collab Summit 2026 - Cologne Germany
From May 5 to 7, 2026, the global Microsoft community came together in Cologne, Germany for the European Collaboration Summit 2026, a gathering of innovators, builders, and leaders shaping the future of work. With over 275 sessions spanning the European Collaboration, AI & Cloud, and BizApps Summits, Microsoft’s presence was both expansive and impactful, bringing together product leaders, engineers, and community voices to explore what’s next across Microsoft 365, Copilot, and AI-powered collaboration. ECS By the Numbers 2,800+ attendees 275+ sessions across three co-located conferences 248 speakers from 29 countries across 5 continents 58 Microsoft speakers, 11 Microsoft Regional Directors, and 106 Microsoft MVPs 51 Microsoft-led breakout sessions 3 Microsoft keynotes A Strong Microsoft Presence Across Every Track Microsoft played a central role at this year’s summit with: 3 keynote sessions 50+ Microsoft sessions across all conference tracks These sessions were delivered by product leaders, our community team, and engineering teams, providing both strategic direction and hands-on guidance for organizations navigating AI transformation. From collaboration to cloud to business applications, Microsoft content was woven throughout the event, ensuring attendees could connect insights across the entire modern work ecosystem. Key Themes: AI, Copilot, and the Era of Intelligent Work Across Microsoft’s sessions and keynotes, several core themes stood out. Copilot and AI Agents Take Center Stage From deep dives into Copilot extensibility to real-world scenarios with AI agents, sessions highlighted how organizations can move from experimentation to scale. Attendees explored how Copilot orchestrates information, integrates across Microsoft 365, and enables entirely new ways of working. Microsoft 365 as the Platform for Modern Work Sessions across Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive reinforced how the Microsoft 365 ecosystem continues to evolve into a unified platform, connecting communication, content, and workflows with AI built in. From Productivity to Transformation Keynotes from Microsoft leaders focused on how AI is fundamentally reshaping collaboration, content, and knowledge at scale, grounded in real customer scenarios and practical adoption strategies. Microsoft Keynotes: The Evolution of Agents at Microsoft and Everywhere - Marco Casalaina, Vice President of Products, Microsoft Azure AI Marco set the stage for how Microsoft is pushing the boundaries of AI — from foundation models to production-ready AI at scale — and how organizations can harness Azure AI to drive real business outcomes. The Age of the Agent: AI That Works for You - Julie Koesmarno, Principal Group Product Manager, Microsoft Julie explored how the age of the agent is here today — how AI is moving from a tool we use to a teammate we collaborate with — with live demos by Scott Durow. The Future of AI is Already Here - Adam Harmetz, Vice President of PM, Collaborative Apps & Platforms Adam closed out the Microsoft keynote series, walking attendees through the latest in Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, OneDrive, and the broader collaboration platform — with demos by Dan Holme, Erica Toelle, and Vesa Juvonen. Breakout Sessions: Practical, Technical, and Actionable CollabSummit sessions focused on preparing organizations to fully capitalize on Microsoft 365 Copilot — from technical readiness and adoption frameworks to ROI measurement, governance, and agent extensibility. Sessions dove deep into SharePoint as the knowledge platform for Copilot and agents, OneDrive innovations, Teams as an AI-driven work hub, and the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities. AI & Cloud Summit sessions gave professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesses a chance to explore opportunities with Azure, Copilot, OpenAI, and Microsoft Foundry — with a clear focus on the impact of cloud adoption and Responsible AI. BizApps Summit sessions spotlighted the Microsoft Power Platform, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Dynamics 365, and citizen development — helping attendees understand how low-code/no-code business applications and unified data are accelerating enterprise transformation. Highlights included: Copilot orchestration and extensibility AI-powered collaboration experiences in Teams SharePoint agents and content management innovation Enterprise AI development and automation scenarios These sessions provided both strategic guidance and hands-on techniques, helping attendees turn emerging AI capabilities into real business impact. Microsoft MVPs and Regional Directors 106 MVPs and 11 Regional Directors led sessions, lightning talks, and Innovation Hub experiences — sharing expertise on Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, Power Platform, Azure AI, and more. Their contributions enriched the community experience and reinforced the spirit of shared learning that defines ECS. Expo City: Where Innovation Came to Life At the heart of the event, Expo City brought Microsoft technologies to life through live demos, partner solutions, and hands-on experiences across Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Platform. At the Microsoft booth, attendees experienced: A central collaboration hub for 1:1 developer conversations and architecture deep dives The Microsoft Foundry Information Tower, showcasing the Agent Factory and production-ready AI at scale The Microsoft Lounge for deeper conversations on building with Microsoft AI A digital engagement screen with live demos and platform walkthroughs A Community-Driven Experience Beyond the sessions, what truly defined the European Collaboration Summit was its community. With thousands of attendees, from IT leaders and developers to MVPs and students, the event fostered meaningful conversations, knowledge-sharing, and lasting connections. From the opening keynote to the closing ceremony, ECS 2026 thrived on the energy of its community. The atmosphere was alive with enthusiasm, collaboration, and genuine camaraderie. Evening gatherings and the attendee party at Wartesaal am Dom — a vibrant mix of fun and networking with great music and local flavors. Community Panel — “So You Want to Run a CollabDays?” presented by Rodrigo Pinto, Thomas Goelles, Paul Hunt, and Thomas Vochten, giving the community a playbook for running successful local events. Women in Tech and Allies Panel — hosted by Heather Cook with Karuana Gatimu, Laura Dark, and community members Isidora Katanic and Michelle Okwudiafor. AI Competition Finals on the FutureMakers Stage — startup finalists pitched AI-focused products live, with the winning team taking home a bronze package for ECS 2027. Citroën Ami Giveaway — one lucky attendee drove away with an actual brand-new Citroën Ami, making the closing ceremony a packed, can’t-miss Thank You A huge thank you to every attendee, speaker, sponsor, and volunteer who helped bring ECS 2026 to life. Your passion, curiosity, and commitment made this year’s event truly exceptional — and a special thanks to Adis Jugo, Mustafa Toroman, Waldek Mastykarz, Garry Trinder, Brett Lonsdale, Margit Jugo, and the outstanding teams of volunteers and sponsors who continue to make this vision a reality. Looking Ahead The European Collaboration Summit 2026 once again proved why it remains a cornerstone event for the Microsoft ecosystem. The journey continues as the team looks towards ECS 2027 in Düsseldorf, Germany — May 18–20, 2027, already shaping another year of world-class sessions, community moments, and opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. As organizations continue to navigate the shift toward AI-powered work, the insights shared across Microsoft’s sessions — from Copilot to Teams to SharePoint — offered a clear takeaway: the future of collaboration is intelligent, connected, and community-driven. Until then — keep exploring, innovating, and collaborating. The future is bright, and together we’re redefining the way the world works. #CollabSummit | #ECS2026 | Come Curious. Leave Inspired.
📣 Getting Started with AI and MS Copilot - Arabic
👋 مرحبًا بالمعلمين والمعلمات! نأمل أن تكونوا بخير 🌟 هل ترغبون في استكشاف عالم الذكاء الاصطناعي مع Microsoft Copilot؟ ندعوكم لحضور جلسة "مقدمة إلى الذكاء الاصطناعي مع Copilot من مايكروسوفت"، المصمّمة خصيصًا للمعلمين الذين يبدؤون رحلتهم مع Copilot. في هذه الجلسة التفاعلية والعملية، سنقوم معًا برسم "وجهة أحلامنا" باستخدام الذكاء الاصطناعي، ونتعرّف على أساسيات الذكاء الاصطناعي التوليدي، كيفية كتابة تعليمات (Prompts) فعّالة، وأفضل الطرق لتوظيف هذه الأدوات داخل الصف الدراسي. 📌 الجلسة ستكون باللغة العربية، مع أمثلة واقعية، مواد جاهزة، ومساحة مخصصة لطرح الأسئلة والتجربة العملية. 📅 اللقاء سيتم عبر Join the meeting now
📣 Getting Started with AI and MS Copilot — Português
Olá, 👋 📢 Quer explorar IA e Microsoft Copilot de forma prática para o aprendizado? Participe da sessão “Introdução à IA com o uso do MS Copilot”, pensada especialmente para docentes que estão começando a usar o Copilot. Vamos aprender os fundamentos da IA generativa, como criar boas instruções e aplicar essas ferramentas na sala de aula. 📌 Sessão com exemplos práticos, materiais para utilizar e um espaço ideal para praticar e tirar dúvidas. No horário indicado, favor realizar acesso ao link.Getting Started with AI and MS Copilot - English
🚀 Ready to explore AI and Microsoft Copilot in a fun, hands-on way? Join our session: “Introduction to AI and Microsoft Copilot”—designed for educators who are just getting started! ✅ Learn the fundamentals of generative AI ✅ Master the art of creating effective prompts ✅ Discover practical ways to use these tools in your classroom ✅ Access ready-to-use teaching resources ✅ Practice with 10 interactive exercises 📅 Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your teaching with AI! #MicrosoftCopilot #Educators #Innovation #TeachingTools Getting Started with AI and MS Copilot - English | Meeting-Join | Microsoft TeamsEvent Guide - Microsoft at TechCon Chicago 2026
Join us in Chicago for TechCon 365! A premier Microsoft 365 and Power Platform training event featuring expert-led keynotes and sessions across Copilot, AI, Teams, Power Platform, Azure, SharePoint, Purview, and more. Whether you’re new to the platform or a seasoned admin, developer, or power user, you’ll find practical learning tailored to your role and goals. Shoutout to incredible event producers, Sharon Toler and David Wilhelm. Thank you for the partnership, your passion for supporting technical skilling and the community. Microsoft is happy to be a sponsor of this fantastic event. Thank you to the additional sponsors who participate. We’re grateful for everyone in this community who brings their energy and expertise, making this conference a can’t-miss highlight on the tech calendar each year. 101 on TechCon 365 in Chicago What: Microsoft 365 & Power Platform Conference Where: Chicago, IL - McCormick Place South When: June 15 to 19, 2026 Presenters: 130+ sessions, 25 workshops, 2 optional days of workshops to deepen your learning throughout the week. Cost: Register by May 29, 2026, and SAVE $200 of a 5-Day Pass! Price: $850 to $2,995 (there’s something for every budget, check ticket options!) Register today! Registration Savings: Use code MSCMTY to take $200 USD off your registration X & LinkedIn: @TechCon365 | TechCon365 Be Part of What’s Next Get ready for what’s next and learn what you can put into action today. With Microsoft MVPs, MCMs, Microsoft Program Managers, Microsoft Engineers, MCTs, and Microsoft Regional Directors all in one place for the week. Choose from over 150 sessions led by the experts who built the tools and solutions you use every day. TechCon 365 is an event designed to fit your experience level and area of interest. Make It Memorable From inspiring community spaces to special events (yes, including exclusive swag), this is more than a conference, it’s a full experience. Take advantage of Chicago flair and dedicated Community Meetups throughout the week to connect, recharge, and share perspectives with peers who are as passionate as you are. Register today | Note: Use the MSCMTY discount code to save $200 USD off registration. Building Connections Building connections at TechCon 365 Chicago is at the heart of the experience, bringing together a dynamic community of professionals passionate about Microsoft 365 and the future of work. Whether you’re engaging in conversations on the Expo floor or connecting during sessions and meetups, every interaction is an opportunity to learn from peers, exchange ideas, and expand your network. From first-time attendees to seasoned experts, TechCon 365 creates a welcoming environment where meaningful relationships are formed, collaborations take shape, and the community grows stronger together . Key Microsoft Sessions and Activities Keynote: Stepping Up to the Plate: Winning Strategies to Empower Your Team A keynote panel with host Heather Cook and panelists, Bryan Wofford, Charles Lakes II, Liam Cleary, Julie Turner, Shannon Lindsay, Mark Kashman (Wednesday 8:30 AM to 9:40 AM Central Time) In this keynote, you will learn that AI isn’t a solo sport. It’s a team game. It takes communication, trust, shared signals, and a commitment to help the entire lineup succeed. So, whether you’re stepping up to the plate, coaching from the dugout, or helping call the game from the front office, remember: the real power comes when we play as one team. Women in Tech Panel Host: Heather Cook. Panelists: Nisaini Rexach, Carrie White and April Delsing (Wednesday, 1:40 PM CT) All individuals, regardless of gender, are invited to join us to celebrate, talk about our progress, and focus on how we can continue to make the Microsoft ecosystem the best in the world for welcoming, mentoring and supporting women. Additionally, we aim to promote allyship and foster inclusiveness within our industry. Microsoft Led Breakout Sessions (Times are in Central Time (CT)) Building Enterprise AI Agents: From Low‑Code Copilot Studio to GitHub Copilot Integration with Minhaj Sahibzada (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Backstage event production with Microsoft 365 Copilot with Heather Cook and Bryan Wofford (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Secure and Govern AI and Agents with Microsoft & Agent 365 with Craig Jahnke and Sophie Ke (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Driving productivity with Power BI and M365 with Lada Hill and Lauren Faber (Wednesday 1:40 PM to 2:50 PM) Engage Everywhere: Communities, Events, and Storylines in Teams, Powered by AI with Steve Nguyen (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) How to Get What You Want: The Art of Prompt Engineering for Copilot with Michelle Gilbert (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) Avoiding the “Go-Live Hangover”: Battle-Tested Best Practices for Contact Center Implementations with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Setup M365 for Education: Copilot. Teams & More with Max Fritz (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Beyond Compliance: How Accessibility Improves Productivity in Microsoft 365 with Max Fritz (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) From Hocus Pocus to Focus: Contextualize Your Power BI Data with Stephanie Bruno and Shannon Lindsay (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Introduction to Vibing with the M365 Tools Frontier Agents and Power Platform with Ralph Rivas and Craig Jahnke (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Work Smarter with OneDrive: AI-Enhanced Productivity Across Microsoft 365 with Vishal Lodha (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) The Next Generation of Community Storytelling: Powered by AI with Jonathan Jones (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI Ready - An Evolutive Approach with Juan Carlos Chipi (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Accessibility by Design: Building Inclusive Experiences with Microsoft 365 and Copilot with Darryl Rowe and Laurie Allen (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Engage, Learn, Lead: Maximizing Impact with the Microsoft Tech Community with Josh Leporati (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) The Rise of AI Agents: Designing the Platforms That Power Enterprise AI with Marco Salas Robles and Kevin Leal (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) Voice Bots That Work: Designing AI Conversations Customers Don’t Hang Up On with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Thursday 2:10 PM to 3:20 PM) From Data Chaos to Copilot Confidence: Building a Secure Foundation with Purview & SAM with Bryan Wofford (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Extending Copilot with Connectors: Powering Intelligent Agents with Your Data with AJ Goldie (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Why Power BI Copilot Works (and When It Doesn’t) with Sanjay Raut and Dan English (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Your Copilot Adoption Playbook: Getting Started with Microsoft Adoption Resources with Gina Hoffman and Bryan Wofford (MCAG) (Friday 9:00 AM to10:10 AM) What’s New in the Microsoft 365 Copilot App: Your AI Command Center for Work with Michael Goad (Friday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI in SharePoint in Action with Bryan Wofford (Friday 10:20 AM to 11:30 AM) Building Smarter Agents: What’s New in Agent Builder and What’s Coming Next with AJ Goldie (Friday 12:30 PM to 1:40 PM) There are over 100 sessions being given by our wonderful community of consultants, business owners, Microsoft MVPs, user group leaders and MGCI Board Members and Regional Directors. Session days and times are subject to change, please see the TechCon Chicago website for the full agenda. Community Activities TechCon 365 Chicago offers a dynamic lineup of activities designed to bring the community together and create memorable, hands-on experiences. The Expo Hall serves as the central hub of energy, where attendees can explore solutions, connect with partners, and discover the latest innovations across Microsoft 365. Interactive spaces like Ask the Experts provide direct access to Microsoft specialists and MVPs for real-time guidance and insights. Networking lunches create a relaxed setting to build meaningful connections. Together, these experiences make TechCon 365 a vibrant, connection-driven environment from start to finish. Microsoft Community Booth The Microsoft Community Booth at TechCon 365 Chicago is a space to connect directly with Microsoft product teams and Microsoft MVPs. Pick up some laptop stickers and giveaway. Learn about community programs and enter to win daily prizes. You’ll find the Microsoft Community Booth in the TechCon 365 Expo Hall We’ll host a meetup and photo for members and those curious about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) on Wednesday June 17 th during lunch, get a place and look for the signs, will be close to the Microsoft Community Booth. Join us in the Microsoft Community Booth for a Microsoft MVP photo on Wednesday, June 17 at 1:30pm at the end of lunch. A Few Tips for attendees Review the agenda and map out your must-see sessions Visit the Expo Floor to meet Microsoft teams and partners Join meetups for fresh connections Share your learnings and follow up after the event to keep the networking alive Stay hydrated and dress for comfort Follow TechCon 365 on LinkedIn and X, and use #TechCon365 for updates and community stories. Stay connected on Microsoft channels Microsoft Community LinkedIn Page: https://aka.ms/MSCommunityLinkedin Microsoft Tech Community: https://aka.ms/JoinMTC MSFT Adoption Twitter: https://aka.ms/MSFTAdoptionTwitter Microsoft Adoption Hub: https://aka.ms/AdoptionHub Microsoft Community Learning YouTube: https://aka.ms/community/learning One-Stop Shop for Community Events: https://www.communitydays.org Mondays at Microsoft News Show: https://aka.ms/MondaysatMicrosoft Secure Your Spot! Truly, I hope you’ll join us. Register today and use code MSCMTY for $200 USD off. This is your moment to learn, connect, and be inspired. Mark your calendar for June 15 to 19, 2026 and come make Chicago part of your tech story. We can’t wait to see you there! WOOTWOOT! Chicago is a busy city in the Summer, and there is lots going on that week. The Cubbies are at home, there are tons of musicals, and the Obama Library is opening. 2026 June: Calendar of Chicago's Events | EventGuide Visit Chicago Events from Tuesday, June 16th - Wednesday, June 17th | Choose Chicago Cheers, Heather CookEmbracing Responsible AI: A Comprehensive Guide and Call to Action
In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the need for responsible AI practices has never been more critical. From healthcare to finance, AI systems influence decisions affecting millions of people. As developers, organizations, and users, we are responsible for ensuring that these technologies are designed, deployed, and evaluated ethically. This blog will delve into the principles of responsible AI, the importance of assessing generative AI applications, and provide a call to action to engage with the Microsoft Learn Module on responsible AI evaluations. What is Responsible AI? Responsible AI encompasses a set of principles and practices aimed at ensuring that AI technologies are developed and used in ways that are ethical, fair, and accountable. Here are the core principles that define responsible AI: Fairness AI systems must be designed to avoid bias and discrimination. This means ensuring that the data used to train these systems is representative and that the algorithms do not favor one group over another. Fairness is crucial in applications like hiring, lending, and law enforcement, where biased AI can lead to significant societal harm. Transparency Transparency involves making AI systems understandable to users and stakeholders. This includes providing clear explanations of how AI models make decisions and what data they use. Transparency builds trust and allows users to challenge or question AI decisions when necessary. Accountability Developers and organizations must be held accountable for the outcomes of their AI systems. This includes establishing clear lines of responsibility for AI decisions and ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to address any negative consequences that arise from AI use. Privacy AI systems often rely on vast amounts of data, raising concerns about user privacy. Responsible AI practices involve implementing robust data protection measures, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR, and being transparent about how user data is collected, stored, and used. The Importance of Evaluating Generative AI Applications Generative AI, which includes technologies that can create text, images, music, and more, presents unique challenges and opportunities. Evaluating these applications is essential for several reasons: Quality Assessment Evaluating the output quality of generative AI applications is crucial to ensure that they meet user expectations and ethical standards. Poor-quality outputs can lead to misinformation, misrepresentation, and a loss of trust in AI technologies. Custom Evaluators Learning to create and use custom evaluators allows developers to tailor assessments to specific applications and contexts. This flexibility is vital in ensuring that the evaluation process aligns with the intended use of the AI system. Synthetic Datasets Generative AI can be used to create synthetic datasets, which can help in training AI models while addressing privacy concerns and data scarcity. Evaluating these synthetic datasets is essential to ensure they are representative and do not introduce bias. Call to Action: Engage with the Microsoft Learn Module To deepen your understanding of responsible AI and enhance your skills in evaluating generative AI applications, I encourage you to explore the Microsoft Learn Module available at this link. What You Will Learn: Concepts and Methodologies: The module covers essential frameworks for evaluating generative AI, including best practices and methodologies that can be applied across various domains. Hands-On Exercises: Engage in practical, code-first exercises that simulate real-world scenarios. These exercises will help you apply the concepts learned tangibly, reinforcing your understanding. Prerequisites: An Azure subscription (you can create one for free). Basic familiarity with Azure and Python programming. Tools like Docker and Visual Studio Code for local development. Why This Matters By participating in this module, you are not just enhancing your skills; you are contributing to a broader movement towards responsible AI. As AI technologies continue to evolve, the demand for professionals who understand and prioritize ethical considerations will only grow. Your engagement in this learning journey can help shape the future of AI, ensuring it serves humanity positively and equitably. Conclusion As we navigate the complexities of AI technology, we must prioritize responsible AI practices. By engaging with educational resources like the Microsoft Learn Module on responsible AI evaluations, we can equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills necessary to create AI systems that are not only innovative but also ethical and responsible. Join the movement towards responsible AI today! Take the first step by exploring the Microsoft Learn Module and become an advocate for ethical AI practices in your community and beyond. Together, we can ensure that AI serves as a force for good in our society. References Evaluate generative AI applications https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/evaluate-generative-ai-apps/?wt.mc_id=studentamb_263805 Azure Subscription for Students https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/?wt.mc_id=studentamb_263805 Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/?wt.mc_id=studentamb_263805
Getting Started with AI and MS Copilot - French
Souhaitez-vous découvrir l’intelligence artificielle (IA) et Microsoft Copilot de manière pratique et ludique ? Nous vous invitons à participer à la séance intitulée « Introduction à l’IA et Microsoft Copilot », spécialement conçue pour les membres du corps enseignant qui débutent avec Microsoft Copilot. Cette séance vous permettra d’acquérir les notions fondamentales de l’IA générative, de comprendre comment formuler des requêtes efficaces (invites, ou « prompts ») et d’explorer comment appliquer ces outils en classe. Vous aurez accès à des supports pédagogiques que vous pourrez utiliser en classe et vous aurez l’occasion de mettre vos connaissances en pratique à travers 10 exercices. Rejoignez la réunion iciStudent Devs: Build AI Agents, Compete for $55K in Prizes
Student Devs: Build AI Agents, Compete for $55K in Prizes 🎮 AI Skills Fest • June 4–14, 2026 • Free to Enter $55K Prize Pool 3 Challenge Tracks 10 Days of Hacking Free To Enter Whether you're a first-year CS student or a final-year senior with a portfolio full of projects, Agents League is the best way to gain hands-on experience with agentic AI this summer and walk away with real skills employers are hiring for right now. What You'll Actually Learn Forget passive tutorials. Agents League is project-based learning at full speed. By the end of the hackathon, you'll have built a working AI agent and gained practical experience with the tools shaping the future of software development. 🤖 AI-Assisted Development Use GitHub Copilot to accelerate your coding workflow — from scaffolding to debugging — the way professional developers do today. 🧩 Multi-Step Reasoning Build agents with Microsoft Foundry that can plan, reason, and execute complex tasks — the core of agentic AI. 🏢 Enterprise AI Patterns Learn to build production-ready agents that integrate with Microsoft 365 and Copilot Studio — skills that translate directly to industry jobs. 🔧 Prompt Engineering Design effective prompts and orchestration flows that make AI agents reliable and useful in the real world. 📦 GitHub Workflows Submit your project through GitHub — practising version control, README writing, and open-source collaboration. 🎯 Competitive Problem-Solving Work under real constraints with deadlines, judging criteria, and peer competition — just like industry hackathons and sprints. Pick Your Track (or Try All Three) Agents League has three challenge tracks, each using different Microsoft AI tools. Choose based on your interests or stretch yourself by competing in multiple tracks. Track 01. Creative Apps Build an innovative application with AI-assisted development. This track rewards creativity, dream big and let GitHub Copilot help you bring ideas to life faster than ever. Tool: GitHub Copilot Track 02. Reasoning Agents Create intelligent agents that solve complex problems through multi-step reasoning. Think: agents that can research, plan, and act. This is the cutting edge of AI. Tool: Microsoft Foundry Track 03. Enterprise Agents Build knowledge agents that integrate with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Learn how businesses are deploying AI today and add enterprise AI to your skillset. Tool: Copilot Studio • M365 Opportunities You Won't Want to Miss Agents League isn't just a competition, it's a launchpad. Here's what's in it for you beyond the code: 💰 Win from a $55,000 USD Prize Pool Prizes are awarded across all three tracks smaller teams and solo hackers have a real shot. 📺 Watch Live Coding Battles at Microsoft Reactor See industry experts go head-to-head building AI agents live. Learn advanced techniques you can apply immediately to your own project. 🎓 Free Learning Resources on Microsoft Learn Access curated learning paths and the AI Skills Navigator, structured content designed to get you from zero to submission-ready. 🌍 Join a Global Developer Community Connect with thousands of developers on the Agents League Discord. Find teammates, ask questions, and build your professional network. 📂 Build Your Portfolio with a Real Project Every submission lives on GitHub. Walk away with a polished, public project that demonstrates your AI skills to future employers and grad schools. 🏆 Gain Recognition from Microsoft and the Community Top projects get visibility across the Microsoft developer ecosystem. Stand out from the crowd in internship and job applications. Key Dates to Remember Event Date Hacking Period Opens June 4, 2026 Registration Deadline June 12, 2026 — 12:00 PM PT Submission Deadline June 14, 2026 — 11:59 PM PT How to Get Started (Right Now) You don't have to wait until June 4th to start preparing. Here's your pre-hackathon game plan: Register for the hackathon it's free and open to everyone. Pick a track that matches your interests or curiosity. Explore the learning resources on Microsoft Learn and the AI Skills Navigator. Join the Discord community to find teammates and get early tips. Watch the Reactor event series for live coding battles and expert walkthroughs. Set up your GitHub repo and start experimenting before the hacking window opens. Helpful Links Register for Agents League Free entry, sign up now Microsoft Reactor Events Live coding battles & workshops AI Skills Fest The broader event Microsoft Learn Free learning paths The Arena Awaits 🏆 Ten days. Three tracks. $55K in prizes. Whether you go solo or squad up, this is your chance to build something real with AI and have a blast doing it. Register Now It's Free | Watch Reactor Events Agents League is part of AI Skills Fest and is open to the public at no cost. Review the Hackathon Rules and Regulations and the Microsoft Event Code of Conduct before participating.Agent Builder, Copilot Studio, or Azure AI Foundry: How We Decide for Every Client
Every client conversation starts the same way. Someone has seen a demo, attended an Ignite session, or read a press release. They want to build an agent. Then comes the question that derails more projects than any technical challenge: "Which tool should we use?" After deploying agents for clients across industries - insurance, professional services, manufacturing, public sector - we have developed a repeatable framework for answering that question. It is not based on which tool is newest or which has the best marketing. It is based on where projects actually succeed or fail in production. The three tools are not competitors The first mistake most teams make is treating Agent Builder, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry as a hierarchy - basic, intermediate, advanced. That framing leads to bad decisions. They are not a ladder. They are three distinct tools built for three distinct contexts. The right question is not "which tool is most powerful?" It is "which tool fits this project's constraints?" The framework: 4 questions We evaluate every project against four dimensions before recommending a tool: Who is building it? Where do users live? How complex is the logic? Who owns it after go-live? Agent Builder Copilot Studio Azure AI Foundry Builder profile Maker, no code Developer / power user Pro developer, Python User surface M365 Copilot Chat Teams, web, M365 Copilot Custom app, any surface Logic complexity Simple Q&A, task routing Multi-step flows, connectors Fully custom orchestration Post-go-live ownership Business team IT + Business joint Engineering team Governance M365 Admin Center Power Platform DLP Custom, Azure RBAC When we recommend Agent Builder Agent Builder is the right call when the business team wants to own the agent end-to-end, the use case is bounded, and the users already live inside M365 Copilot Chat. The key advantage is distribution - an Agent Builder agent surfaces natively inside Copilot Chat with zero additional deployment work. No IT ticket, no app registration, no Teams app package. The ceiling is real. Agent Builder does not support complex branching logic, external API calls, or dynamic prompt injection. The moment a client asks "can it also update a record in our CRM?" the answer is usually no. Use it when: The maker owns it, the use case is narrow, and M365 Copilot is already the user's primary surface. When we recommend Copilot Studio Copilot Studio is our default recommendation for the majority of enterprise agent projects. It covers the wide middle ground between no-code simplicity and full-code flexibility - within the Microsoft governance perimeter most enterprise IT teams already control. Power Platform connectors - 1,000+ out-of-the-box connectors means most enterprise data sources are reachable without custom API development M365 Copilot channel - surface a Copilot Studio agent directly inside M365 Copilot Chat, Agent Builder-level distribution with enterprise-grade logic underneath Topic-level governance - fallback behaviors, confidence thresholds, escalation paths configurable without code DLP policy enforcement - the agent operates within the same data loss prevention perimeter as the rest of the Power Platform tenant The most common mistake: under-investing in the knowledge layer. The agent authoring is the easy part. Getting SharePoint content structured, metadata consistent, and documents deduplicated is where most projects hit delays. Budget for it. Use it when: The use case requires connectors, dynamic responses, or M365 Copilot integration - and you want IT to own governance without requiring a developer team. When we recommend Azure AI Foundry Foundry is the right call when you need to bring your own model, build a fully custom orchestration pipeline, or integrate into a surface that has nothing to do with Microsoft 365. In practice, this means one of three scenarios: The client has a model fine-tuned on proprietary data that must be used The agent is embedded inside a custom-built web or mobile application The logic requires Python-level control - complex reasoning chains, multi-agent coordination, custom evaluation loops Foundry projects require a professional developer, take longer, and produce something the business team cannot maintain without engineering support. That is not a reason to avoid it - it is a reason to be honest with the client upfront. Use it when: You need full control of the model, the orchestration, or the surface - and you have a developer team to own it. The question that resolves most debates When a client is torn between Copilot Studio and Foundry, we ask one question: "Who is answering the 2am support call when this breaks in production?" If the answer is a developer, Foundry is viable. If the answer is the IT admin or the business owner, Copilot Studio is the right call. Not because Foundry is unreliable, but because the operational model has to match the tool. More projects fail from ownership mismatch than from technical limitations. What we see go wrong Reaching for Foundry too early. Developers often want full control and reach for Foundry before validating the use case. We have rebuilt several Foundry POCs in Copilot Studio when the production constraints called for it - faster to ship and cheaper to run. Under-scoping Agent Builder. Business teams choose Agent Builder because it looks simple, then hit the ceiling at month two. The re-platform cost is higher than building in Copilot Studio from the start. Ignoring the M365 Copilot channel. Many Copilot Studio projects are deployed as standalone Teams apps when they could surface directly inside M365 Copilot Chat. The distribution advantage is significant and underused. The short version Agent Builder - maker-owned, bounded use case, M365 Copilot surface, fast Copilot Studio - IT + business joint ownership, connectors, production governance, M365 Copilot integration Azure AI Foundry - developer-owned, custom model or surface, full control, higher cost Start with the ownership model. Everything else follows. Elliot Margot - Team Lead Jumpstart, Copilot and Agents at Witivio (Microsoft Partner). Connect on https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-margot-52742a156/.Microsoft Excel Beginners Tutorial (2026)
If you’re new to and getting started with Excel or coming from another app, in this video we teach the basics of Excel, the user interface, core concepts, and how to work with basic data. We’ll show you how to build a full Excel workbook from scratch using natural language prompts with Copilot. Format cells, write formulas, and analyze a year of data. Generate sample data, calculate totals, apply conditional formatting, and pin down outliers across columns and rows, all from your browser at excel.new. Share the workbook by name, group, or email and co-author with teammates across web, desktop, and phone. Every edit syncs to OneDrive in real time. Jeremy Chapman, Microsoft 365 Director, shares how to go from blank workbook to analyzed, shared spreadsheet in one sitting. A full data set with only one prompt. Copilot in Excel builds categories, columns, and currency-formatted cells from a natural language prompt. Try it now. Skip the formula syntax. Copilot inserts row and column totals from natural language prompts and exposes the underlying SUM logic so you can verify the math. See how it works. Pull reasoning out of your spreadsheet. Copilot in Excel surfaces the highest- and lowest-cost months and explains the drivers behind each. Try it in Excel. QUICK LINKS: 00:00 — Excel Essentials 00:57 — Start from a blank workbook 02:11 — Core terms and concepts 04:25 — Generate Sample Data with Copilot 06:16 — How to work with the numbers 09:35 — Copilot Writes Your SUM Formulas 09:57 — Conditional Formatting from a Prompt 10:40 — Outlier Analysis with Reasoning 11:36 — Real-Time Co-Authoring in OneDrive 12:22 — Wrap up Link References Check it out at https://microsoft.com/excel Unfamiliar with Microsoft Mechanics? As Microsoft’s official video series for IT, you can watch and share valuable content and demos of current and upcoming tech from the people who build it at Microsoft. Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MicrosoftMechanicsSeries Talk with other IT Pros, join us on the Microsoft Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-mechanics-blog/bg-p/MicrosoftMechanicsBlog Watch or listen from anywhere, subscribe to our podcast: https://microsoftmechanics.libsyn.com/podcast Keep getting this insider knowledge, join us on social: Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSFTMechanics Share knowledge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft-mechanics/ Enjoy us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msftmechanics/ Loosen up with us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@msftmechanics Video Transcript: -Microsoft Excel can help you organize information, perform calculations, and discover patterns in your data all in one place, and you can get to it on your PC, your Mac, your phone, or on the web. I’m Jeremy Chapman, and I’ve been part of the product team responsible for Office at Microsoft since 2012. And today, I’ll walk you through the essentials of Excel and how to use it. So first, if you have a Microsoft account, like outlook.com, OneDrive, or Xbox, or if you use Microsoft 365 at work, you can use Excel on the web, in your browser, and you can get to Excel by navigating to excel.new. And by the way, if you have the Excel app installed, you can open that on your computer or your phone and follow along. When you’re signed into your work or personal Microsoft account, Excel saves your files to OneDrive, so you can easily find them and pull them up on other devices later. -So for today, I’ll keep things simple. So I’ll start with a blank workbook Using Excel on the web. Wherever you use Excel, it’s designed to be a consistent experience on large screen devices, so you can follow along if you’re using the local app on Windows or on a Mac. And Excel is designed to organize any kind of information, numbers, dates, texts, and more. In the main view, you can see that I have columns and rows all ready to enter data. In most cases, there’s a one-time step to create what’s called a workbook in Excel, which I have one open here. Now this is where you’ll use and create a blank workbook, or you can choose from dozens of different templates that are filled in with sample data and formatting to get you started. At that point, you can enter your data, your headers, and start formatting your cells. -Now if you have existing data in a table in another app, you can open it with Excel or just paste in the contents to start working with it. On top, Excel has what’s called the ribbon, with groups of controls presented as tabs that you can use. Within each tab, there are smaller groups of controls, like you can see here with the fonts, alignment, and number. Now let me define a few core names and concepts that you’ll use when you work with Excel in this workbook to manage data. So each field or rectangle that you can see here as I’m highlighting them, these are called cells. Then you have columns, and those are the vertical lines of cells, and those are represented with letters on top. -Next you have rows, and those are the horizontal lines, and those are represented by numbers. For example, the upper left cell is called A1, A for the column name and 1 for the row name. Now a block of multiple connected cells is called a range. So here, for example, I’ve selected range A1 to D4. Right now I’m in a sheet called Sheet1, and you can see in the lower left corner, I can add more sheets, like I’ll do now, and then I can move between multiple sheets and reference data across them as well. But I won’t do that today. -So now I’m going to go ahead and go back to Sheet1. And if you right-click and go to Format Cells, you’ll find options for things like number formats, for example, currency, date, time, and percentage. And on the Home tab, the font group is another place to change these settings, as well as Fill, which lets you change the background color for cells, columns, or rows. I’m going to add some text in this cell as a title for what I want to create today, a monthly expense tracker. Now this text looks like it’s spilling into cell B1, but it’s actually just in cell A1. So I can widen or narrow the columns as much as I want. And if I want this title to span several columns, like in my case, I know that I’m going to need 12 months. So I’ll go ahead and select rows M1 all the way back to A1. Then in the alignment group, I’ll choose the Merge & Center option right here, and that makes my 13 cells into one with the text centered. -So now, in the font group, I can choose the fill color that I want. So in my case, I’ll pick blue. Then for the font color, I’d like to choose something contrasting. So I’ll choose white in my case. And by using these formatting options, you can make things a lot easier to understand as you work with your data. But we still need some content, so let’s add some. So for that, I can use AI with Copilot to generate sample data. So I’m going to go ahead and pull up Copilot and type, “Generate monthly personal finance data for one year with months for columns and expense categories as rows, including sample data. Do not add columns or rows with totals.” -Now I added that last sentence because I want to show you how to calculate totals yourself in a moment. The Copilot is part of Excel on the web and in the desktop and mobile apps if you’re using Microsoft 365 Personal or a work or school account. And you’ll see, once it’s finished, that Copilot generated a Category column and several month columns, as well as multiple rows with different expense types all filled in with the sample data that I asked for. Now notice that it also formatted the row 2 and column A using formatting options that I mentioned before. And each cell in the middle is also formatted as a currency number with a dollar sign. -So I want to add a row here, in my case, for car payment. And you’ll see that it doesn’t match the others yet, and I’ll fix that in a second. Now I’ll add an amount for January, 300. And since this is the same amount every month, I can just select the cell. Then using this square in the lower right corner, I can just drag across the other months, and each, in this case, will have the same number, 300. Let’s fix our formatting. Now, to make the dollar amounts match the cells above, I’ll select this one above my new row, then click on the Format painter, this paintbrush icon here, then I’ll select my new cells. And now they all match. Now I can do the same thing for my Car Payment label in cell A16. -So now I have some formatted data to work with and I can show you how to work with those numbers. I’ll use the Formulas ribbon where you’ll see the most common options to analyze data. For example, if I select all the cells with numbers in column B, then I go up and click on AutoSum, it adds all of the numbers in that column. In fact, now if I click on that cell in the formula bar, I can see a simple formula. Now these start with an equal sign, in my case, SUM as the function itself. Then I have an open parentheses with my range, in my case, B3 to B16, and close parentheses for what I want to calculate. Now that was an example of a very simple formula. Like I did before with the numbers, I can even drag formulas into blank cells. -So I’ll go ahead and grab this one again by the lower right corner square and drag it across all of my columns. So that now has copied the original formula from the B column and duplicated it for each of the other columns. But as I click into each one, notice something that just happened, I have the column letters B all the way through M to each corresponding formula. That makes each sum specific to each of these column months. Likewise, I can select and drag entire columns into blank areas to fill in that data too. And because Excel detected a series of month names in row 2, it even filled in Jan as the new month name for the new cells that I added. Now let’s try another basic formula. For that, I’m going to select all the numbers above the totals row in column B. -Now I’m going to choose Average, and that adds a cell with the average across the entire range that I just selected. So now I want to clean up a few cells. And when you go to delete data, you’ll need to know a few different options. So first, I’ll select the month cells that I just added. And if I just hit the Delete key, it leaves the formatting in those columns, like this blue cell here. This is also called clearing content. I’ll use the Control key + Z simultaneously to bring that content back and undo changes. Now I’m going to go ahead and select the same cells. And when I right-click, you’ll see that there are options to Insert or Delete along with Clear Contents like I just did using the Delete key. -So this time, I’ll choose Delete, and then I have options to delete a column or shift cells left or up. In my case, deleting column N and shifting cells left will clear the contents and formatting. I’ll choose Shift cells left. So now I’ll clear the contents of rows 17 and 18 with my sums and the average to get my content data ready for other ways to analyze it. And there are hundreds of formula options in Excel. In fact, if I expand Financial functions, there are dozens related to accounting and finance. and hovering over each explains how they are used. And in math and trig, for example, there are dozens more that may look familiar if you’ve ever used a scientific calculator. And here I’m just scratching the surface. Those are just a few highlights of the functions that you can use. -But what if you know how to describe what you want but don’t know the function for it? And that’s another area where Copilot helps you get started. So this time, I’ll use Copilot to calculate the totals. I’ll type, “Add a row and column with totals for each month in category.” And Copilot adds the totals by month and even a new column with the totals per category. Copilot will also help with cell formatting. So if I add, “Make the cells you just added with formulas white and bold text in black,” in my prompt, Copilot then reformats those cells too. And you can also add colors to each cell to easily spot differences across these numbers using something called conditional formatting, which is something else that Copilot can help with. I’ll type, “Add conditional formatting in each row to highlight low and high numbers.” -And now we can see where the numbers are the lowest and the highest compared to the others in the same expense category for each month. So you just need to describe what you want and Copilot will do the rest. Now let’s go ahead and move on to deeper analysis of our data. With conditional formatting applied, it’s easier to see each month and how it varies in costs across our different categories. So let’s find some outliers. So I’ll ask Copilot, “What months have the highest expenses and why?” And Copilot analyzes the information and finds the months with the highest expenses. -Then for each, it explains why with the most likely reasons. In this case, December is my highest, and that’s likely due to holiday spending and seasonality. July is the next highest, likely due to air conditioning for utilities costs and the rest of the summer activities that were happening in July. Then August was third highest, also with more travel, AC costs, and dining out. The key insights here summarize what Copilot found with reasoning for increases and decreases along with the lowest months as well. And one more core component that I’ll touch on today is how Excel lets you edit workbooks simultaneously with others. -As I mentioned in the beginning, when you’re using Excel, signed in with a Microsoft account, or using Microsoft 365 at work or at school, it stores your files in OneDrive by default. Now, it also means that when you share an Excel workbook with other people using their name, group, or email, I’ll add Adele here, for example, and hit Send. Then they will be able to open the Excel workbook on their computer or phone and simultaneously edit it with you. And while you co-author with other people as changes are made, like with Adele here, changing the amounts for dining out and entertainment in January, they are saved to the same file. -So those are the basic concepts to navigate Excel, format data, analyze it, and work with others using sharing. And I showed you how Copilot AI can help you as you get started. To learn more, check out microsoft.com/excel. And be sure to subscribe to Microsoft Mechanics for the latest updates, and thanks for watching.
