Announcing Healthcare AI Models in Azure AI Model Catalog
Modern medicine encompasses various data modalities, including medical imaging, genomics, clinical records, and other structured and unstructured data sources. Understanding the intricacies of this multimodal environment, Azure AI onboards specialized healthcare AI models that go beyond traditional text-based applications, providing robust solutions tailored to healthcare's unique challenges.Open AI’s GPT-5.1-codex-max in Microsoft Foundry: Igniting a New Era for Enterprise Developers
Announcing GPT-5.1-codex-max: The Future of Enterprise Coding Starts Now We’re thrilled to announce the general availability of OpenAI's GPT-5.1-codex-max in Microsoft Foundry Models; a leap forward that redefines what’s possible for enterprise-grade coding agents. This isn’t just another model release; it’s a celebration of innovation, partnership, and the relentless pursuit of developer empowerment. At Microsoft Ignite, we unveiled Microsoft Foundry: a unified platform where businesses can confidently choose the right model for every job, backed by enterprise-grade reliability. Foundry brings together the best from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Black Forest Labs, Cohere, Meta, Mistral, and Microsoft’s own breakthroughs, all under one roof. Our partnership with Anthropic is a testament to our commitment to giving developers access to the most advanced, safe, and high-performing models in the industry. And now, with GPT-5.1-codex-max joining the Foundry family, the possibilities for intelligent applications and agentic workflows have never been greater. GPT 5.1-codex-max is available today in Microsoft Foundry and accessible in Visual Studio Code via the Foundry extension . Meet GPT-5.1-codex-max: Enterprise-Grade Coding Agent for Complex Projects GPT-5.1-codex-max is engineered for those who build the future. Imagine tackling complex, long-running projects without losing context or momentum. GPT-5.1-codex-max delivers efficiency at scale, cross-platform readiness, and proven performance with top scores on SWE-Bench (77.9), the gold standard for AI coding. With GPT-5.1-codex-max, developers can focus on creativity and problem-solving, while the model handles the heavy lifting. GPT-5.1-codex-max isn’t just powerful; it’s practical, designed to solve real challenges for enterprise developers: Multi-Agent Coding Workflows: Automate repetitive tasks across microservices, maintaining shared context for seamless collaboration. Enterprise App Modernization: Effortlessly refactor legacy .NET and Java applications into cloud-native architectures. Secure API Development: Generate and validate secure API endpoints, with `compliance checks built-in for peace of mind. Continuous Integration Support: Integrate GPT-5.1-codex-max into CI/CD pipelines for automated code reviews and test generation, accelerating delivery cycles. These use cases are just the beginning. GPT-5.1-codex-max is your partner in building robust, scalable, and secure solutions. Foundry: Platform Built for Developers Who Build the Future Foundry is more than a model catalog—it’s an enterprise AI platform designed for developers who need choice, reliability, and speed. • Choice Without Compromise: Access the widest range of models, including frontier models from leading model providers. • Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure: Built-in security, observability, and governance for responsible AI at scale. • Integrated Developer Experience: From GitHub to Visual Studio Code, Foundry connects with tools developers love for a frictionless build-to-deploy journey. Start Building Smarter with GPT-5.1-codex-max in Foundry The future is here, and it’s yours to shape. Supercharge your coding workflows with GPT-5.1-codex-max in Microsoft Foundry today. Learn more about Microsoft Foundry: aka.ms/IgniteFoundryModels. Watch Ignite sessions for deep dives and demos: ignite.microsoft.com. Build faster, smarter, and with confidence on the platform redefining enterprise AI.Foundry Agent Service at Ignite 2025: Simple to Build. Powerful to Deploy. Trusted to Operate.
The upgraded Foundry Agent Service delivers a unified, simplified platform with managed hosting, built-in memory, tool catalogs, and seamless integration with Microsoft Agent Framework. Developers can now deploy agents faster and more securely, leveraging one-click publishing to Microsoft 365 and advanced governance features for streamlined enterprise AI operations.
Azure OpenAI Model Upgrades: Prompt Safety Pitfalls with GPT-4o and Beyond
Upgrading to New Azure OpenAI Models? Beware Your Old Prompts Might Break. I recently worked on upgrading our Azure OpenAI integration from gpt-35-turbo to gpt-4o-mini, expecting it to be a straightforward configuration change. Just update the Azure Foundry resource endpoint, change the model name, deploy the code — and voilà, everything should work as before. Right? Not quite. The Unexpected Roadblock As soon as I deployed the updated code, I started seeing 400 status errors from the OpenAI endpoint. The message was cryptic: The response was filtered due to the prompt triggering Azure OpenAI's content management policy. At first, I assumed it was a bug in my SDK call or a malformed payload. But after digging deeper, I realized this wasn’t a technical failure — it was a content safety filter kicking in before the prompt even reached the model. The Prompt That Broke It Here’s the original system prompt that worked perfectly with gpt-35-turbo: YOU ARE A QNA EXTRACTOR IN TEXT FORMAT. YOU WILL GET A SET OF SURVEYJS QNA JSONS. YOU WILL CONVERT THAT INTO A TEXT DOCUMENT. FOR THE QUESTIONS WHERE NO ANSWER WAS GIVEN, MARK THOSE AS NO ANSWER. HERE IS THE QNA: BE CREATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL. I WANT TO GENERATE A DOCUMENT TO BE PUBLISHED. {{$style}} +++++ {{$input}} +++++ This prompt had been reliable for months. But with gpt-4o-mini, it triggered Azure’s new input safety layer, introduced in mid-2024. What Changed with GPT-4o-mini? Unlike gpt-35-turbo, the gpt-4o family: Applies stricter content filtering — not just on the output, but also on the input prompt. Treats system messages and user messages as role-based chat messages, passing them through moderation before the model sees them. Flags prompts that look like prompt injection attempts like aggressive instructions like “YOU ARE…”, “BE CREATIVE”, “GENERATE”, “PROFESSIONAL”. Flags unusual formatting (like `+++++`), artificial delimiters or token markers as it may look like encoded content. In short, the model didn’t even get a chance to process my prompt — it was blocked at the gate. Fixing It: Softening the Prompt The solution wasn’t to rewrite the entire logic, but to soften the system prompt and remove formatting that could be misinterpreted. Here’s what helped: - Replacing “YOU ARE…” with a gentler instruction like “Please help convert the following Q&A data…” - Removing creative directives like “BE CREATIVE” or “PROFESSIONAL” unless clearly contextualized. - Avoiding raw JSON markers and template syntax (`{{ }}`, `+++++`) in the prompt. Once I made these changes, the model responded smoothly — and the upgrade was finally complete. Evolving the Prompt — Not Abandoning It Interestingly, for some prompts I didn’t have to completely eliminate the “YOU ARE…” structure. Instead, I refined it to be more natural and less directive. Here’s a comparison: ❌ Old Prompt (Blocked) ✅ New Prompt (Accepted) YOU ARE A SOURCING AND PROCUREMENT MANAGER. YOU WILL GET BUYER'S REQUIREMENTS IN QNA FORMAT. HERE IS THE QNA: {{$input}} +++++ YOU WILL GENERATE TOP 10 {{$category}} RELATED QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE ASKED OF A SUPPLIER IN JSON FORMAT. THE JSON MUST HAVE QUESTION NUMBER AS THE KEY AND QUESTION TEXT AS THE QUESTION. DON'T ADD ANY DESCRIPTION TEXT OR FORMATTING IN THE OUTPUT. BE CREATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL. I WANT TO GENERATE AN RFX. You are an AI assistant that helps clarify sourcing requirements. You will receive buyer's requirements in QnA format. Here is the QnA: {$input} Your task is to generate the top 10 {$category} related questions that can be asked of a supplier, in JSON format. - The JSON must use the question number as the key and the question text as the value. - Do not include any description text or formatting in the output. - Focus on creating clear, professional, and relevant questions that will help prepare an RFX. Key Takeaways - Model upgrades aren’t just about configuration changes — they can introduce new moderation layers that affect prompt design. - Prompt safety filtering is now a first-class citizen in Azure OpenAI, especially for newer models. - System prompts need to be rewritten with moderation in mind, not just clarity or creativity. This experience reminded me that even small upgrades can surface big learning moments. If you're planning to move to gpt-4o-mini or any newer Azure OpenAI model, take a moment to review your prompts — they might need a little more finesse than before.
