MPPC is officially in full swing here in the beautiful Las Vegas, NV. The conference started out with a bang as Charles Lamanna hosted the opening keynote to the 2nd annual Microsoft Power Platform Conference. This keynote hyper focused on the age of AI and Copilot. It boldly challenged the notion that AI is a distant future concept; instead, it emphatically declares that AI is here and now, rapidly expanding and evolving, thanks to the revolutionary power of the Power Platform and Copilot.

Before we hop all of the exciting features related to Copilot, I wanted to take a moment to recap some of highlights and statistics from this keynote

Presently, an impressive 33 million users engage with the Power Platform every month, underscoring its widespread appeal. Furthermore, a staggering 97% of Fortune 500 companies have embraced the Power Platform in various departments, highlighting its indispensable role in the modern corporate landscape.

Charles Lamanna (Not a Pickle Paraphrasing)

After hearing this statistic, I was absolutely blown away. Since embarking on my journey in 2020, the phenomenal growth of the Power Platform has been nothing short of staggering and incredible. Witnessing the platform’s evolution has been akin to watching a seedling transform into a towering tree, its roots firmly establishing in the realms of technology and innovation. The strides made, the expansive user base, and the transformative impact it has had on businesses worldwide are awe-inspiring. This journey reflects not only the platform’s robust capabilities but also the boundless possibilities it offers to individuals and organizations alike. Embracing this transformative wave has been a privilege, and the future promises even more remarkable advancements, making the ongoing voyage an exhilarating one filled with endless potential and opportunities.

Now… onto the fun stuff. Let’s talk AI. This keynote, as well as those to come are all heavily focused on AI and what it means for us (as Citizen Developers, Solution Architects, and Everyday users) as we step into the future. Starting off, we dived into the past, to showcase how we got here, and why it is important.

The evolution of technology has been a fascinating journey, marked by significant milestones that have reshaped the way we live and work. It began with the PC era, where personal computers became household essentials. The advent of Windows operating systems brought user-friendly interfaces, democratizing access to digital tools. The internet then emerged as a global network, connecting people and information across continents, revolutionizing communication and knowledge sharing. Now, artificial intelligence stands at the forefront, representing the next logical step in this technological progression. AI offers unparalleled potential to enhance productivity and streamline processes in the workplace. Its ability to analyze vast amounts of data, automate tasks, and provide valuable insights is unparalleled. In this era, the hand-in-hand mentality with AI is not just a luxury but a necessity. Everyone deserves the stability and support that AI can provide, fostering an environment where innovation thrives, and productivity soars. Embracing AI means granting individuals and businesses the tools they need to achieve their goals and contribute meaningfully to the ever-advancing digital landscape.

This keynote was broken into sections, each only giving a small taste of how Copilot, Microsoft’s newest AI companion is breaking into each Power Platform component. The integration of Copilot into each of these is truly a revolution, further empowering Low-Code solutions to be created efficiently and at any level of experience.

Power Apps – Presented by Emma Cooper: Principal PM Manager, Power Apps at Microsoft

In this section of the keynote Emma Cooper delved into how Copilot is revolutionizing the Application creation process in Power Apps. She explained how Toyota is utilizing the Microsoft Power Platform to increase productivity, retain sales, and streamline their production process. Here are the features that she covered, all of which are currently in Public Preview:

1. Modern Controls – We discussed this in our Wave 2 Release Plan Webinar, however seeing it again reignited the excitement I feel for this feature. In a nutshell Power Apps will soon have responsive design, no matter if you are viewing your application on a mobile device or tablet.
2. Excel to Dataverse – Excel is a common connector used. Now, using Copilot you can upload an Excel document to Power Apps, and it will automatically be transformed into a Dataverse table with Data Types automatically detected.
3. Copilot embedded into Power Apps – Copilot integration within Power Apps is going to be a powerful tool that will allow you to quickly create Power Apps based on natural language. Using Copilot, not only will you be able to create an application connected to your data but also leverage it to have a baseline “backend” created with Power Fx formulas, and design choices (such as layout) made. The amazing thing about this is the door for further configuration and customization is not closed. You can simply use Copilot to create a first draft or revision of your project and expand on it from there.
4. Copilot for the End User – Coming from a User Experience background, I am all about creating a seamless, end user experience. Copilot will now be able to be embedded directly into applications to aid end users in their user journey. To enable this, you will Insert > Copilot and then connect to the relevant data source. The cool thing about this, is that you can also ground URLs within the experience that will pull additional data into Copilots responses.

These features are just scratching the surface I am sure for the future of Copilot and Power Apps. I am excited to see how the evolution of AI continues to be built in Power Apps to create a more accessible, innovative landscape for in the low code revolution.

Power Pages – Presented by Ashish Choudhary: Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft

In this section of the keynote, Ashish delved into how Copilot is revolutionizing the website creation process in Power Pages. He gave a use case scenario about T-Mobile and how a user could utilize Microsoft Power Pages to quickly create a branded, themed, interactive website (that reflected T-Mobile) in minutes. Here are the features that he covered, all of which are currently in Public Preview:

1. Layout – With Copilot, users are now able to create innovative Websites in minutes based on natural language. Now, Copilot also gives Website layout ideas based on a natural language description. With layout also comes the addition of additional pages being created at a click of a button. So now, a process that would of typically taken many hours is streamlined into minutes.
2. Themes – Coming from a UX and UI background, I love the use of color. I believe color can tell a story and it is the way that most of us associate brands to their identity. In this keynote, Ashish used Copilot to say, “Create me a Power Pages Theme that mirrors T-Mobile”. Within seconds, Copilot was able to generate a theme that perfectly replicated T-Mobiles color story AND apply it to his Power Pages Website.
3. Forms Updates – The last few updates are related to form creation and expansion. With these updates you can use Copilot to create a form with a Dataverse oriented table and scheme and also expand upon the form by implementing business logic and rules created in Visual Studio Code. Using AI to write and embed this code empowers low code developers to create a solution that would typically take quite some time and additional assistance from a Website Developer.

Ultimately Copilot is going to revolutionize the way the Websites are created and consumed. From start to finish, Copilot will be an option to aid both developers and end users.

“Currently, there are more than 126k organizations actively using Copilot.”

Keynote: Power Platform in the AI Era: Low-Code Development and the Copilot Revolution. #MPPC23

Power Automate – Presented by Lan Li: Principal PM Manager at Microsoft at Microsoft

In this section of the keynote, Lan Li delved into a compelling use case, unveiling how Nationwide Pet Insurance harnesses the combined power of Power Automate and Copilot to revolutionize their workflow processes. Through the strategic implementation of Power Automate and Copilot, they’ve ushered in an era of unparalleled efficiency, where innovation meets practicality, ultimately enhancing customer experiences and driving transformative changes in the insurance landscape.

“Power Automate stands as a powerhouse, empowering over 10 million active users every month to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and transform the way we work.”

Lan Li (Not a Pickle Paraphrasing)

All of the features outlined below are now Generally Available!

1. Natural Language: Natural Language is a hot topic across the Power Platform. Power Automate is no different. Now with Copilot integration you are able to create Power Automate Flows based on Natural Language. Copilot will not only guide you through the process of flow creation but also give you multiple iterations of the flow to pick the one that best represents your intended solution.
2. Power Automate Designer: Power Automate has now gotten a facelift. With the Power Automate Designer or Studio Space (where you create flows) users are now greeted with an updated, sleek design space that allows you to: Zoom in and out, evaluate the guts of each flow process – step by step, and easily alter large and complex flows.
3. “What does this flow do” – This feature made me chuckle. You can now ask Copilot What this flow does. This is a great feature for flows that are both simplistic and complex. It allows for collaborative teams to stay up to date on changes associated with the flow.

Process Mining – Presented by Heather Orta-Olma, Senior Product Manager of Process Insights at Micrsoft

Process Mining – Admittedly this was a new concept for me. In a nutshell, Process Mining is the way that businesses can identify and prioritize processes and evaluate things like efficiency, process routes, and bottlenecks. In this section, Heather details how you can use one of over 50 available connectors to create a Process Mining summary that can be supercharged by Copilot and other components of the Power Platform. All features outlined below are in Public Preview.

1. Insights – The biggest KeyPoint with Process Mining is unlocking insights about your business to become more efficient and streamlined. With Process Mining and Copilot, you will be able to identify key insights via a summary generated by Copilot and also identify potential bottle necks that are hindering process workflow.
2. Power BI and Reporting- Once you have a Process Mining report generated you will then be able to expand upon this using Power BI. Creating a dedicated Dashboard that showcases efficiency overtime.

This recap provides a glimpse into the dynamic opening keynote of the Microsoft Power Platform Conference 2023, where groundbreaking ideas and technological advancements took center stage. As attendees immersed themselves in a world of innovation, the keynote served as a powerful introduction to the transformative potential of the Power Platform.

Stay tuned for an additional blog post later this week, offering a comprehensive overview of the multitude of events and sessions that unfolded at the MPPC.