Unlock AI Summit hosted by MTN Converged Solutions – Michael Mullany on why Microsoft Copilot is the AI assistant you can trust

By Partner

Microsoft’s Michael Mullany recently spoke at the Unlock AI Summit – hosted by MTN Converged Solutions.

Mullany is a Senior Modern Work Usage Architect at Microsoft who specialises in AI.

He has been with Microsoft for over eight years and has extensive experience helping businesses generate tangible value using Microsoft’s AI-powered tools.

Mullany is a thought leader who is known for staying ahead of industry trends and driving innovative thinking within the organization.

His focus on operational excellence and customer satisfaction reflects his passion for people, technology, and the relationship they have with each other.

Conference presentation

At the Unlock AI Summit, Mullany explained why Microsoft Copilot is the AI assistant that South Africans can trust.

He said that Copilot honours your existing security permissions and carries the existing classification of your data into its own ecosystem.

“In simple terms, if a user can’t access data, Copilot can’t access it either,” said Mullany.

Mullany highlighted that Copilot does not use your prompts and responses to teach its foundational models.

This ensures that your critical business data isn’t widely available through your Copilot implementation.

Mullany also noted that all of your data and AI models are protected at every step by Microsoft’s industry-leading range of security tools and features.

Therefore, you can trust Copilot to deliver its productivity benefits without leaking any of your data unintentionally.

Mullany then highlighted two additional widespread concerns that Microsoft has noticed relating to the use of AI in business:

Shadow AI use – About 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI to work.
Increased AI regulations – Microsoft predicts that by 2027, at least one global company will see its AI deployment banned by a regulator.

Mullany explained that each of these concerns are solved by Microsoft:

Regarding shadow AI use, implementing Copilot across your business removes the need for users to bring their own AI to work – as they will already have access to the industry-leading AI assistant.
Regarding increased AI regulatory concerns, Microsoft makes it easy to govern your Copilot implementation and ensure it is aligned with all necessary regulations.