Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙️ FULL SHOW NOTES https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/708 When Danilo Nogueira first saw the potential of AI, he spent days immersed in videos, convinced it would reshape the world. Now, as Head of Modern Work at Cloud Target and a newly minted Microsoft MVP, he’s leading global transformations with Microsoft Copilot. In this episode, Danilo shares how AI is revolutionizing productivity, why Excel might be the next big frontier, and how he teaches teams to speak the language of Copilot. If you're navigating AI adoption in your organization, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and inspiration. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS AI as the New Electricity: Danilo compares AI’s transformative power to electricity and the internet—predicting it will become embedded in every aspect of work. Practical Prompting Framework: He developed a four-part method (KPCO) to help users ask Copilot the right questions—covering what, for whom, where, and how. Excel’s Untapped Potential: Danilo sees Excel as a future powerhouse for AI integration, enabling data transformation without leaving the app. Real-Time Translation in Teams: Teams Premium’s live translation is breaking language barriers in global workplaces, enhancing collaboration. Overcoming AI Resistance: Danilo focuses on showing results—like faster HR interviews and improved productivity—to win over skeptics. 🧰 RESOURCES MENTIONED: 👉 Microsoft Copilot – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot 👉 Teams Premium – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/premium 👉 Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 This year we're adding a new show to our line up - The AI Advantage. We'll discuss the skills you need to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Accelerate your Microsoft career with the 90 Day Mentoring Challenge We’ve helped 1,300+ people across 70+ countries establish successful careers in the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.Benefit from expert guidance, a supportive community, and a clear career roadmap. A lot can change in 90 days, get started today!Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith
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20:56
Upgrade, Debug, Deploy—AI Is Doing It All
Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙️ FULL SHOW NOTES https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/707What if your next pull request was written by an AI agent—while you were in a meeting? In this episode, Microsoft’s Scott Hunter pulls back the curtain on how AI is transforming software development from the inside out. From GitHub Copilot’s new agent mode to the rise of site reliability AI, Scott shares what’s real, what’s hype, and what’s coming next. Whether you're a developer, product leader, or tech strategist, this conversation will reshape how you think about productivity, skill-building, and the future of engineering teams. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS Agent Mode is Here: AI agents can now autonomously fix bugs, open pull requests, and iterate on code—freeing developers from tedious tasks. The Developer Role is Evolving: Prompt engineering and code review are becoming core skills, while traditional junior roles may fade. AI in Site Reliability: New SRE agents can detect, diagnose, and even resolve infrastructure issues—cutting pager alerts by 30%. Training the Next Generation: As AI handles more entry-level work, companies must rethink how they grow senior engineering talent. Prototyping at Warp Speed: With tools like Copilot and Next.js, developers can build full-stack apps in minutes—if they know what to ask. 🧰 RESOURCES MENTIONED 👉 GitHub Copilot Agent Mode – https://github.com/features/preview/copilot-workspace 👉Java Migration Tools –https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/ 👉 Microsoft Build Conference – Announcements on AI agents and developer tools: https://build.microsoft.com This year we're adding a new show to our line up - The AI Advantage. We'll discuss the skills you need to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Accelerate your Microsoft career with the 90 Day Mentoring Challenge We’ve helped 1,300+ people across 70+ countries establish successful careers in the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.Benefit from expert guidance, a supportive community, and a clear career roadmap. A lot can change in 90 days, get started today!Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith
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29:23
How AI Levels the Playing Field for Small Business
Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙FULL SHOW NOTES https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/706 What happens when a seasoned tech leader steps away from Microsoft, only to return stronger and more AI-savvy than ever? In this episode, Nikkia Carter shares her journey from early programming days to becoming a Microsoft MVP—twice. She dives deep into how AI, especially Microsoft Copilot, is transforming business operations, leveling the playing field for small companies, and reshaping how professionals work. If you're curious about practical AI adoption, ethical considerations, and how to stay ahead in tech, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss. Plus, Nikkia shares a powerful AI tip from JP O’Donnell of ProActive BDA that’s changing how professionals prepare for meetings. 🔑KEY TAKEAWAYS AI is a tool, not a replacement: Businesses should integrate AI to enhance human work—not eliminate it. Copilot use cases are expanding: From proposal writing to HR and accounting agents, AI is streamlining workflows. Privacy matters: Free AI tools may compromise data security—invest in trusted platforms like Microsoft Copilot. Small businesses benefit most: AI democratizes access to enterprise-level capabilities, much like the cloud did. MVP advice: Consistent monthly contributions (blogs, user groups, videos) are key to earning and maintaining MVP status. 🧰RESOURCES MENTIONED: 👉 JP O’Donnell of ProActive BDA - He gave the AI tip to Nikkia Carter. 👉 Microsoft Copilot – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot 👉 ChatGPT – https://chat.openai.com 👉 Perplexity AI – https://www.perplexity.ai 👉 Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 This year we're adding a new show to our line up - The AI Advantage. We'll discuss the skills you need to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Accelerate your Microsoft career with the 90 Day Mentoring Challenge We’ve helped 1,300+ people across 70+ countries establish successful careers in the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.Benefit from expert guidance, a supportive community, and a clear career roadmap. A lot can change in 90 days, get started today!Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith
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Why GenAI Fails Without Clean Data
Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙️ FULL SHOW NOTES https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/705 What if the biggest barrier to AI success isn’t the model—but your data? In this episode, Sedarius Tekara Perrotta, CEO of Shelf, reveals why unstructured data is sabotaging enterprise AI efforts and how to fix it. From SharePoint chaos to hallucinating copilots, Sedarius shares a practical framework for transforming messy data into clean, actionable fuel for generative AI. If you're a business or tech leader navigating AI adoption, this conversation is your roadmap to clarity, control, and competitive edge. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS Unstructured data is the silent killer of AI accuracy. Most organizations have millions of files riddled with micro-errors that confuse AI models and lead to hallucinations. A successful AI strategy starts with a data strategy. Clean, enriched, and refined data is essential before plugging into any AI system. Use the “Reduce, Enhance, Refine” framework. Focus on a specific use case, eliminate irrelevant data, enrich with metadata, and refine to a trusted set of documents. Automation is key—but not enough. Human oversight and iterative monitoring are still critical to ensure AI outputs remain accurate and relevant. AI agents will transform job roles incrementally. Expect gradual automation of tasks, with agents augmenting—not replacing—human expertise. 🧰 RESOURCES MENTIONED 👉 Shelf – AI-powered unstructured data management platform: https://www.shelf.io 👉 Microsoft Copilot Studio – Customizable AI interface for enterprise use: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/copilot-studio 👉 Gartner Research – Identified poor data quality as the #1 barrier to scaling GenAI - Read the full Gartner press releaseThis year we're adding a new show to our line up - The AI Advantage. We'll discuss the skills you need to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Accelerate your Microsoft career with the 90 Day Mentoring Challenge We’ve helped 1,300+ people across 70+ countries establish successful careers in the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.Benefit from expert guidance, a supportive community, and a clear career roadmap. A lot can change in 90 days, get started today!Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith
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AI Agents Are Changing Software Forever—Are You Ready?
Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 🎙️ FULL SHOW NOTES https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/704 What happens when enterprise tech projects go off course—and how do you fix them? In this episode, Gary Blunden shares hard-earned insights from years of rescuing failed digital transformations. From diagnosing platform misalignment to exploring the future of AI-driven development, Gary offers a grounded yet forward-looking perspective on what it takes to build resilient, scalable solutions in today’s fast-evolving tech landscape.🔑KEY TAKEAWAYSRecovery projects reveal deep tech-business disconnects: Success hinges on understanding user pain points, not just deploying shiny tools. AI is reshaping software engineering: Tools like GitHub Copilot and agent-based systems are accelerating development—but human oversight remains critical. Low-code is evolving into “vibe code”: Expect a shift from manual UI building to orchestrating intelligent, autonomous agents. Documentation is becoming executable: Emerging tools may soon turn solution design docs into deployable systems. Mentorship and legacy knowledge matter: As AI abstracts complexity, retaining foundational engineering wisdom is more important than ever.🧰 RESOURCES MENTIONED👉 Power Platform – Microsoft’s low-code development suite https://powerplatform.microsoft.com 👉 Power Automate – Workflow automation tool https://powerautomate.microsoft.com 👉 GitHub Copilot – AI pair programmer for developers https://github.com/features/copilot 👉 Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7This year we're adding a new show to our line up - The AI Advantage. We'll discuss the skills you need to thrive in an AI-enabled world. Accelerate your Microsoft career with the 90 Day Mentoring Challenge We’ve helped 1,300+ people across 70+ countries establish successful careers in the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.Benefit from expert guidance, a supportive community, and a clear career roadmap. A lot can change in 90 days, get started today!Support the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith
If you want to get your ideas or questions featured on an episode, please leave us a voicemail: https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/voicemail/Dive into the future of work with the "Microsoft Innovation Podcast," exploring the intersection of People, Business, Technology, and AI. Engage with expert guests—including thought leaders from Microsoft, industry innovators, and community specialists—who are redefining the world with advancements in AI, Cloud technologies, the Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and beyond.Every episode delivers a blend of in-depth discussions, practical insights, and actionable strategies tailored for professionals driving enablement and innovation. Join us across our five shows:The Power Platform ShowThe MVP ShowThe Copilot ShowThe Ecosystems ShowThe AI Advantage (coming soon)