The Copilot Connection

Kevin McDonnell and Zoe Wilson are back, kicking off this episode with a lively wander through Copilot Cowork in preview — from using it on mobile (sometimes unintentionally…) to early thoughts on skills, plugins, stability, and why data residency still matters if you’re experimenting in the real world. Along the way, there are opinions, tangents, and a few “this is cool, but…” moments that will feel very familiar to anyone testing Copilot right now.
The conversation then jumps ahead to Microsoft Build, where agents, observability, and the growing obsession with value and ROI take centre stage. Kevin and Zoe unpack why business goals matter more than shiny dashboards, how Agent 365 fits into the picture, and what all this means for teams trying to move from curiosity to confidence with AI — all wrapped up with event shout‑outs, future episode teases, and the usual friendly chaos

This week, Zoe and Kevin dig into Copilot Cowork and Agent 365. Fresh from a week at the Microsoft campus in Seattle, Kevin shares his key takeaways from MVP Summit — including a surprising amount of cross-product collaboration and a hands-on experiment building a conference bingo app entirely using GitHub Copilot's coding agent. Zoe and Kevin then dive into two of the biggest recent announcements: Copilot Cowork, now available in Frontier tenants, which takes Copilot from answering questions to actually taking action on your behalf, from organising your inbox to scheduling your week and creating reusable skills; and Agent 365, Microsoft's control plane for agents, launching on 1 May, which brings observability, governance, and threat protection for all your agents in one place. They also cover the practical steps to enable Cowork in your tenant, the current data residency considerations for European organisations, and the open licensing questions still to be resolved before general availability.

Useful links:
Lab that Kevin mentioned https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-agent-lab-soc-ops
kevmcdonk/mvp-summit-bingo: Web app for MVPs to track all those common phrases we hear over the week. Who will get bingo first
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/03/09/copilot-cowork-a-new-way-of-getting-work-done
Get started with Copilot Cowork (Frontier) | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Agent 365 documentation | Microsoft Learn

Microsoft helped us make an episode this week but dropping some big Copilot news! In this episode, Zoe and Kevin dig into some of the news related around Copilot Wave 3, talk about what the recent org changes at Microsoft will mean and also highlight some of the upcoming events going on.

Useful links:

Zoe and Kevin keynote the Copilot Community Conference - Copilot Community Conference 2026
Experts Live UK
Scottish Summit
Call for speakers for Scottish Summit still open
Rajesh Jha retiring
Copilot Leadership Team
Frontier Suite
Copilot Wave 3
SharePoint at 25
Copilot Cowork

In this episode of Copilot Connection, Zoe and Kevin are joined by Diana Wolfe, Head of Research & Strategy at Kyndryl, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: the widening gap between AI ambition and AI implementation. Together, they unpack why so many companies struggle to realise value from AI investments, what human‑centred change looks like in an era of agentic AI, and how trust, psychological safety, and redesigned roles shape successful adoption.
The conversation covers everything from workflow automation myths and cognitive overload to organisational silos, identity shifts, and the realities of embedding AI into everyday work. Expect thoughtful insights, a few laughs (including designer chickens and the underpants gnomes), and practical guidance on how individuals, leaders, and change practitioners can navigate the next phase of AI‑driven transformation.
Tune in to learn why the future of AI isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, systems, and redefining what meaningful work looks like.

Takeaways
AI implementation requires a holistic approach
The integration of AI technology presents multifaceted challenges AI adoption is evolving rapidly
Human systems integration is crucial for responsible AI implementation

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In this episode of The Copilot Connection, hosts Zoe Wilson and Kevin McDonnell are joined by Tricia Sinclair (Microsoft MVP and Avanade’s Global Lead for Contact Center & Customer Service) to explore the evolving role of AI in customer service and contact centres. They discuss how new Copilot AI agents like Case Management Agents and Intent Agents can automate processes such as email triage and understanding customer inquiries, and why many organizations are piloting these tools internally before rolling them out to customers. The conversation dives into adoption challenges – from ensuring quality data and training models to navigating consumption-based costs – and highlights governance solutions like the new Agent Hub for monitoring and controlling AI deployments. Tricia also shares insights on integrating these Copilot capabilities across the broader Microsoft ecosystem (with hints at what’s coming next) and emphasizes the bigger picture: using AI to augment, not replace human agents. The episode wraps up with a thoughtful discussion on the ethical and workforce implications of AI in contact centres, including the importance of maintaining human empathy, addressing potential biases, and keeping customer trust front and centre.
Key topics covered:
Case Management & Intent Agents – Automating case triage and identifying customer intent using AI.
Internal vs. External Deployment – Strategies for introducing Copilot agents on internal service desks before customer-facing use.
Adoption Challenges & Costs – Data readiness, model training, consumption-based pricing, and ensuring ROI for AI solutions.
Agent Hub & Governance – Using Microsoft’s Agent Hub to track, manage, and govern Copilot AI agent usage and performance.
Integration with Microsoft Platforms – How Copilot agents tie into the wider Microsoft stack and upcoming cross-platform capabilities.
AI’s Impact & Ethics – The balance between AI and human agents, potential job impacts, and the need for fairness, empathy, and transparency in AI-driven customer service.
p.s. decided to try Researcher agent looking at previous summaries to generate this summary. Let us know what you think!