Microsoft is seemingly developing an AI-powered therapist feature for Windows and an intelligent emotion-based journaling capability for Teams and Microsoft 365.

Microsoft had initially released a patent earlier this month, filed on November 7, indicating it was working on an emotion-focused therapy Copilot for Microsoft and Windows users.

The abstract for the patent read:

A method and apparatus for providing emotional care in a session between a user and a conversational agent(…) Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot is becoming more and more popular, and is being applied in an increasing number of scenarios. The chatbot is designed to simulate people’s conversation, and may chat with users by text, speech, image, etc”

Last week, Microsoft published another patent outlining its development of an AI-powered emotion-centred journaling feature. The patent for the emotional management system suggests it might be integrated with other Microsoft platforms, including Teams and 365 apps, as well as the Windows operating system.

Both patents suggest that Microsoft is developing separate tools intending to leverage AI to support users’ emotional well-being across its OS and suite of platforms.

The AI Therapist

Firstly, the therapist builds a user profile by inferring emotional states through user-provided images. It subsequently develops a memory record predicated on the images and the user profile.

Microsoft’s patent for the chatbot suggests the feature will be structured with a chat window, a processing module, and an answer database. The therapist also includes distinct modules for answering prompts, generating new memories, assessing emotions, storing user data, and testing users.

These modules, in theory, enable the chatbot to recall past conversations and utilise that information and users’ emotional responses to that conversation in future chats. For example, the chatbot should be able to recognise what the users said they had for dinner last week and bring it during a therapy “session”.

Impressively — or alarmingly, depending on your point of view — the AI therapist theoretically can also offer personalised dietary and medication advice based on a user’s health situation.

It can also perform psychological tests on users by explicitly asking them questions and assessing their responses before using that analysis to offer feedback to users. The process entails an “implicit” psychological test, which can be prompted by the user’s emotional state, the conversation points of the current session, and more. When prompted, the AI therapist chooses relevant psychological questions informed by the current session, user profile, and answer database.

The Emotion-Focused Journaling Feature

The emotional management system intends to be ostensibly a therapeutic journaling process, with less direct input from a conversational agent, but Microsoft wants it to be used in a work environment.

The “emotional insight management system” works by messaging users with personalised prompts about filling in their well-being journal with their current emotional state. Users can choose the time of the customised prompts.

Example questions the patent suggests are “Did you sleep well last night?” or “Did you not have time for lunch today?” The prompt also uses an emoji ranking system from 1-5 for the question “How is working going today?” for users to complete to what extent they are happy, fulfilled and in control vs unhappy, unfulfilled or stressed.

User responses are collated over time and compiled into a report illustrating their emotional well-being over an extended period. The AI-powered system then tries to understand why the user might feel that way, both over that period and on any specific day when the journal responses might have fluctuated.

The system analyses the user’s emotional data and compares it against business data that might have triggered any imbalance in the emotional data to pinpoint potential factors behind the user’s mood. It can then provide insights and recommendations for minimising stress and improving their well-being, including taking short breaks, taking time off, or trying mindfulness.

“The system helps users to build a habit of emotional awareness through recurring reflection reminders, emotional journaling and provision of insights and recommendations,” the patent wrote.

The patent suggests it can present as either a standalone app or be integrated with enterprise-focused platforms, notably Teams, but also 365 and Azure Directory.

Complemented by the AI therapist patent, the pair of patents this month might suggest a future Copilot AI iteration that could offer customised therapy to Teams users with emotional journaling and recommendations as a capability.

What Happened at Microsoft Ignite This Month?

The 2023 edition of Microsoft Ignite saw several momentous announcements.

Microsoft is rebranding Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise as part of Copilot to streamline the user experience. The move aims to make Copilot more accessible for everyone to utilise the tech giant’s premier AI-powered productivity tool through Microsoft’s Bing search engine.

Immersive Spaces in Microsoft Teams will be generally available in January. The virtual reality meetings, powered by Microsoft Mesh, were announced by Microsoft in May to “inject a sense of natural co-presence” during hybrid meetings. Microsoft Mesh, which enables developers to create virtual meeting spaces, will also be generally available in January.

Microsoft revealed a renovated SharePoint that it said will “transform content management”. It outlined that SharePoint Premium will leverage AI to enhance content experiences, optimise business processes and prepare content for Microsoft Copilot.

Among multiple new updates added to Microsoft 365 for frontline workers was Copilot’s availability for subscribers to the F3 license, beginning in December. It will be available for no extra cost. The product encompasses commercial data protection, allowing frontline workers to make smart requests.

Microsoft also announced new management tools to the Teams Admin Center, including shared calling for Teams Phone. Shared calling simplifies Teams Phone deployment, enabling admins to empower groups of users to make and receive public switched telephone network (PSTN) calls through a shared phone number and calling plan.



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