Articles filed in category 'Copilot'

  • My New Copilot PC

    By: Mike Yeager (CODE)

    Last updated: Monday, February 3, 2025

    Published in: CODE Magazine: 2025 - Jan/Feb

    Mike recounts his transition to a Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PC ARM computer, emphasizing how its Hexagon NPU significantly enhances AI tasks. Despite minor software compatibility issues and delayed AI features like Phi Silica and Recall, Mike appreciates the device's speed and efficiency for development tasks, such as using Visual Studio and engaging in programming on Windows ARM64. He experiments with AI capabilities using ONNX models and remains optimistic about the burgeoning AI functionalities as they evolve, acknowledging that while the hardware is promising, its full potential is yet to be realized.

  • Semantic Kernel 101

    By: Mike Yeager (CODE)

    Last updated: Friday, February 7, 2025

    Published in: CODE Magazine: 2024 - January/February

    Mike Yeager introduces Semantic Kernel (SK), an open-source AI framework developed by Microsoft for .NET for working with large language models (LLMs) and specifically to help create Copilots. Yeager explains that SK serves three main purposes: to abstract the underlying LLMs, APIs, and tooling; to handle complex implementations in a generic way; and to facilitate the integration of user-generated content. He also discusses the benefits of using SK, such as its ability to create prompt templates, handle ad hoc scenarios, and assist with tasks like tokenization and text splitting. Despite still being in preview, Yeager suggests that SK is a powerful SDK that is worth exploring.

  • Phillip’s Power Apps Odyssey

    By: Shane Young

    Last updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2025

    Published in: CODE Focus Magazine: 2023 - Vol. 20 - Issue 1 - Power Platform

    Shane Young narrates Phillip’s odyssey to illustrate how Microsoft Power Apps can transform a simple Excel spreadsheet into a responsive, data-rich mobile app, bridging citizen development with professional engineering. Through Phillip’s trials—importing data, calibrating data types, adding a barcode scanner, querying external APIs via a custom connector, and embedding a PCF control—Young shows how end users can rapidly build usable apps while recognizing when pro developers are needed to handle JSON, APIs, and advanced components. The tale underlines Power Apps’ potential to democratize app creation and scale with expert collaboration.

  • The Future of Low-Code / No-Code Power Platform Development in the Age of Copilot

    By: Lewis Baybutt

    Last updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2025

    Published in: CODE Focus Magazine: 2023 - Vol. 20 - Issue 1 - Power Platform

    Lewis Baybutt argues that the integration of generative AI and Copilot with Microsoft’s Power Platform is transforming software development from a constrained, expert-driven practice into a broad, democratized activity. He traces the shift from traditional coding to low-code and RAD, enabled by AI-assisted design, automated flows, and data-driven apps, while highlighting the role of Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and related tools in empowering citizen developers and professionals alike. The piece also stresses governance, lifecycle management, and responsible AI as essential guardrails in this nascent AI-enabled era.