Microsoft launches Build with AI for startups and Extensions for GitHub Copilot

With a presentation by CEO Satya Nadella, the Microsoft announced news related to artificial intelligence for developers this Tuesday (21), during the first day of the keynote main of Microsoft Build 2024. Among the main announcements are the tool Build With AI, which promises to make life easier for startups and small projects to be able to apply AI tools in a simplified way. Furthermore, the company also presented the GitHub Copilot Extensions, which aims to make the GitHub Copilot even more integrated and easy to use, making life easier for developers around the world.

Check out the main news below Microsoft Build 2024.

Microsoft Build 2024

O Microsoft Build 2024 is an annual conference organized by Microsoft, aimed mainly at developers and technology professionals. This event serves as a platform for the company to showcase its innovations, new products, software updates and development tools. The event itself is a thermometer of where the company is directing its efforts and investments. The news and announcements made during the event generally shape technology and development trends for the following years or provide an indication of what's to come.

Therefore, the Build is considered an unmissable event for anyone who wants to stay at the forefront of technology and understand the future of software development and digital services. This year's edition, like almost all technology events recently, focused on showing new possibilities that are expected to emerge in the coming years using artificial intelligence to make life easier for enthusiasts and developers.

Building AI solutions for startups

A Microsoft today announced a series of tools designed to facilitate the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions within the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub during the Microsoft Build 2024. the release of Build With AI (Build with AI, in Portuguese) offers founders access to flexible, easy-to-use templates designed to accelerate the creation and deployment of AI solutions in projects. With these templates, you can quickly create and launch AI solutions tailored to the needs of your startups, saving time and resources.

By clicking on these templates, they open in the user's development tool of choice and provide everything needed to understand, edit, and deploy the solutions. They even include tips for customization and troubleshooting. There are four templates AI customizations, each designed for common startup situations:

• Add ChatGPT to an application
• connect or ChatGPT to data from an application using Python
• connect or ChatGPT to data from an application using JavaScript
• Create a plugin ChatGPT

Furthermore, Microsoft unveiled an AI assistant in Founders Hub, available in private preview phase. Once activated, the assistant opens a chat window with recommended questions or allows users to ask their own questions. With these tools, they can make their work more efficient, freeing up more time to focus on growing their business.

A Microsoft, during the Microsoft Build 2024, demonstrated understanding of the importance of experimentation in innovation, especially in the creation of new technologies. However, he also recognizes that this process can be onerous for startup teams. Therefore, the program Microsoft for Startups was created to support each stage of your companies' growth. The program offers free access to generative AI models, up to US$150.000,00 (about R$766.000,00 in direct conversion) in credits Azure for use in Azure AI Studio, in addition to specialized guidance from professionals.

Any startup creator, even those still in the ideation phase, can sign up to Founders Hub to get the technology, tools, and resources you need to prototype, build, and launch your solutions.

During the event, the Microsoft also expressed his gratitude to startups that are driving innovation in AI. Today, Nixtla, Bria and Gretel Labs, all members of the program Microsoft for Startups, made announcements at the event. A Nixtla launched its model available as Models-as-a-Service (MaaS) in preview phase, while Bria e Gretel Labs are about to launch their own models soon.

O Build With AI and startup announcements highlight the company’s commitment Microsoft in supporting and accelerating the growth of innovative companies in the field of artificial intelligence. O Founders Hub It's open to everyone and you can sign up now to access the tools and resources you need to bring your ideas to life, no funding required.

New extensions for Github Copilot

During the conference Microsoft Build 2024, Microsoft also announced the launch of GitHub Copilot Extensions, a new functionality that expands the capabilities of the already widely adopted AI tool for developers, GitHub Copilot. With Copilot Extensions, developers can build and deploy solutions in the cloud using natural language and their preferred tools and services, without having to leave the integrated development environment (IDE) or GitHub.com. This innovation promises to keep developers in a continuous workflow, enhancing their skills and accelerating innovation.

The first integrations of GitHub Copilot Extensions include renowned partners such as DataStax, Docker, LambdaTest, LaunchDarkly, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft Azure and Teams, MongoDB, Octopus Deploy, Pangea, Pinecone, Product Science, ReadMe, Sentry e Stripe. Extensions are compatible with GitHub Copilot Chat No. GitHub.com, Visual Studio e US Code.

O GitHub Marketplace will make extensions open to everyone, while organizations will also be able to create private extensions for their internal development tools, integrating API libraries or custom monitoring systems directly into developers' workflows.

Imagine a developer who receives an alert about a database-related error. To understand the problem, he needs to consult several tools, such as issues in GitHub or audit logs in Data Stax. Then he should investigate the cause of the problem using tools such as Sentry for error monitoring, finding a solution, applying the fix, and deploying the fix with Azure.

The extensions GitHub Copilot consolidate this entire process. From the GitHub Copilot Chat, you can invoke all of these tools to obtain context, perform actions, and generate files and pull requests, speeding up workflows between different tools.

• DataStax Extension: Interacting with databases and building applications with AstraDB.
• Octopus Extension: Viewing the status of deployments.
• Sentry Extension: Solving pipeline problems using natural language.

Furthermore, the GitHub Copilot all with Azure, exemplifies how the tool can increase development speed using natural language. When using the GitHub Copilot all with Azure directly on Copilot Chat, developers can get answers to their questions about Azure — from choosing a cloud platform service to running an application React or selecting the best database Azure to use with Django. And when it comes time to deploy, the GitHub Copilot all with Azure guides developers through the steps necessary for a successful launch.

In conclusion, the Microsoft Build 2024 offers a promising look at the future of software development, especially with the release and expansion of Copilot Extensions and tools like Build With AI. Whether you are a potential partner or an organization looking to create your own private extension, the Copilot Extensions put in your hands the power to personalize every aspect of the development experience, expanding your access to tools that drive productivity, innovation and satisfaction.

Developer participation and creativity will not only increase the functionality and value of the Copilot, but will also contribute to a growing ecosystem. In the coming months, we will see significant expansion across the company's numerous partners. Copilot Partner Program, bringing even more global knowledge for developers to innovate with ease.

Did you like these new features announced during the Microsoft Build 2024? Tell us in the comments!

Learn more

Source: Microsoft.

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 21 / 5 / 24.