Project Cortex Uses AI for Data Analysis and Organization

Orlando, Fla. – Microsoft has continued to enhance its data-level services in Microsoft 365 by integrating data discovery and sharing using artificial intelligence (AI) in a new knowledge-based service called Project Cortex.

Internal data discovery and knowledge management are two of the biggest challenges for enterprises. Unless you want to run a stovepipe-style management structure, it is important that all members of your organization have the capability to see that data and how it can impact or support their own work. Cross-team functionality is a critical business approach for overall company success and Project Cortex makes that discovery much more natural.

AI is applied to all this data to help identify personnel that are considered experts in a subject. In addition, topics and their related content are identified to fill out the Project Cortex knowledge base. That information is then surfaced across Microsoft 365, Office apps, Outlook and Microsoft Teams.

As users discover the data generated by their colleagues, they can reach out to specific people via Microsoft Outlook, Teams or Yammer, or easily subscribe to general workplace topics to stay up to date.

As part of introducing and extending this new knowledge network, Microsoft is updating analytics capabilities in Microsoft Search, Microsoft Stream, the new Yammer and Workplace Analytics.

This approach to bringing together structured and unstructured data based on corporate knowledge across the entire enterprise will help break down the informational silos that exist in many organizations. The more employees know about the work being done by their co-workers, the less duplication of efforts there will be. In addition, transparency can boost collaboration: By seeing what their colleagues are doing, anyone can then reach out to others on that project to coordinate efforts and reduce conflict across groups.

General availability for Project Cortex is expected in the first half of 2020.