Python in excel and copilot is coming soon.

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The integration of Python in Excel for the web marks a significant enhancement for data analysis and automation, especially when it is added to Copilot. I think this is the one feature I hear my customers ask for the most when I do demos on Copilot in Excel. Python in Excel with standard compute became generally available to all eligible users with access to Excel for Windows. But now, there is an upcoming rollout that will extend this availability to Microsoft Excel for the web, allowing all eligible users to utilize Python formulas in their workbooks without any installation. These formulas will be executed in a secure container on the Microsoft Cloud, ensuring enterprise-level security. With this release, users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license will also be able to leverage the Copilot in Excel with Python feature. This integration enables deeper data analysis by combining AI and Python capabilities within Excel. There will be a premium sku available, offering premium compute for...

Create avatars from picture or photo is live

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Avatars in Teams is a way to express your presence without turning your camera on in meetings, and it is used when entering a Mesh meeting place. I must admit I du prefer the use of real video, but I do understand the user scenarios where an avatar might come in handy. 

Depending on your preferences, the avatar can be created to your liking, and there are many options to choose from when it comes to skin color, body type, face frame, colors and more. Sometimes, I think there are always too many options, and I never get a result that actually looks like me (if that was my intent).

The avatar feature has been around for a while, but I am obviously not the only one thinking my avatar could and should look more like me. Microsoft has now released a feature that allows you to create an avatar directly from an image (taken when you create the avatar) or by uploading an existing photo. 

The feature seems to be available for most Teams SKU's (Business and E3/E5, even essentials) at this time, and available for both MAC and Windows as long as you are using new Teams client (2.1). You still need 6GB of RAM and a Dual-core processor in order for avatars to be working, 8GB and Quad-core is still recommended for optimal performance. 

I had to give it a test run before writing this post, and the result wasn't that far off the real me. Here is the full user guide, if you want to give it a try: Join a meeting as an avatar.