Microsoft launches new AI tools for PowerPoint to coach you on your presentation skills and flag swear words, sexist language, and bad grammar
- ‘Presenter Coach’ uses artificial intelligence to improve users’ presentations
- It can detect if users say ‘uh’ or ‘um’ too many times or should improve their pace
- The tool can also flag culturally insensitive or sexist language if it’s being used
Microsoft thinks AI can help make your PowerPoint presentation better.
The tech giant is rolling out a new feature in PowerPoint called ‘Presenter Coach,’ which lets users rehearse their presentation out loud, then uses artificial intelligence to flag areas that could be improved.
It can tell if you’re using too many filler words like ‘uh,’ as well as culturally insensitive language, or might be reading through the slides too quickly.
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Microsoft thinks AI can help make your PowerPoint better. A feature called ‘Presenter Coach’ lets users rehearse their presentation, then uses AI to flag areas that could be improved
‘For some, the art of delivering an impactful presentation comes naturally, while for others, it can be a stressful experience,’ Microsoft said in a statement.
‘Today, Microsoft has revealed a whole host of new intelligent AI-powered PowerPoint features which will take your presentations to the next level, including Presenter Coach – a new feature which will train you to improve your presentation and public speaking skills.’
To utilize Presenter Coach, users enter ‘rehearsal mode.’
From there, a window will show up on screen that gives tips on how users can improve their presentation.
It gives users real-time feedback, such as a meter that gives guidance on pacing, telling users if they’re reading too quickly or too slowly.
Other details it monitors for include ‘use of profanity’ and filler words.
Presenter Coach can also tell if the presentation utilizes culturally insensitive language and can make use of more inclusive terminology.
For example, if someone uses the phrase ‘Best man for the job’ in a presentation, the AI guide will flag it and add that the phrase ‘might be culturally sensitive in some cases.’
After the user completes their rehearsal, Presenter Coach will provide a detailed report with tips for additional practice.
It’ll note how long the user’s rehearsal was, their pace, or words per minute, as well as a list of sensitive phrases and filler words they might want to avoid.
To utilize Presenter Coach, users enter ‘rehearsal mode.’ From there, a window will show up on screen that gives tips on how users can improve their presentation, like their pace
Presenter Coach can also tell if the presentation relies on too many ‘filler words’ or utilizes culturally insensitive language and can make use of more inclusive terminology.
Presenter Coach will be available on PowerPoint later this summer, the firm said.
Microsoft decided to roll out the feature after it ‘received feedback from educators, students, and customers that people want an easy way to practice their presentations to improve their public speaking abilities,’ according to The Verge.
It’s not the first time Microsoft has relied on AI to help users improve their work product.
Earlier this year, the firm rolled out new AI tools for Microsoft Word that are similar to those it’s bringing to PowerPoint.
WHAT ARE MICROSOFT WORD’S NEW AI TOOLS?
Microsoft Word is getting an AI-powered editor that can recommend when users might want to make their writing more grammatically and politically correct.
The tool, called Ideas in Word, uses machine learning and Microsoft’s Graph developer platform to make suggestions when it senses users might want to ‘refine their writing.’
A video preview of the tool shows how it works. Users will see a tab in the Microsoft Word toolbar called ‘Ideas,’ where its AI systems might suggest users make improvements to their writing.
It might suggest that users make improvements around clarity, conciseness, formality, inclusiveness, punctuation conventions, sensitive geopolitical references and vocabulary.
For example, Microsoft said its machine learning algorithms might suggest that users replace the word ‘policeman’ with ‘police officer,’ in an effort to be more inclusive.
Another example might involve its AI suggesting users write ‘person with a disability’ instead of ‘disabled person.’
For now, it’ll launch solely for users of Word Online, the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s word processing software.
Additionally, the tool will help users make their documents more navigable by suggesting tables that might be easier to read.
The Ideas tab can also show the key points from a document, as well as explain acronyms.
It can even give users an approximation of how long it takes to read their document, should they be using it during a timed presentation at the office or in class.
