Microsoft Introduces Azure Applied AI Services to Accelerate Enterprise Automation
Microsoft launches a rebranded suite of Azure Applied AI Services to help businesses quickly modernize common processes using pre-built AI tools.
Microsoft unveils a new suite called Azure Applied AI Services at its developer conference to help enterprises rapidly modernize their business processes. This reorganized brand combines popular tools like Azure Cognitive Search, Azure Form Recognizer, and Azure Immersive Reader with newer offerings such as Azure Bot Service, Azure Metrics Advisor, and Azure Video Analyzer. By building on existing cognitive APIs and machine learning capabilities, the company aims to significantly reduce the time it takes for organizations to see value from their AI investments.
The demand for these streamlined solutions reflects a massive surge in enterprise AI adoption, with studies showing growth of up to 270% in recent years. Over 80 of the Fortune 100 companies already rely on Azure AI to navigate their digital transformation. Microsoft executive Eric Boyd notes that the pandemic forces businesses to accelerate these technology plans, condensing five-year roadmaps into just a few months and increasing the need for accessible, task-specific AI tools.
These applied services target the most common enterprise scenarios by pairing foundational AI technologies with practical business logic. For instance, Azure Form Recognizer utilizes optical character recognition to process documents, while the newly updated Azure Bot Service introduces a visual authoring canvas with open-source tools. Customers have the flexibility to customize these pre-built solutions using their own machine learning models, making it easier than ever to deploy tailored AI without building complex systems from scratch.