Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Microsoft Teams is getting new AI tools — and they’re free

By

Microsoft recently announced a major update to its communities and GroupMe features on its free Teams app. In addition to more features that mirror a platform like Discord, Teams now supports AI-generated images in Communities, à la Midjourney.

The Communities feature has been a breakout hit for Microsoft Teams since its introduction in December 2022, and has been available for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans, along with Teams Essentials accounts. Since then, many people have found the feature beneficial for local collaboration such as sharing projects, exchanging ideas, and pooling resources. According to user feedback, the feature allows collaborators to stay connected before, during, and after gatherings, Microsoft said.

Taking into consideration new functions, streamlined accessibility, bug fixes, and other user notes, Microsoft has rolled out an updated version of Communities for Microsoft Teams. These features will be available immediately for Windows 11 devices, as well as iOS and Android devices, for free. Here are some of the new features available on Communities.

  • You will be able to collaborate with communities on Teams across platforms, Windows 11, iOS, and Android. As a community owner, you will also be able to start communities, share your communities and invite members, host events, and moderate content. These features will soon be coming for Windows 11, macOS, and web-based communities.
  • Communities will have support for Microsoft Designer, allowing you to create AI-generated design content within hosted spaces.
  • Communities will include a camera feature that will allow you to capture video from mobile devices or edit content with filters and markup tools.
  • You will be able to find new communities to join based on your interests, such as parenting, gaming, gardening, technology, and remote work.
  • Community owners now have the ability to approve or reject requests for joining spaces, and can also gather polls from the community, which are powered by Microsoft Forms.
Recommended Videos

In addition to the Communities updates, Microsoft has also announced its new features on GroupMe, which is a communication app centered on college and university campuses. GroupMe has seen a visual redesign, with new Topic chats meant for large group conversations. The ecosystem is focused on discovering new people. As it’s based on Microsoft Teams, you can make Teams calls without having to leave GroupMe.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
What is Microsoft 365? Here’s the cloud software suite, explained
Microsoft Office free apps.

Microsoft 365 is the brand’s suite of cloud-based productivity apps that can be used for word processing, group collaboration, data analysis, presentation development, storage, and email. Many may be familiar with Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive as separate applications at one point; however, many high-performance users may utilize more than one of these programs for work, hobbies, or their everyday lives.

This could serve as a reason to consider Microsoft 365, to get more comprehensive access to the brand’s app library. Here is a look at what you need to know about the Microsoft 365 productivity suite.
Microsoft 365 paid subscriptions 

Read more
France’s cyber unit preps for potential cyberattacks targeting Paris Olympics
A hacker typing on an Apple MacBook laptop while holding a phone. Both devices show code on their screens.

Organizers at the Paris Olympics are expecting a wave of cyberattacks to target the Games when the sporting extravaganza kicks off in earnest this weekend.

Researchers have noted that some attacks have already started, with Russia-affiliated hackers suspected to be behind the nefarious efforts, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Read more
Gamers are flocking to return Intel CPUs — and some are permanently damaged
A hand holds the Intel Core i9-12900KS.

Intel's troubles with instability on 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs continues to escalate, and a new report suggests that gamers are returning these CPUs at a much higher rate than retailers expect. An anonymous European retailer says they've seen four times as many returns for 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs compared to 12th-gen, according to a report from French outlet Les Numeriques.

Returns have only ramped up recently, however. The retailer says that in the six months following the release of all three generations, the return rates are nearly identical. Looking at the rate now, however, 13th-gen CPUs are being returned four times as often as 12th-gen, while 14th-gen CPUs are being return three times as much. Given what we've learned about Intel's instability issue, this suggests that the processors do, indeed, degrade over time.

Read more