Tag: Recent News

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Story of ADLaM – ‘the alphabet that will prevent a people from being lost’ – now a limited-run hardcover book from Story Labs

The African language Fulfulde is spoken by more than 50 million people worldwide. But until recently this centuries-old language lacked an alphabet of its own.

Abdoulaye and Ibrahima Barry were just young boys when they set out to change that. While other children were out playing, the Barry brothers would hole up in their family’s house in Nzérékoré, Guinea, carefully drawing shapes on paper that would eventually become ADLaM – an acronym for “the alphabet that will prevent a people from being lost.”

In the decades since, ADLaM has sparked a revolution in literacy, community and cultural preservation among Fulani people across the world. Abdoulaye and Ibrahima have dedicated their lives to sustaining these efforts, including expanding ADLaM’s reach through Unicode adoption. And thanks to support from a dedicated cross-company team at Microsoft, ADLaM is now available in Windows and Office.

My team at Microsoft Story Labs recently had the privilege of working with Abdoulaye and Ibrahima on a longform feature story about ADLaM. Today I’m happy to announce that we’ve printed a limited-run book version of that story that contains both the original English and an ADLaM translation, so the community of millions now using ADLaM can enjoy it in print. A few copies of the book will be available in a contest giveaway by Microsoft Design on Twitter. The rest will go directly into the hands of the amazing people behind the unique achievement that is ADLaM.

When you’ve been working in the digital realm for most of your career like I have, it’s kind of a treat to make something you can hold in your own two hands! But the biggest reward here was the opportunity to shine a light on remarkable people like Abdoulaye and Ibrahima who have achieved so much, and the team at Microsoft who lent a hand.

Steve Wiens

Microsoft Story Labs

Story by Deborah Bach & Sara Lerner. Design by Daniel Victor.

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Microsoft scientist Dr. Matthias Troyer accepts Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics for quantum contributions

This week, Dr. Matthias Troyer, a Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft, accepted the 2019 Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics – one of the most valuable German prizes in the field – for his groundbreaking contributions to the development of quantum Monte Carlo algorithms.

Presentation of the Hamberg PrizePresentation of the Hamberg Prize
Dr. Matthias Troyer receives the 2019 Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics

“In Professor Troyer, we are honoring a scientist whose work connects myriad areas of physics and computer science. On account of his current research in the field of quantum computing, he partners with universities and companies in the US and around the world. He has also set up an open-source platform in order to share his knowledge. By awarding the prize to Professor Troyer, we also wish to recognize this contribution to collaborative research,” explained Dr. Nina Lemmens, Member of the Executive Board of the Joachim Herz Stiftung.

Dr. Troyer works at the interface between computer science and theoretical physics and is one of just a handful of leading international researchers in this field. Monte Carlo algorithms can predict how tiny particles will interact within quantum mechanical many-body systems such as atoms and molecules, and Dr. Troyer’s work in this area is playing a key role in the research and ongoing development of quantum computers and superconducting materials.

When asked about what this honor means to him, Dr. Troyer said, “One reason I came to Microsoft and why I want to build a quantum computer is that when inventing these Monte Carlo methods, we made big breakthroughs, but we also encountered a fundamental problem of Monte Carlo simulations of quantum systems, the so-called  ‘sign problem.’ The workaround becomes exponentially difficult; a quantum computer will help us move past these barriers.”

With the recent Microsoft announcement of Azure Quantum, teams will soon be able to experiment running algorithms like Monte Carlo against both classical hardware in Azure and quantum hardware from partners, knowing these solutions will scale to future quantum systems as well.

The prize not only comes with a grant, but also entails research visits to Hamburg that will see Dr. Troyer give talks and work closely with doctoral candidates, postdocs, and other colleagues.

Dr. Troyer continued, “I’m looking forward to engaging the academic community in discussing and further advancing what we can do with quantum computing. As we think of quantum algorithms for material science, what problems can we solve now with quantum simulations? And how do we develop quantum algorithms to run once we have a fully scalable quantum computer?”

“The connection to Hamburg means that we can engage with the academic and scientific communities, and with that, I look forward to talking to the people in Hamburg – and around the world – about applying quantum systems and quantum computing to make an impact on material science problems.”

Microsoft and the Azure Quantum team congratulate Dr. Troyer on this significant recognition, and we look forward to supporting his important work in making an impact in solving some of the world’s toughest challenges with quantum computing.

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November 2019 Xbox One Update: Xbox Action for Google Assistant, gamertag updates, text filters and more

November is here and that means friends, family, food and plenty of gaming in between. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve got a number of exciting new updates and features to share with you. The November 2019 Xbox Update begins rolling out today and delivers the Xbox Action for Google Assistant, new improvements for gamertags on console and mobile devices, text filters and even more to help you get the most out of your next gaming session.

Xbox Action for the Google Assistant

We’re excited to announce the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant is now publicly available to Xbox One customers in all countries where the Google Assistant is supported. English language is available today, with additional language support coming soon.

With the launch of the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant,
you can now interact with your Xbox One in even more ways using just your
voice, including the ability to turn your console on and off, launch games and
apps, play and pause videos, and more, from any Google Assistant and
Home-enabled smart speaker or devices, as well as the Google Assistant apps
on iOS and Android.

For more information on the Xbox Action for the Google
Assistant, including setup instructions and example commands, please visit the Google Assistant support page on
Xbox.com.

The Xbox Action for the Google Assistant joins the Xbox
Skill for Alexa as another great
option for controlling your console with just your voice, giving you more
choice than ever before in how you interact with Xbox. A huge thank you
to everyone that participated in the beta and helped provide feedback.

A screenshot of a cell phone Description automatically generated
“Hey Google, play Gears 5 on Xbox.”

Gamertag Improvements
on Console

At E3 this past summer, we introduced our plan to revamp gamertags across PC, mobile devices and Xbox One consoles in order to give players around the world more choice in how they represent themselves including 13 additional worldwide alphabets and a new display option. With the November 2019 Xbox Update, these gamertag options are now supported on console, including profiles, friend lists, messages, Clubs, LFG and more. Everyone will be able to see updated gamertags and users creating new Xbox accounts or changing their existing one will have the option to use the new supported characters or add a numbered suffix to a gamertag that has already been claimed. To learn more about these changes click here.

Current Xbox players can keep their existing gamertags
without any further action required on their part and no change in experience
from the way that it looks today. There will be no difference in how your
gamertag is presented unless you wish to create a new account or change your existing gamertag.

A screenshot of a video game Description automatically generated
Example of a gamertag utilizing newly supported characters

With all these new gamertags, we wanted to make searching
for your friends or new teammates easier than ever. In addition to the updated
features for gamertags, we are launching the all-new “People Search” feature
which allows you to find others using partial or non-exact search terms.

A screenshot of a cell phone Description automatically generated
New “People Search” feature

Xbox text filters

Last month, we detailed our
vision for Xbox Live content filtration as part of our commitment to
responsible gaming on Xbox. In the November 2019 Xbox Update, you can set your
own specific level of automated filtration so you can decide what’s acceptable
and what isn’t in the text-based messages you receive across Xbox Live. Filter
levels can be customized based on four tiers of filtration – Friendly, Medium,
Mature and Unfiltered. And as always, if you receive a message that violates
our Community Standards for Xbox, even with filters in place, you can still
report this conduct to Xbox Enforcement for follow up.

On your console, you can configure your message safety by
going to Settings > General > Online safety & family > Privacy
& online safety > Message safety. Whenever you receive a message that’s
beyond your safety setting, it’ll be replaced with a [Potentially offensive
message hidden] placeholder. You can click on that placeholder to learn more
about the settings, and there’s a handy shortcut to go change those settings.
Adult accounts will have the ability to choose whether to see what content has
been filtered based on the filter they choose. To learn more about how to setup
this feature, check out our video walkthrough.

Set your desired level of message filtration

More Mixer viewing
improvements

Building upon the improvements introduced in the October
2019 Xbox Update, this month we’re making a couple more great enhancements
for Mixer viewers. Thanks to your feedback, you now have the option to move the
Mixer chat on the left or right side of your screen or hide it altogether.

Additionally, we’re updating the Subscribe button with a
reminder to renew when one of your channel subscriptions is within a week of expiration,
making it easier to stay subscribed to your favorite Mixer Partners.  

Chat Position Options
Subscription Renewal Reminder

Voice-to-Text Dictation

Dictation expands further in the November 2019
Xbox Update with support for more languages! With either a headset or Kinect,
you can press the View button whenever the keyboard is on screen to start
converting speech to text. To change your preferences from your regional
default, head to Settings > System > Language & location to select
your keyboard & dictation language.

Supported languages and regions include English
(US & Canada), English (India), English (UK), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish
(Spain), French (Canada), French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese,
Japanese, and Simplified Chinese, with more to come in future updates.

Simplified Settings

This month, we’re introducing a new look for the console
Settings menu aimed to provide simplicity and greater ease of use. The menu has
been condensed and reorganized, with commonly used settings elevated to the top
to improve navigation and discoverability for everyone.

Reorganized Settings page

Console setup
improvements

Beginning this fall, customers unboxing their new Xbox One consoles will be able to get to the action quicker thanks to improvements we are making to the console setup process. Gamers who buy a brand new Xbox One will have the option to customize their Xbox One’s language, time zone, power settings, and more through the Xbox app for iOS or Android while the Xbox console is installing the latest system update.

As always,
these updates are possible because of the Xbox Insiders who have helped shape these
features, so huge thanks to all participants for their valuable input. If
you’d like to help create the future of Xbox and provide feedback on early
features, download the Xbox Insider Hub app on your Xbox One or Windows 10
PC today. You can also visit the Xbox Insider Blog here for the latest release notes, or join the Xbox
Insiders subreddit to submit feedback and join the discussion.

We’re always working to improve your gaming experience on Xbox One and
will have more announcements in the coming months. In the meantime, stay tuned
for more information and happy gaming!

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Everything the Xbox team announced at X019

X019 kicked off with the biggest episode of Inside Xbox
ever, celebrating all things Xbox with an incredible slate of news, including
over ten Xbox Game Studios games on stage, three brand new games revealed from
Xbox Game Studios, and four more world premiere titles from developers around
the world.

Inside Xbox was also home to big news from Xbox Game Pass (with 21 titles from developers in the ID@Xbox program coming day one with Xbox Game Pass) and Project xCloud, as well as for revealing great new Black Friday deals for the holiday season. Read on for the full recap news from the show.

Obsidian Tackles the Survival Genre with Grounded

During the show, Obsidian debuted a trailer introducing Grounded – a brand-new Xbox Game Preview title launching in Spring 2020 with Xbox Game Pass. Studio Design Director Josh Sawyer and Senior Programmer Roby Atadero joined us to share the inspiration behind Grounded’s development before Obsidian became part of Xbox Game Studios. We also received insight into how Obsidian is injecting narrative and RPG elements into the survival genre with this title. Obsidian closed by highlighting the importance of community involvement for the on-going development of Grounded. Grounded launches on Xbox One digitally through Xbox Game Preview and with Xbox Game Pass, the Microsoft Store, and on Steam this upcoming spring. For full details, check out our Grounded announcement post.

Project xCloud Coming to Windows 10 PCs and New Markets

We announced that more than 50 new titles from over 25 of our valued partners will join the Project xCloud public preview, such as Madden NFL 20, Devil May Cry 5, and Tekken 7. In 2020, we’ll bring Project xCloud to Windows 10 PCs, and we’re collaborating with a broad set of partners to make game streaming available on other devices as well. We’re also expanding support to more Bluetooth controllers, including the DualShock 4 wireless controller and game pads from Razer. Moreover, in 2020, we are expanding the Project xCloud preview to new markets, will enable gamers to stream Xbox games that they already own or will purchase, and will add game streaming from the cloud to Xbox Game Pass. For all of our Project xCloud announcements, take a look at our X019 Project xCloud post.

Rare announces its next New
IP Everwild

Executive producer, Louise O’Connor, appeared on Inside Xbox and shared a glimpse of Everwild, the next new IP from Rare. The team are passionate about creating something special and this first reveal is just a taste of the magical, natural world the team at Rare are bringing to life. There will be more to share at a later date, for now to watch the trailer again, head over to www.xbox.com/games/everwild or take a look at our full Everwild announcement.

The Seabound Soul and Fire comes to Sea of Thieves

On Inside Xbox, Sea of Thieves debuted details for the game’s latest FREE monthly update arriving on Nov. 20 “The Seabound Soul,” This update features an all-new, lore-focused Tall Tale quest for players looking to play their part in a thrilling story. Join Captain Pendragon to uncover the mystery of the feared ship, the Ashen Dragon, and reveal the secrets of a sinister new threat. This update also brings the heat to Sea of Thieves with the introduction of firebombs! This explosive ammo can be thrown or loaded into cannons to put a fiery panic in the hearts of opposing crews in both Adventure and in The Arena. To find out more go to www.seaofthieves.com.

Save Big on Xbox Consoles, Games, and More this Black
Friday

The stage is set for big savings this holiday season. From the hallowed halls of X019 came the reveal of Black Friday deals on Xbox hardware: the Xbox One X, Xbox One S, and Xbox One S All Digital Edition consoles are all up to $150 off! You can also get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1 and get Xbox Game Studios titles for up to 50% off. Finally, select Xbox Wireless Controllers are up to $20 off and we’re offering $10 off Xbox Design Lab Controllers. For complete details, head on over to our Black Friday announcement post.

Xbox Game Pass at X019: Announcing New Games and the
Ultimate Holiday Offer

On today’s Inside Xbox, we unveiled over 50 games coming to Xbox Game Pass. Read more here for complete details on these titles and their availability with Xbox Game Pass. We also revealed the Xbox Game Pass holiday offer: starting November 14, get 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1. And for the first time, eligible Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in select markets will also get 1 month of EA Access, 3 months of Discord Nitro, and 6 months of Spotify Premium as part of their member benefits. For all of our Xbox Game Pass news, take a look at our X019 Xbox Game Pass post.

Peeling Back the Layers of Bleeding Edge

On Inside Xbox, a new trailer for Bleeding Edge was revealed by Creative Director Rahni Tucker, along with the March 24, 2020 launch date and pre-order. Pre-order incentives include Closed Beta access on February 14, 2020 and Punk Pack bonus in-game cosmetics. Bleeding Edge will be available with Xbox Game Pass. For complete details, check out our X019 Bleeding Edge blog post.

DONTNOD Narrative in Tell Me Why

On Inside Xbox, Xbox Game Studios revealed Tell Me Why, an exclusive new narrative adventure from DONTNOD Entertainment, the studio behind the beloved Life is Strange franchise. All of Tell Me Why’s gripping chapters will release Summer, 2020. For more information please visit www.tellmewhygame.com and take a look at our Tell Me Why announcement post.

Halo: Reach
Coming to Halo: The Master Chief Collection on December 3

On Inside Xbox, 343 Industries Community Director Brian Jarrard appeared onstage to announce that Halo: Reach lands in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on December 3. Along with sharing a stunning, all-new new launch trailer, Brian announced that all six titles in Halo: The Master Chief Collection can be purchased up-front on PC for $39.99 with Halo: Reach available for individual purchase for $9.99. Halo: The Master Chief Collection isavailable with Xbox Game Pass. On console, players can get the updated Halo: The Master Chief Collection bundle, which includes the Halo 3: ODST campaign and Halo: Reach, for the same price. What’s more, Brian announced that players can get started today by pre-installing on Xbox Game Pass or pre-ordering on either the Microsoft Store or Steam. To find out more, go to xbox.com/halo.  

The Sky’s the Limit in New Footage from Microsoft Flight
Simulator

Today, we shared an all-new trailer for the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator with new footage of the realistic world, authentic aircraft and real-time dynamic weather in this next generation simulator being developed in partnership with Asobo Studios. We’ve also just announced our first wave of aircraft manufacturing partners! For more details and to keep up with all the latest news on Microsoft Flight Simulator, visit https://www.flightsimulator.com or head on over to our Flight Simulator partnership announcement post.

The Future of Strategy is Revealed in the First Gameplay
Trailer for Age of Empires IV

Today, the newly named studio World’s Edge revealed the first ever gameplay trailer for their highly anticipated upcoming game, Age of Empires IV, which included a special visit from studio head Shannon Loftis for an in-depth discussion about the future of the dedicated franchise. Shannon also introduced a brand-new launch trailer to celebrate the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, which includes remastered 4K graphics and a new expansion, The Last Khans. You can play Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition starting today on Xbox Game Pass, Windows 10, and Steam. Want to learn more? Take a look at our X019 Age of Empires update post.

Taking a Deeper Look at Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft players were pumped to see Minecraft Dungeons
Executive Producer David Nisshagen live on our stage to show us the all-new
game. He talked through some key facets of never-before-seen gameplay as Game
Director Måns Olson and Senior Producer Nathan Rose did a live demo of this new
and exciting experience!

Minecraft Earth Celebrates Early Access with Pop Up
Events

In
celebration of the game’s continued early access rollout, we unveiled “Mobs at
the Park” at X019 – the one-of-a-kind, life-sized statues of interactive
mobs popping up in New York City, London and Sydney starting on Saturday,
November 16. The statues are life-sized creations of the Muddy Pig,
Moobloom and the all-new, amazingly-festive Jolly Llama which will feature a
scannable QR code to play an exclusive new adventure built by the Minecraft
Earth development team and allow players to receive exclusive access
to the Jolly Llama in-game before it’s globally available in December. The
pop-ups will be live in three locations around the world – Hudson Yards in New
York City, the Queens Walk in London and Campbell’s Cove in Sydney
– during the weekends of November 16-17, November 23-24 and November
30-December 1, from 10am-7pm local time. Everyone can stay tuned to Minecraft.net or @MinecraftEarth for more
information.

Explore Wasteland 3’s Post-Apocalyptic World in
May 2020

inXile Studio Head Brian Fargo appeared on Inside Xbox to
debut an all-new trailer for Wasteland 3, showing us some incredible new
gameplay footage and unveiling the release date of May 19, 2020. On stage,
Fargo explained the origins of this 80s-inspired post-apocalyptic world, as
well as the brand-new story that will take place in the frozen wastes of
Colorado. He also shared how the partnership with Xbox has helped to allow the
team to make Wasteland 3 the biggest and best game of the franchise,
demonstrated by their recent award of best RPG at Gamescom. You can pre-order Wasteland 3
today on Xbox One or Windows 10. Wasteland 3 will also be available
on console and PC on day one with Xbox Game Pass.

Get Blown Away by the First Glimpse of CrossfireX
Gameplay

Inside Xbox host @BennyCentral took us on a global journey from Seoul to Finland to Seattle to meet the teams working on CrossfireX, followed by the debut of a gameplay teaser trailer that gives fans just a taste of this massive FPS coming exclusively to Xbox in 2020. Stay tuned to xbox.com/CrossfireX for all the latest game news.

Catch the Drift in KartRider: Drift on Xbox One

If you’re looking for the ultimate challenge, DS Choi from the KartRider: Drift team unveiled what you’re looking for with their latestgame. Pro racers and league champions Hojun Moon and Insoo Park demonstrated this racing experience by taking us through outrageous conditions at breakneck speeds with customizations to boot, proving this game will challenge even the most road tested when it comes to Xbox One.

Final Fantasy Series
Joins Xbox Game Pass and Kingdom Hearts Classics Coming to Xbox One

Square Enix Developers Shinji Hashimoto and Ichiro Hazama appeared on Inside Xbox to announce that the Final Fantasy series on Xbox including Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy XV will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on Console and PC starting in 2020. Also, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will come to Xbox One in 2020. Finally, a new Kingdom Hearts 3 demo is available starting today, November 14 on Xbox One – click here to download it now.

We Feel the Force with an Exclusive Look at Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Earlier today,
Electronic Arts and Xbox debuted the co-created Become a Jedi video to kick off
the X019 broadcast of Inside Xbox, as an invitation for all gamers to Jump In
and indulge your ultimate Jedi fantasy. Following, Respawn Game Director Stig
Asmussen provided an exclusive look at new gameplay leading into the game’s
launch on November 15.

Enter the
Criminal Underworld of the Critically Acclaimed Yakuza Series on Xbox One

Today on Inside Xbox, Sega announced that Yakuza is coming soon to Xbox Game Pass. In a new trailer debuted today on the show, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s cult classics Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 1, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 were revealed to be coming to Xbox for the first time. If you want to learn more, head over to our X019 Yakuza announcement post.

Strap in for a
New Look at Planet Coaster on Xbox One

Thrills, chills, and
popcorn spills! Planet Coaster showcased its latest gameplay trailer for
the fans at X019.

Play Around in
Purgatory in West of Dead

Developer Raw Fury announced West of Dead, which
lets you step into the boots of the dead man William Mason (voiced by Ron
Perlman) and descend into the grim and gritty world of Purgatory in this
fast-paced twin-stick shooter that’ll put your skills to test. Dodge behind
cover as you try to outgun your enemies in the unknown procedurally generated
hunting grounds. The Wild West has never been this dark. Sign up for the Open
Beta today at westofdead.com.

Build a Village in a Twisted Mirrored Universe in Drake
Hollow

The
Molasses Flood announced their next game, Drake Hollow, a cooperative
action village building game set in the Hollow – a blighted mirror of our world
– in which you build and defend villages of Drakes, the local vegetable folk.
Either solo or with friends, you explore a procedurally generated world of
islands trapped in poisonous aether. You gather supplies, build networks to
bring them back to your camp, find and rescue Drakes in the wilderness, raise
them, and defend them from attacks by a menagerie of feral beasts. You need to
balance your time carefully: what supplies are most crucial at any given
moment, what does your village need: more resources to keep the Drakes thriving
or more defenses to help protect them while you explore.

Experience a Supernatural Crisis in the
Upcoming Anthology Series Last Stop

Last Stop is
the new game from Variable State, creators of the award-winning Virginia,
and will be published by Annapurna Interactive. The game is a single-player
third-person adventure set in present-day London, where you play as three
separate characters whose worlds collide during a supernatural crisis. Last
Stop is an anthology connecting three stories in one, centered on secret
lives, the ties that bind, and how magic can be found in the mundane.

Embark on a Multidimensional Journey in The
Artful Escape

A fresh, new peek of The Artful Escape was also unveiled during Inside Xbox. Developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive, The Artful Escape tells the story of Francis Vendetti as he embarks on a multidimensional journey to create his stage persona. The Artful Escape is an action-adventure, narrative driven, musical-laser-light-battle kind of videogame with dazzling visuals, killer music, and a soulful message about what it means to find your true self.

We hope you enjoyed the show, and we’ll see you next time!

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Paris Call: growing consensus on cyberspace

Today, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, France’s Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, announced remarkable progress toward securing cyberspace. The community of Paris Call signatories is growing and taking new initiative to thwart attacks that threaten our democracies, economies and public services. The number of signatories of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, announced a year ago, has nearly tripled to more than 1,000 and now includes 74 nations; more than 350 international, civil society and public sector organizations; and more than 600 private sector entities. These commitments to the Paris Call from around the world demonstrate a widespread, global, multi-stakeholder consensus about acceptable behavior in cyberspace.

The principles in the Paris Call address real-world challenges we’re facing today, like preventing foreign interference in elections, protecting availability of the internet, and curbing attacks on critical infrastructure. Importantly, supporters are committed to working together in a multi-stakeholder model, with governments, industry, academia and civil society collaborating to protect our cyberspace from nation-state threats, including attacks on our democratic processes.

Nations now supporting the Paris Call reflect the broadening mandate for international action to address cyberthreats with 10 Latin American nations, 13 Asian and Pacific signatories and eight African nations joining with 42 European states and Canada. In total, Paris Call signatories represent almost 40 percent of United Nations member states.

Enterprises in more than 60 countries and civil society groups in more than 65 countries have now joined, with respected retailers like Migros of Switzerland and Rakuten of Japan; financial services and insurance companies like CIMB Group in Malaysia and AXA Group in France; the global logistics leader Deutsche Post DHL Group; media and telecommunications providers like Sky and Telefonica; as well as civil society organizations like the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life. More than 60 enterprises and civil society groups in India have joined, although the Indian Government has not yet made its commitment.

One interesting trend, following a series of ransomware attacks targeting municipalities in the U.S., is that local and state governments in the U.S. have signed onto the Paris Call. New joiners include the cities of San Jose and Louisville and the states of Colorado, Virginia and Washington, bringing the number of U.S. signatories to more than 130. We believe this strengthens the case for the U.S. government to sign onto the Paris Call. The Paris Call builds on international norms that the U.S. has endorsed previously, with the addition of one new commitment that the U.S. should find easy to support: the protection of elections.

The tech sector has the primary responsibility to protect the internet and the people who rely upon it, but ultimately security and stability in cyberspace will require that governments, companies and civil society come together to find joint solutions to the challenges we are facing. With nation-state cyberattacks on the rise, the growing consensus emerging from all these groups makes it clear that cyberspace should not be exploited to inflict harm on the citizens of this world.

The promise of the Paris Call is the commitment of signatories to collaborate and build solutions across the full range of cyber challenges. In recent months, we have participated in roundtable discussions in cities around the world on how we engage in even more concrete follow-up action not just to abide by the principles in the Paris Call but to proactively advance them around the world. We at Microsoft strongly support the concept of a “Paris Call Community,” also announced today, centered around the nine principles of the Call. For example, Microsoft and the Alliance for Securing Democracy have created the “Paris Call Community on Countering Election Interference” – a multi-stakeholder project focused on implementing principle no. 3, working to identify best practices and build capacity to defend against foreign interference in democratic processes. We are also partnering with the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, the Internet Society, Global Cyber Alliance and CyberGreen to strengthen solutions that improve cyber hygiene, or basic security practices, among signatories in accordance with principle no. 7. We are committed to expanding these projects and encouraging contributions of talent and energy from everyone who wants to help realize the potential of the Paris Call Community.

If you are a government, a business in any industry, or a non-governmental organization, adding your voice to the Paris Call is a powerful way to advocate for principles and engage to help build solutions that will make your organization and ultimately the world a safer place. Head to this website to learn more and add your name and your efforts to the growing community of Paris Call participants.

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Microsoft study: Teens are better than adults at finding help with online issues

It’s World Kindness Day – and we’re calling on teens across the globe to assist adults with online issues. That’s because, according to our latest research conducted in 25 countries, teens are considerably better than adults at tracking down useful resources to help resolve digital difficulties.

Both demographic groups say risk is a significant problem when it comes to life online. Both also admit that finding help can be hard. Some 74% of teens and 73% of adults say online risks are a “big problem,” while 65% of teens say they know where to find useful resources, compared to just 39% of adults. Both percentages are up from last year when 60% of teens and 37% of adults said they knew where to turn for assistance. In addition, 41% of teenagers and 44% of grown-ups said tracking down resources to assist with online risks can be “somewhat to extremely” difficult.

The findings are from Microsoft’s latest research into aspects of digital civility – encouraging safer, healthier and more respectful online interactions among all people. The study, “Civility, Safety and Interaction Online – 2019,” polled teens aged 13-17 and adults aged 18-74 about their exposure to 21[1] different online risks. This latest research builds on similar studies we’ve undertaken each year for the last three years. Previous projects polled the same demographic groups in 14, 22 and 23 countries, respectively. A total of 12,520 individuals participated in this year’s study, and we’ve surveyed more than 44,000 people on these topics since 2016. Full results of this latest poll will be released in conjunction with international Safer Internet Day 2020 on February 11.

Confidence in facing online risks

While two-thirds of teens say they know where to find help with online risks, their self-assuredness in managing online risk exposure is slightly lower than that of adults. Just under half of the teens surveyed (48%) said they were confident in handling online risks versus just over half of the adults (52%). To help build those confidence levels, check out our resources guide, which offers primary and secondary sources for all 21 risks covered in our survey. Additional information about a wide  range of online activities and potential risks and harm can be found on the resources page of our website.

A lack of confidence in knowing where to find help can contribute to concerns about online risks in general. Additionally, as survey results have shown for the past few years, consequences and pain from online risk exposure are real. According to our latest findings, 71% of teens and 65% of adults are “somewhat to extremely” worried about encountering online risks, while even higher percentages of both groups have faced consequences from digital risk exposure: three quarters of teens (75%) and 77% of adults. Consequences range from declining to participate in social media and heightened stress levels, to losing trust in others online or offline, losing sleep and even contemplating suicide. This year, 14% of respondents said they had thoughts of suicide following an online issue, double the percentage from two years ago.

Chart showing online safety

Microsoft’s Digital Civility Challenge

We’re making this preliminary research available on World Kindness Day to again call attention to Microsoft’s Digital Civility Challenge – four basic tenets for life online to encourage kinder, more empathetic and more respectful interactions. We’d never want to thwart debate, discussion or the free flow of ideas; it’s just important that those interactions take place free of name-calling and abuse. Specifically, we’re encouraging people to:

  • Live the “Golden Rule” and treat others as you would like to be treated by leading with empathy, compassion and kindness, and affording everyone respect and dignity both online and off.
  • Respect differences by honoring diverse opinions and perspectives and, when disagreements surface, engage thoughtfully by avoiding name-calling and abuse.
  • Pause before replying to comments or posts you disagree with and refrain from posting or sending anything that could hurt someone, damage a reputation or threaten someone’s safety.
  • Stand up for yourself and others if it’s safe and prudent to do so; report illegal and abusive content and behavior, and preserve evidence.

As we approach the close of 2019 and prepare for Safer Internet Day 2020, we’ll be ushering in not only a new year, but a new decade. We’ll kick off 2020 with a series of predictions from teens and adults about various aspects of online life over the next ten years. By embracing the Digital Civility Challenge and other common-sense habits and practices, we can help make the 2020s the safest and most respectful decade yet.

To learn more about digital civility and how you can help advance these practical ideals for online interaction, visit www.microsoft.com/digitalcivility. For more on digital safety generally, visit our website, “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

[1] The 21 risks span four broad categories: behavioral, sexual, reputational and personal/intrusive.

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Meet Spencer Allen: a passionate gamer and relentless creator who’s on a mission to help everyone game

Giving up has never been a phrase that existed in Spencer’s vocabulary. From the time he was a little boy, his parents instilled upon him and his siblings the importance of pushing through, even when things got hard. “I think our family has always been people who accept what we have, work with it, and don’t dwell on things that aren’t going as well as we’d like,” says Spencer’s mom, Sue. “That’s always been the way of this family: supporting each other.”

The spirit of determination helped Spencer grow as a high school skier and lacrosse player, and eventually become the captain for both teams.

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Forus Health uses AI to help eradicate preventable blindness

Big problems, shared solutions

Tackling global challenges has been the focus of many health data consortiums that Microsoft is enabling. The Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE) – the initiative that Chandrasekhar read about – is now part of the Microsoft AI Network for Healthcare, which also includes consortiums focused on cardiology and pathology.

For all three, Microsoft’s aim is to play a supporting role to help doctors and researchers find ways to improve health care using AI and machine learning.

“The health care providers are the experts,” said Prashant Gupta, Program Director in Azure Global Engineering. “We are the enabler. We are empowering these health care consortiums to build new things that will help with the last mile.”

In the Forus Health project, that “last mile” started by ensuring image quality. When members of the consortium began doing research on what was needed in the eyecare space, Forus Health was already taking the 3nethra classic to villages to scan hundreds of villagers in a day. But because the images were being captured by minimally trained technicians in areas open to sunlight, close to 20% of the images were not high quality enough to be used for diagnostic purposes.

“If you have bad images, the whole process is crude and wasteful,” Gupta said. “So we realized that before we start to understand disease markers, we have to solve the image quality problem.”

Now, an image quality algorithm immediately alerts the technician when an image needs to be retaken.

The same thought process applies to the cardiology and pathology consortiums. The goal is to see what problems exist, then find ways to use technology to help solve them.

“Once you have that larger shared goal, when you have partners coming together, it’s not just about your own efficiency and goals; it’s more about social impact,” Gupta said.

And the highest level of social impact comes through collaboration, both within the consortiums themselves and when working with organizations such as Forus Health who take that technology out into the world.

Chandrasekhar said he is eager to see what comes next.

“Even though it’s early, the impact in the next five to 10 years can be phenomenal,” he said. “I appreciated that we were seen as an equal partner by Microsoft, not just a small company. It gave us a lot of satisfaction that we are respected for what we are doing.”

Top image: Forus Health’s 3nethra classic is an eye-scanning device that can be attached to the back of a moped and transported to remote locations. Photo by Microsoft. 

Leah Culler edits Microsoft’s AI for Business and Technology blog.

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New research reveals a surprising link between the workplace and business success

To help businesses stay a step ahead in the digital age, Microsoft has released new research in partnership with Dr. Michael Parke of the London Business School. Surveying 9,000 workers and business leaders across 15 European markets, the research delved into company growth, employee engagement, leadership styles and technology.

According to the findings, change is the new normal as businesses race to adapt and better compete: 92% of European leaders say their organization has recently undergone a major transformation.

And, the number-one transformation challenge in leaders’ minds is company culture.

Our customers and partners across Europe tell us that keeping up with the pace of digital transformation and innovation is among their chief concerns. But based on our own internal cultural transformation at Microsoft over the past few years, I always encourage business leaders to give as much consideration to company culture as they do to deploying new technology. After all, it’s not just about having the best technology; it’s about how you and your teams react to, and adapt to, change. – Vahé Torossian, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, and President, Microsoft Western Europe.

The study revealed that getting the workplace culture component right can benefit businesses in a significant way.

Companies that were assessed as having ‘innovative cultures’ – generally defined as cultures where new ideas are embraced and supported – were twice as likely to expect double-digit growth. These businesses also seem positioned to win the war for talent: the majority of workers within these organizations (86%) plan to stay in their jobs, as opposed to 57% of those employees working in less innovative cultures.

There are three key attributes that set these innovative companies apart:

I. Tearing down silos and building bridges

Companies with the most innovative cultures have leaders who are not only tearing down silos, they’re replacing them with partnerships and transparency. These leaders are more likely to see effective collaboration as vital for business growth – whether it’s within teams, across teams, or with customers and partners.

Among leaders of highly innovative cultures:

  • 86 percent said collaboration within their teams is very important for future business growth, compared to 70 percent in less innovative cultures.
  • 86 percent said internal collaboration across teams is very important to growth, compared to 72 percent of leaders in less innovative businesses.
  • 79 percent said collaborating externally with their partners is vital for growing their business, compared to just 54 percent of their counterparts in lower-innovation companies.

II. Empowering teams and creating a learning culture

The research shows that in the most innovative companies, leaders are focused on mobilizing their teams and empowering them.

In the most innovative companies, 73 percent of workers say their teams can choose how they approach the work – with only 45 percent of workers in low-innovation workplaces feeling that way. Further, approximately twice as many people in high-innovation workplaces feel empowered to make decisions without a manger’s approval, compared to employees in low-innovation companies.

Finally, nearly three in four employees say their leaders create a culture where it’s OK to make mistakes, compared to just half of the employees in lower-innovation companies.

Profound growth requires innovation and to foster innovation, you need people to feel trusted and supported to experiment and learn. There can be real returns for leaders who learn to let go and coach teams to constantly improve. – Dr. Parke.

III. Protect attention and promote flow

Workers report feeling like they waste 52% of their time each week due to things like unproductive meetings and emails, unnecessary interruptions, and time taken to track down information.

The study suggests that a combination of having the right physical environment, tech tools and a manager who supports diverse ways of working can cut this sub-optimal time in half.

However, the data from the study highlights there’s a greater opportunity than just the possibility of employers helping people be more productive. In fact, there’s also a significant opportunity to bolster employee engagement. When people are able to devote all of their attention and energy to a particular task, they are able to work in a flow state – sometimes known as ‘in the zone.’ Employees who can work in this way – at least some of the time – were three times more likely to say they were happy in their jobs

A working culture that values empowerment and autonomy appear to have an advantage in terms of people being able to work in a flow state: 72 percent of employees who report that they are able to work in flow state say their teams can choose how they approach work. In workplaces with low states of flow, only half of workers feel similarly.

In quick summary: the business leaders that will succeed tomorrow are not thinking about how they can make their workforce more productive – they are focused on helping their people be more innovative.

Any business leader knows that innovation is the key to growth or survival. The challenge, however, is how to establish a culture that consistently innovates, again and again, to avoid getting left behind.– Dr. Parke.

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Tallying the momentous growth and continued expansion of Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform

We’ve seen incredible growth of Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform just in the past year. This momentum is driving a massive investment in people and breakthrough technologies that will empower organizations to transform in the next decade.

We have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in our business cloud that power business transformation across markets and industries and help organizations solve difficult problems.

This fiscal year we are also heavily investing in the people that bring Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform to life — a rapidly growing global network of experts, from engineers and researchers to sales and marketing professionals. Side-by-side with our incredible partner community, the people that power innovation at Microsoft will fuel transformational experiences for our customers into the next decade.

Accelerating innovation across industries

In every industry, I hear about the struggle to transform from a reactive to proactive organization that can respond to changes in the market, customer needs, and even within their own business. When I talk to customers who have rolled out Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, the conversation shifts to the breakthrough outcomes they’ve achieved, often in very short time frames.

Customers talk about our unique ability to connect data holistically across departments and teams — with AI-powered insights to drive better outcomes. Let me share a few examples.

This year we’ve focused on a new vision for retail that unifies back office, in-store and digital experiences. One of Washington state’s founding wineries — Ste. Michelle Wine Estates — is onboarding Dynamics 365 Commerce to bridge physical and digital channels, streamline operations with cloud intelligence and continue building brand loyalty with hyper-personalized customer experiences.

When I talk to manufacturers, we often zero in on ways to bring more efficiency to the factory floor and supply chain. Again, it’s our ability to harness data from physical and digital worlds, reason over it with AI-infused insights, that opens doors to new possibilities. For example, Majans, the Australian-based snackfood company, is creating the factory of the future with the help of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Power BI and Azure IoT Hub — bringing Internet of Things (IoT) intelligence to every step in the supply chain, from quality control on the production floor to key performance indicators to track future investments. When everyone relies on a single source of truth about production, inventory and sales performance, decisions employees make drive the same outcome — all made possible on our connected business cloud.

These connected experiences extend to emerging technologies that bridge digital and physical worlds, such as our investment in mixed reality. We’re working with companies like PACCAR — manufacturer of premium trucks — to improve manufacturing productivity and employee training using Dynamics 365 Guides and HoloLens 2, as well as Siemens to enable technicians to service its eHighway — an electrified freight transport system — by completing service steps with hands-free efficiency using HoloLens and two-way communication and documentation in Dynamics 365 Field Service.

For many of our customers, the journey to Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform started with a need for more personalized customer experiences. Our customer data platform (CDP) featuring Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, is helping Tivoli Gardens — one of the world’s longest-running amusement parks — personalize guest experiences across every touchpoint — on the website, at the hotel and in the park.  Marston’s has onboarded Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Insights to unify guest data and infuse personalized experiences across its 1,500-plus pubs across the U.K.

The value of Dynamics 365 is compounded when coupled with the Power Platform. In late 2019, there are over 3 million monthly active developers on the Power Platform, from non-technical “citizen developers” to Microsoft partners developing world-class, customized apps. In the last year, we’ve seen a 700% growth in Power Apps production apps and a 300% growth in monthly active users. All of those users generate a ton of data, with more than 25 billion Power Automate steps run each day and 25 million data models hosted in the Power BI service.

The impact of the Power Platform is shared in the stories our customers share with us. TruGreen, one of the largest lawn care companies in the U.S., onboarded Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and the Microsoft Power Platform to provide more proactive and predictive services to customers, freeing employees to spend more time on higher value tasks and complex customer issue resolution. And the American Red Cross is leveraging Power Platform integration with Teams to improve disaster response times.

From the Fortune 500 companies below to the thousands of small and medium sized businesses, city and state governments, schools and colleges and nonprofit organizations — Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Cloud are driving transformative success delivering on business outcomes.

24 business logos of Microsoft partners

Partnering to drive customer success

We can’t talk about growth and momentum of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform without spotlighting our partner community — from ISVs to System Integrators that are the lifeblood of driving scale for our business. We launched new programs, such as the new ISV Connect Program, to help partners get Dynamics 365 and Power Apps solutions to market faster.

Want to empower the next generation of connected cloud business? Join our team!

The incredible momentum of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform means our team is growing, too. In markets around the globe, we’re looking for people who want to make a difference and take their career to the next level by helping global organizations digitally transform on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. If you’re interested in joining our rapidly growing team, we’re hiring across a wealth of disciplines, from engineering to technical sales, in markets across the globe. Visit careers.microsoft.com to explore business applications specialist career opportunities.

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