Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Microsoft’s Semantic Kernel adds Copilot Chat sample app

news
May 3, 20232 mins

Semantic Kernel SDK and sample app promise to ease the development of intelligent assistants based on AI large language models.

AI graphic

Microsoft is supplementing its Semantic Kernel SDK for integrating AI large language models (LLM) into applications with an open source Copilot Chat sample app, allowing developers to more easily build chatbots using features such as natural language processing, file uploading, and speech recognition.

Unveiled May 1, Copilot Chat demonstrates how developers can integrate AI and LLM intelligence into their own applications. The tool is intended to help with building applications such personalized recommendation systems and automated assistants for customer service, e-commerce, training and education, HR, and other tasks.

Microsoft cited scalability of these operations as a chief benefit, with chatbots helping user sites scale up to meet increasing demand without hiring more staff, which Microsoft noted could reduce costs and increase revenues. Other specific benefits the company cited for using the sample app include an improved user experience, increased efficiency, personalized recommendations, and better accessibility.

Developers can make chat smarter via LLM-based AI, with up-to-date information through the Semantic Kernel, Microsoft said, describing the Copilot Chat sample app as “an enriched intelligence app” that will become smarter with use. To use Copilot Chat, developers can update to the latest copy of Semantic Kernel from GitHub and then navigate to instructions for the sample app. However, the sample app is marked as for educational purposes and is not recommended for production deployments.  

Open source Semantic Kernel is positioned as a lightweight SDK to mix conventional programming languages with the latest in LLM AI “prompts” with templating, chaining, and planning capabilities.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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