New Microsoft Search, Ideas tap AI to add smart features to Microsoft's Office 365

Smarter searches don't necessarily need to live in a search engine. This week, Microsoft will debut two tools that will live in Office: Microsoft Search and Ideas, designed to assist workers trying to dig out the document that they need, now. Microsoft hosts its Microsoft Ignite conference this week, and the company promises literally dozens of announcements--most pertaining to its Azure cloud and related services. But Microsoft also plans a few key developments at the user level, including final rollouts of features the company has announced previously, such as the ability to blur backgrounds within Microsoft Teams video chats and transcribe meetings. The two most significant announcements for Office users are probably the enhanced Microsoft Search experience, which will traverse Windows, Office.com,