The Copilot Connection

Hosted by Zoe Wilson and Kevin McDonnell

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May 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Copilot Connection , the podcast that explores the world of Microsoft Copilots! Join your hosts, Zoe Wilson and Kevin McDonnell, as they take you on a journey through the different Copilots available and how they can help you in your day-to-day life. From the newly launch date announced Microsoft 365 Copilot to the Dynamics 365, GitHub, Windows, Custom and more Copilots, we'll cover it all. Our upbeat and engaging conversations with experts in the field will keep you entertained and informed. Tune in to Copilot Connection and discover how these AI-powered assistants can transform the way you work! Want to be interviewed for the show? Sign up at The Copilot Connection: Call for Speakers @ Sessionize.com

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56 recent

May 18, 2026Episode 4242 min

Ep 42 - What to watch at Build with Cowork and Claws in between

Kevin McDonnell and Zoe Wilson are back, kicking off this episode with a lively wander through Copilot Cowork in preview — from using it on mobile (sometimes unintentionally…) to early thoughts on skills, plugins, stability, and why data residency still matters if you’re experimenting in the real world. Along the way, there are opinions, tangents, and a few “this is cool, but…” moments that will feel very familiar to anyone testing Copilot right now.The conversation then jumps ahead to Microsoft Build, where agents, observability, and the growing obsession with value and ROI take centre stage. Kevin and Zoe unpack why business goals matter more than shiny dashboards, how Agent 365 fits into the picture, and what all this means for teams trying to move from curiosity to confidence with AI — all wrapped up with event shout‑outs, future episode teases, and the usual friendly chaos

April 4, 2026Episode 4148 min

Ep 41 - Cowork and Agent 365

This week, Zoe and Kevin dig into Copilot Cowork and Agent 365. Fresh from a week at the Microsoft campus in Seattle, Kevin shares his key takeaways from MVP Summit — including a surprising amount of cross-product collaboration and a hands-on experiment building a conference bingo app entirely using GitHub Copilot's coding agent. Zoe and Kevin then dive into two of the biggest recent announcements: Copilot Cowork, now available in Frontier tenants, which takes Copilot from answering questions to actually taking action on your behalf, from organising your inbox to scheduling your week and creating reusable skills; and Agent 365, Microsoft's control plane for agents, launching on 1 May, which brings observability, governance, and threat protection for all your agents in one place. They also cover the practical steps to enable Cowork in your tenant, the current data residency considerations for European organisations, and the open licensing questions still to be resolved before general availability.Useful links:Lab that Kevin mentioned https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-agent-lab-soc-opskevmcdonk/mvp-summit-bingo: Web app for MVPs to track all those common phrases we hear over the week. Who will get bingo firsthttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/03/09/copilot-cowork-a-new-way-of-getting-work-doneGet started with Copilot Cowork (Frontier) | Microsoft LearnMicrosoft Agent 365 documentation | Microsoft Learn

March 22, 2026Episode 4054 min

Ep 40 - diving into Copilot Wave 3

Microsoft helped us make an episode this week but dropping some big Copilot news! In this episode, Zoe and Kevin dig into some of the news related around Copilot Wave 3, talk about what the recent org changes at Microsoft will mean and also highlight some of the upcoming events going on.Useful links:Zoe and Kevin keynote the Copilot Community Conference - Copilot Community Conference 2026Experts Live UKScottish SummitCall for speakers for Scottish Summit still openRajesh Jha retiringCopilot Leadership TeamFrontier SuiteCopilot Wave 3SharePoint at 25Copilot Cowork

February 20, 2026Episode 3939 min

Ep 39 – Closing the AI Implementation Gap with Diana Wolfe

In this episode of Copilot Connection, Zoe and Kevin are joined by Diana Wolfe, Head of Research & Strategy at Kyndryl, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: the widening gap between AI ambition and AI implementation. Together, they unpack why so many companies struggle to realise value from AI investments, what human‑centred change looks like in an era of agentic AI, and how trust, psychological safety, and redesigned roles shape successful adoption.The conversation covers everything from workflow automation myths and cognitive overload to organisational silos, identity shifts, and the realities of embedding AI into everyday work. Expect thoughtful insights, a few laughs (including designer chickens and the underpants gnomes), and practical guidance on how individuals, leaders, and change practitioners can navigate the next phase of AI‑driven transformation.Tune in to learn why the future of AI isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, systems, and redefining what meaningful work looks like.TakeawaysAI implementation requires a holistic approachThe integration of AI technology presents multifaceted challenges AI adoption is evolving rapidlyHuman systems integration is crucial for responsible AI implementation

May 24, 20241 hr 0 min

Ep 16 - Recap from Microsoft Build 2024 with focus on Copilot extensions

Send us a textIn this episode of the Copilot Connection, Kevin McDonnell is joined by Garry Trinder, a developer advocate at Microsoft focused on Microsoft 365 and Copilot. With Microsoft Build taking place this week, they recap the Copilot related news that came out with a special focus on extensions and custom copilots. Plenty of chat about why you should extend, the different ways to extend and when to extend or go custom. Plus find out how many times Copilot was mentioned in the first day keynotes thanks to Vlad Catrinescu.Useful links:M365 Conf sessions - some online now including the age of copilots -Introducing the Community News Desk with essential content from Microsoft 365 Community ConferenceVlad Catrinescu comedy recap Microsoft Build 2024 Keynote Recap in under 5 minutes!Book of News - https://news.microsoft.com/build-2024-book-of-news/GPT-4o demo by Seth Juarez - Conversational website: Satya Nadella at Microsoft Build 2024Copilot+PC - Introducing Copilot+ PCs - The Official Microsoft BlogVS Code for Education - https://vscodeedu.comNote that you need a Copilot license to use this with Copilot Studio - Use graph connections with knowledge sources - Microsoft Copilot Studio | Microsoft Learnhttps://aka.ms/extendcopilotm365/decideUseful Build sessions:BRK 150: Developers guide to customizing Copilot - slides available too BRK 151: Developer deep dive on building plugins for Microsoft CopilotBRK203: Building a copilot: Azure AI Studio or Copilot Studio

April 9, 20245 min

Ep 12l - MVP Summit bonus with Mark Rackley

Send us a textTwelth of twelve mini episodes as we bring our interviews from MVP Summit.Interviewee today - Mark RackleyMark thinks that copilot is a vague term that can mean different things to different people, and he wants to help people understand what it is. Mark has some great use cases like finding presentations that were shared with him by using natural language queries.Listen to find out how he thinks the equity of availability of Copilot could impact the future and what he wishes for next.Mark Rackley | LinkedInMark Rackley 🐗 @NACollabSummit @Techsplaining (@mrackley) / X (twitter.com)

September 30, 2023Episode 118 min

Ep 1 - Welcome to the Copilot Connection

Send us a textWelcome to Copilot Connection, the podcast that explores the world of Microsoft Copilots! Join your hosts, Zoe Wilson and Kevin McDonnell, as they take you on a journey through the different Copilots available and how they can help you in your day-to-day life. From the newly launch date announced Microsoft 365 Copilot to the Dynamics 365, GitHub, Windows, Custom and more Copilots, we'll cover it all. Our upbeat and engaging conversations with experts in the field will keep you entertained and informed. Tune in to Copilot Connection and discover how these AI-powered assistants can transform the way you work!

June 20, 202545 min

CCDev 1 - Navigating Copilot extensibility

Send us a textWelcome to a brand new way of hearing about the latest Copilot extensibility news! In this episode of the Copilot Connection, Kevin swaps out Zoe for Garry Trinder in the first of a spin-off of episodes where we dig deeper into the extensibility side of Copilot.In this first episode, we go into an overview of the options that you have for extending Copilot. We talk cover why you would need to extend Copilot, the different ways you can do that (whether by end user, maker or specialist) and touch a little on how you can actually get started with doing it.Is there a specific topic that you'd like to see us cover? Let us know!TakeawaysExtensibility in Copilot allows developers to create tailored solutions.Understanding AI maturity is crucial for effective implementation.Personalization of AI tools enhances user experience and productivity.Scoping and context are essential for effective use of Copilot.Integrating external knowledge sources can enhance AI capabilities.Balancing deterministic and non-deterministic approaches is key in AI applications.Declarative agents simplify the process of building AI solutions.Responsible AI practices are necessary when developing custom solutions.Continuous learning and adaptation are vital in the evolving AI landscape.Related linksCopilot extensibility learning pathsCopilot camp - no actual camping requiredCommunity samplesPro dev community samples

April 1, 20247 min

Ep 12d - MVP Summit bonus with Simon Doy

Send us a textFourth of twelve mini episodes as we bring our interviews from MVP Summit.Interviewee today - Simon DoySimon likes the development side of things and breaking down application barriers with Copilot. He is excited about the opportunities to bring business data and take actions with Copilot.Listen to find out how he used Copilot to make his daughter's birthday even more special.Simon Doy | LinkedInSimon Doy | MVP #Copilot (@simondoy) / X (twitter.com)

September 30, 202458 min

Ep 19 - Celebrating our birthday with Copilot Wave 2

Send us a textIt's our birthday today! We've managed to pull together some fantastic guests including Loryan Strant, Caroline Kallin and Tom Morgan to help us celebrate by sharing their thoughts on Copilot Wave 2 so hear what we thought and then a few interviews that we have been able to do.Great summary post from Sara Fennah on all the useful links for Copilot Wave 2 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarafennah_did-the-deluge-of-announcements-in-the-wave-activity-7241481645957029888-gyfa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop