From the course: Building AI Literacy and Fluency with Microsoft

Reasoning engines - Microsoft Copilot Tutorial

From the course: Building AI Literacy and Fluency with Microsoft

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Reasoning engines

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Most of us are familiar with search engines like Bing. We type in a query and instantly we're presented with a list of web pages that might have the answer we are looking for. But there's also another type of engine that works differently than a search engine called the reasoning engine. A reasoning engine is a system that applies logic and inference to draw conclusions, make decisions, summarize information, or solve problems based on data and knowledge. Reasoning engines offer more elaborate responses compared to traditional search engines. They can assist with tasks like writing parts of a grant proposal, providing ideas for a project, researching a topic, or analyzing data in a file. They can even generate images from text descriptions. So how does a reasoning engine work? A reasoning engine starts with a foundation of knowledge. It's fed a variety of data from text to code, and it might even absorb information across the web. This is considered the pre-training phase, where the engine learns language patterns, grammar, and facts. During the next phase, the engine relies on the guidance of human supervisors to steer its learning journey. These supervisors guide the engine through the complexities of language, ensuring it understands not just the what, but the why behind the words. When you ask a question, the reasoning engine springs to life. It sifts through its learned knowledge, weighing words and considering context. It's not just about finding an answer, but it's about creating an answer that's informative, relevant, and engaging. The journey also doesn't have to end with one query or response. With every interaction, the reasoning engine learns and adapts to answer your question based on the prompt you give it. It's a continuous cycle of learning and evolving, striving to understand and communicate more effectively. As we continue to explore and innovate, Reasoning Engine experiences like Microsoft Copilot are opening new possibilities for user creativity and generating text, images, and other media. They are not just changing the way we search for information but also how we interact, learn, and create in the digital world.

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