A bigger focus on AI

Microsoft hasn't been shy about throwing the term "AI" around over the past few years, but it's clear by now that's not just marketing fluff. In particular, we expect to hear a lot more about Windows ML, the machine-learning platform that arrived alongside last month's Windows 10 update. It lets developers take advantage of pre-trained AI routines in their apps, which they can run locally or over the Azure cloud. Windows ML can also take advantage of hardware acceleration from GPUs, something Build attendees will likely appreciate.

Microsoft has made huge strides in bringing artificial intelligence to its consumer products recently. Its Cortana virtual assistant is steadily getting smarter (it's certainly more useful on a desktop than Siri). AI also sits at the core of the Translator app, which can now tap into AI even when it's offline. Meanwhile, the company's XiaoIce chatbot in China has learned how to politely interrupt conversations, making it more like a natural speaker, instead of a voice-powered computer. We're a long way from Hollywood-level superintelligent AI, but the pieces are falling in place for the next generation of computing.

Windows 10 and the evolving Microsoft Graph