In this issue: We examine a new conversation segmentation method that delivers more coherent and personalized agent conversation, and we review efforts to improve MLLMs’ understanding of geologic maps. Check out the latest research and other updates. NEW RESEARCH SeCom: On Memory Construction and Retrieval for Personalized Conversational Agents Researchers from Microsoft and Tsinghua University propose a new method to help conversational AI agents deliver more coherent and personalized responses during complex long-term dialogue. Large language models  

In this edition: We introduce FLAVARS, a multimodal foundation language and vision alignment model for remote sensing; Managed-retention memory, a new class of memory which is more optimized to store key data structures for AI inference workloads; and Enhanced detection of macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel 2) using self-supervised learning and ensemble models. We present a new approach to generalizing symbolic automata, which brings together a variety of classic automata and logics in a unified framework with all the necessary […]

In this edition: We introduce privacy enhancements for multiparty deep learning, a framework using smaller, open-source models to provide relevance judgments, and other notable new research. We congratulate Yasuyuki Matsushita, who was named an IEEE Computer Society Fellow. We’ve included a recap of the extraordinary, far-reaching work done by researchers at Microsoft in 2024.   NEW RESEARCH

NICOLE IMMORLICA: Thank you.  HUIZINGA: So before we get into specifics on the big ideas behind your work, let’s find out a little bit about how and why you started doing it. Tell us your research origin story and, if there was one, what big idea or animating “what if” inspired young Nicole and launched a career in theoretical economics and computation research?  IMMORLICA: So I took a rather circuitous route to my current research path. In high school, I […]

[MUSIC FADES] GUEST HOST KARIN STRAUSS: I’m your guest host Karin Strauss, a senior principal research manager at Microsoft. For nearly a decade, my colleagues and I—along with a fantastic and talented group of collaborators from academia and industry—have been working together to help close the data creation–data storage gap. We’re producing far more digital information than we can possibly store. One solution we’ve explored uses synthetic DNA as a medium, and over the years, we’ve contributed to steady and […]

TONG WANG: Thank you, Bonnie. KRUFT: Microsoft Research is one of the earliest institutions to apply AI in biomolecular simulation research. Why did the AI for Science team choose this direction, and—with this work specifically, AI2BMD—what problem are you and your coauthors addressing, and why should people know about it? WANG: So as Richard Feynman famously said, “Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and the wigglings of atoms.” To study the mechanisms behind […]

Welcome to Research Focus, a series of blog posts that highlights notable publications, events, code/datasets, new hires and other milestones from across the research community at Microsoft. EVENT Register now for Research Forum on September 3 Discover what’s next in the world of AI at Microsoft Research Forum

[TEASER ENDS]  GRETCHEN HUIZINGA: You’re listening to Collaborators, a Microsoft Research Podcast showcasing the range of expertise that goes into transforming mind-blowing ideas into world-changing technologies. I’m Dr. Gretchen Huizinga. [MUSIC FADES]  On today’s episode, I’m talking to Dr. Brendan Lucier, a senior principal researcher in the economics and computation group at Microsoft Research, and Dr. Mert Demirer, an assistant professor of applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Brendan and Mert are exploring the economic impact of […]

The games industry has long been a frontier of innovation for AI. In the early 2000s, programmers hand-coded neural networks to breathe life into virtual worlds (opens in new tab), creating engaging AI characters (opens in new tab) that interact with players. Fast forward two decades, neural networks have grown from their humble beginnings to colossal architectures with billions of parameters, powering real-world applications like

Welcome to Research Focus, a series of blog posts that highlights notable publications, events, code/datasets, new hires and other milestones from across the research community at Microsoft. NEW RESEARCH Appropriate reliance on Generative AI: Research synthesis Appropriate reliance on AI happens when people accept correct AI outputs and reject incorrect ones. It requires users of AI systems to know when to trust the AI and when to trust themselves. But fostering appropriate reliance comes with new complexities when