Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has joined forces with international law enforcement to dismantle RedVDS, a subscription-based cybercrime platform that has quietly fueled a surge in online fraud. In coordination with the United States and the United Kingdom, the company and its partners seized key infrastructure and took the RedVDS marketplace offline. Read more on the downfall of RedVDS, which allegedly provided scammers with access to disposable virtual computers that made fraud cheap, scalable and difficult to trace. 

AI platform Zendawa is modernizing Kenya’s neighborhood pharmacies by cutting drug waste, streamlining inventory and unlocking access to credit. Built with Microsoft technologies including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Power BI, it turns everyday pharmacy data into real‑time business intelligence, helping small pharmacies operate more efficiently on razor‑thin margins.

Since 2020, Microsoft has worked with Nintendo and Sony Interactive Entertainment to improve player safety across platforms. The three companies reaffirmed their commitment to making sure gaming is for everyone, “especially our youngest players,” in a statement on Wednesday. Read more on what exactly the three companies are doing behind the scenes to keep gaming communities safe.

Cyberattacks move fast, and Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is working hard to remain faster. In this Signal magazine feature, the DCU takes readers inside its ambitious effort to disrupt a global malware network powered by manipulated versions of the legitimate security tool, Cobalt Strike. The operation spanned continents and combined a years-long deep technical investigation with an intricate legal strategy. The result: a coordinated takedown designed to meaningfully disrupt cybercriminal operations and protect organizations worldwide.

As AI becomes part of everyday life, its impact is increasingly showing up in concrete ways: in how scientists approach discovery, how doctors make decisions, how questions of accountability and inclusion are addressed and how work gets organized.

In the On Second Thought video series, futurist Sinead Bovell speaks with four Microsoft researchers and subject matter experts working directly in these areas.

As the United States celebrates its 250th year of independence, the nation is experiencing rapid, large-scale infrastructure development to power the new era of AI.

On Jan. 13, Microsoft announced a new initiative aimed at building what it calls Community-First AI Infrastructure. The initiative aims to make Microsoft a “good neighbor in the communities” where the company builds, owns and operates datacenters. Read more on the five-point plan.

Generative AI is helping professionals with ADHD, dyslexia and other differences turn obstacles into advantages. Tools like Copilot help manage things like emails and calendars to cut through cognitive clutter. A growing wave of neurodivergent employees point to tangible gains from AI: lower anxiety, clearer communication and more inclusive design that benefits everyone.

The future of AI isn’t just about smarter models; it’s about the people who use them to build what comes next. In this Signal magazine feature, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott reflects on how breakthroughs emerge when creativity, engineering and responsible innovation intersect. He argues that empowering more makers with powerful tools will unlock the next wave of progress, from new applications to new industries. It’s a look at why the future belongs to bold builders, and how AI can help them get there.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced new agentic AI solutions designed to bring intelligent automation to every part of the retail business. Built for the full retail value chain, the new capabilities help retailers move faster and serve shoppers with greater relevance. The retail shift to AI is one that experts believe will continue. Analysts predict it could represent 10% to 20% of U.S. e-commerce sales by 2030. 

Roughly one in six people worldwide now use generative AI tools, a new report from Microsoft finds. But despite this progress in AI adaption, the data shows a widening divide: adoption in the Global North grew nearly twice as fast as in the Global South. As a result, 24.7% of the working age population in the Global North is now using these tools, compared to only 14.1% in the Global South. Find out which countries are in the AI adaptation lead in the full report.  

Instead of building a driverless car, the U.K.-based startup Wayve has built an AI driver who can get behind the wheel of any new car. And with a little training, that AI driver can learn to drive in any city. Relying on the massive horsepower of supercomputing in Microsoft Azure, Wayve is already rolling in four countries.

AI is evolving fast, but what if our biggest breakthroughs come from rethinking how we build it? Jaron Lanier, Microsoft’s prime unifying scientist, explores why the future of AI isn’t about creating autonomous machines; it’s about designing systems that reflect and elevate human values. He argues that trust, context and creativity matter just as much as models and metrics, and that recognizing the people behind the data is key to building responsible technology. Read more of his thoughts from Signal magazine.

Microsoft is going to make it even easier to manage data. Today, it announced it’s acquiring Osmos — a trailblazer in using agentic AI to transform raw data into analytics-ready and AI-ready assets. It’s the next step toward a future where autonomous AI agents work alongside people and make data management even easier. 

Great design rarely starts with polish; it starts with questions.  For Microsoft designers, early thinking and conversations that reframe a challenge will shape the products people eventually use every day. From rough sketches to research notes, their creative process is grounded in clarity, constraints and customer empathy. Read on in Signal magazine to see how design teams turn curiosity into direction.

Will 2026 be the year AI stops being a “spectacle” and becomes part of our infrastructure? Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella believes it will be. In a new post, he argues the next era of AI is about multi‑agent systems and memory… but also real‑world accountability. Read on for Nadella’s take on what true technology progress – not just hype – looks like. 

With 2025 coming to a close, the Xbox team took a moment to reflect on the past year and look ahead to 2026, which will be the 25th anniversary of Xbox. Take a fun look back at some of the year’s biggest titles.

Xbox is urging parents to set up child accounts and use its Family Settings app to create a safer, more controlled gaming experience this holiday season. With tools for screen‑time limits, content filters, purchase approvals and activity reports, the app aims to make play both fun and secure for young gamers.

In the arid expanse of northwestern Kenya, the Kakuma refugee camp has grown into a sprawling community of more than 300,000 displaced individuals. For years, the camp’s maps were severely outdated — hindering aid delivery, infrastructure planning and emergency response. But now, the community has partnered with Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team to map their camp using drones, community tagging and open‑source AI. The project works  to identify buildings and services, as well as power networks, turning local knowledge into vital spatial data that supports long-term planning. 

Many of us look back fondly on memories of seeing a new gaming system under the tree this time of year. It’s a feeling many parents are likely to recreate, according to a recent Culture of Play Report, which found that more than 70% of players want to share their love of gaming with the next generation. To help parents and caregivers navigate that journey, Xbox partnered with a clinical psychologist and parenting expert to create a series of short, practical videos on how to build connections. 

AI may finally learn the language of biology — and if it does, that could open the door to true precision medicine. At a recent event in a packed Cambridge brewery, Microsoft researcher Ava Amini explained how generative models could read cells, design new proteins and move beyond today’s one‑size‑fits‑all treatments. Early results are promising, but capturing real biological diversity remains the biggest obstacle. Read on to see what Amini says about the field’s rapid progress and remaining challenges.  

Osaka General Medical Center turned a devastating 2022 ransomware attack into a full‑scale transformation. After weeks of paper records and disrupted care, the hospital rebuilt its systems with Microsoft tools, adopting zero‑trust security and modernizing daily operations. Two years later, staff say they’re able to work faster and more safely — even as pressures on Japan’s healthcare system continue to mount.

Financial firms are emerging as AI’s boldest pioneers, betting on its power to redefine a fast‑shifting industry. According to a new study, companies weaving AI into every workflow are pulling ahead; earning returns roughly triple those of slower peers. Read on for five essential practices in AI adoption that Bill Borden, corporate vice president of Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft, believes are predictors of financial services success in 2026.

This moment in the era of AI provides a unique opportunity, according to Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott. At a recent gathering of entrepreneurs in San Francisco, Scott explained that powerful new tools, low experimentation costs and untapped model capabilities are just waiting to be unlocked. Read on to see what Scott says founders should be doing to seize this historic moment. 

They grow up so fast. Business analytics tool Power BI turned 10 this year and it’s smarter than ever. You can even use Copilot to chat with your data like it’s your buddy and your data actually listens. (It’s in preview right now.) Check out Power BI’s growth and what’s coming next.

It’s safe to say 2025 was the year AI stopped feeling experimental and became part of everyday work. Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s CMO of AI at Work, says the real differentiation for companies in this era of AI isn’t speed; it’s learning. Companies on the cutting edge are adapting quickly to reshape workflows and embrace the idea that when you invest in a technology this foundational, productivity almost always dips before it rises. As AI rewrites how organizations operate, Spataro says leaders should ask themselves these four questions as they head into 2026.

AI isn’t just shaping the future of work; it’s transforming the future of sport. Basketball teams are using AI to analyze movement, anticipate plays and customize training with precision once unimaginable. Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer helped catalyze the team’s analytics wave, and today’s AI tools build on that foundation, amplifying coaches’ intuition rather than replacing it. The result: healthier players, smarter preparation and a faster, more insightful game. Read more in Signal magazine.

Spending precious time on administrative work is a luxury police can ill afford, especially if they’re handling online fraud. Enter MahaCrimeOS AI, a crime investigation copilot powered by Microsoft Foundry which helps Maharashtra police process complaints and navigate complex procedures faster. So they can spend more time solving, and less time filing.

Cybercriminals are posing as remote employees to slip past human resources and gain trusted access. Microsoft Incident Response’s Detection and Response Team (DART) recently uncovered an intrusion like this, then moved fast to contain the threat and restore systems. The full report about the incident shows how companies can combine stronger security operations center practices with insider risk strategies to close the gaps attackers exploit. 

Welcome to Microsoft, GPT-5.2! OpenAI’s latest AI model is being rolled out across the company, starting today. Use GPT-5.2 to solve more complex projects in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio. Developers can also use GPT-5.2 in Microsoft Foundry, where it’s able to handle more context, deeper logical chains and agentic execution.

Through rain, shine and traffic, India’s Swiggy delivers food, groceries and more to millions of consumers each day. To keep its edge in a competitive field, Swiggy is turning to Real-Time Intelligence on Microsoft Fabric to analyze streaming data for faster delivery, as well as Azure OpenAI Service to talk with customers and delivery riders.