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From AI Hype to Everyday Impact: Using Copilot to get stuff done

Conversations about artificial intelligence are everywhere right now — in boardrooms, team meetings, conferences, and group chats. People are experimenting, questioning, debating, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed.  And within all that noise, something important has started to happen: the conversation has shifted.

The focus has shifted past the “wow” phase. Past the novelty demos and eye‑catching outputs. Today, organisations are asking a more important question:

How does AI actually help me get work done — better, faster, and with confidence?

That’s exactly where Heather Cook, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, lives and works every day.

This May, Heather brings that grounded, human‑centred perspective to the Digital Workplace Conference Australia, where she’ll deliver a keynote designed for people who want practical progress — not hype.

Find out more about Heather's upcoming keynote >

 

Attendees at Heather's Keynote can expect practical guidance on how to:

  • Use repetitive prompts for daily, weekly, and monthly tasks
  • Automate recurring work like updates, newsletters, and prep
  • Build small, focused agents to support research and content creation
  • Stop staring at a blank page by leveraging prompt libraries
  • Treat AI as a collaborator — not an autopilot

 

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Heather Cook
Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft

Based in Marina del Rey, California, Heather travels globally to speak on healthy workplaces, power skills, community building, and inclusion. Most recently, she has taken up DJing and is spinning Disco House for parties and events around the world. She is also an avid writer, publishing Maven Musings, a twice-monthly business newsletter on LinkedIn, and her cultural Substack, Heddas Mix Tape. Heather’s Microsoft career journey is featured in The Women of Microsoft. 

About Heather Cook

Heather sits at a rare crossroads. As part of Microsoft’s M365 engineering organisation, she works directly with global communities, MVPs, user group leaders, and event organisers — while also advising internal teams on adoption, change, and emerging technology.

Heather's role isn’t about theory. It’s about people. 

 “My job on a day‑to‑day basis is working on community — bringing people together around technology in ways that actually help them."

That lens shapes everything she does, including her approach to AI. Rather than positioning Copilot and agents as magic tools, Heather talks about them as practical ways to save time, reduce friction, and help people focus on better judgement — not as replacements for human thinking or responsibility

DWCAU26- Join Us

WHY ATTEND DWCAU26?

  • Connect and Network In Person
  • Stay Ahead with Microsoft 365 and AI Thought Leadership
  • Real-World Insights Through Customer Case Studies
  • Insights and Expertise from well-renowned speakers
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Brett Gilbertson
Digital Skills Coach – ASI Solutions

Brett is dedicated to closing the digital skills gap by finding innovative ways to help people adopt new ways of working with technology. He is passionate about teaching teams to solve problems, be more creative and communicate more effectively with each other.

Closing the Digital Skills Gap with Human Connection: Brett Gilbertson

As AI becomes embedded into our conversations, a new myth is emerging: that AI will replace the need for training, schooling, and even thinking.

However, educational research shows AI highlights existing knowledge rather than uncovering unknowns; human expertise, teaching, and collaboration remain essential for innovation and leadership. A cybersecurity example will illustrate how AI can assist—but not lead—the discovery of unexplored needs.

This session presents:

  • A critical look at how AI is reshaping education—and where it falls short.

  • A call to prioritize digital skills training focused on human relationships and future needs.

Make no mistake, AI will change education and training. But it cannot replace it.

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Debbie Ireland
Founder - DWR (Digital Workplace Results)

Debbie Ireland is the founder DWR (Digital Workplace Results) and the Conference organiser of the annual Digital Workplace Conferences in New Zealand and Australia.

Conference Opening and Welcome: Debbie Ireland

In this provocative opening, Debbie reveals how AI is quietly reshaping our behaviour, our workplaces, and even our children. From rising dependency to hidden cognitive shifts, this talk challenges audiences to rethink what it means to stay human in an AI‑saturated world.