The AI week, distilled.
Week 28 · 2026
This week in Microsoft AI

Microsoft pushes Copilot deeper into modernization, data access, and developer onboarding.

This week brought three enterprise-relevant updates across GitHub Copilot, .NET modernization, and Power Platform data access. The common theme is operationalizing AI inside existing tools with clearer workflows, governance touchpoints, and faster enablement.

01

Copilot adds agent-driven .NET modernization workflow

Microsoft introduced a GitHub Copilot upgrade and modernization experience for .NET applications with an interactive upgrade dashboard. The experience works across the GitHub Copilot app, Visual Studio, VS Code, and the Copilot CLI.

  • Use the upgrade workflow to reduce discovery and planning time for legacy .NET portfolios before committing budget and delivery timelines.
  • Standardize upgrade execution across teams that use different tools (Visual Studio, VS Code, and CLI) without forcing a single IDE choice.
  • Treat the dashboard outputs as audit artifacts for regulated environments by documenting upgrade steps, decisions, and outcomes in a repeatable process.
02

Dataverse plugin expands to GitHub Copilot marketplace

Microsoft announced that the Dataverse plugin for coding agents is now available in more marketplaces, including GitHub Copilot. The update positions Dataverse as an “agent data platform” that agents can access directly.

  • Assess whether your Copilot governance model needs updating when agents can directly query or act on Dataverse schemas and records via a plugin.
  • Centralize access control by aligning agent permissions with existing Dataverse roles, auditing, and environment separation rather than building parallel controls per agent tool.
  • Support mixed AI tooling strategies by keeping Dataverse as the common data backbone while teams use different coding agents across business units.
03

Visual Studio adds in-product Copilot Walkthroughs

The Visual Studio team added GitHub Copilot Walkthroughs inside Visual Studio to guide developers through core Copilot features. The walkthroughs focus on getting started with completions, chat, and related capabilities.

  • Reduce enablement overhead by using built-in walkthroughs as the default onboarding path for Visual Studio developer cohorts.
  • Improve policy compliance by pairing walkthrough completion with internal secure-coding guidance for prompts, data handling, and code review expectations.
  • Accelerate time-to-value for Copilot license rollouts by shortening the gap between provisioning and productive daily use.