Bottom line: Facilitator analyzes Teams meetings in real-time and automatically answers open questions via web search in the chat without interrupting the conversation – but requires Copilot Premium and can be disabled at administrator level.
Microsoft is introducing Facilitator in Teams, an AI-powered assistant that identifies knowledge gaps in real-time during meetings and automatically provides answers in the chat. The feature requires Copilot Premium and will roll out beginning August 2026.
Facilitator analyzes conversation content during an active Microsoft Teams meeting in real-time. The system identifies knowledge gaps or unanswered questions from participants and then automatically performs a web search to obtain relevant information. The answer is then posted in the meeting chat without interrupting the spoken conversation.
Use requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium license – only the user who starts the assistant needs one. Other participants can view the provided answers without a Premium license. The feature is disabled by default. During processing, the AI analyzes conversation content in real-time and stores this data for context recognition. Microsoft has not publicly disclosed whether this data is used to train future models. The assistant is tied to Copilot’s web search – if it is blocked, it does not generate answers. Participants can remove it manually at any time during the meeting.
IT administrators have the option to disable Facilitator completely at the enterprise level. The feature is limited to standard Teams meetings and is not available for direct calls, webinars, or virtual town halls. External participants and users from other organizations can access the provided answers in supported meetings. According to the manufacturer, output occurs on average less than once per meeting.
Phased rollout begins in early August 2026 in early access. General availability is scheduled for late August 2026. In parallel, Microsoft is optimizing the Teams application itself to reduce storage issues through adjustments to process architecture and a new efficiency mode.
Source: www.it-daily.net · Published July 3, 2026
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