What struck us most about ESPC25 wasn’t the sheer volume of AI enhancements (though there were plenty). It wasn’t even the Copilot demos, shiny as they were.
It was this: in a week where AI dominated every keynote, the moments that mattered were unmistakably human.
Microsoft has made its intentions crystal clear: Copilot isn’t just a feature, it’s becoming the fabric of modern work. Jeff Teper said a full third of Microsoft’s engineering investment is now in AI, with the remaining two-thirds strengthening the foundations we rely on daily.
However, whilst AI may be the headline act, the stability and trustworthiness of Teams, SharePoint and the M365 core remain the stage it performs on.
And yet, despite this huge acceleration, it was Rafal Lukawiecki’s keynote the next day — humorous, philosophical and a touch provocative — that delivered the line we all needed to hear: AI is powerful, but not intelligent in the way humans are. Not yet. And not for a long time.
He reminded us that intelligence is judgement, context, adaptation, values — all still wildly out of reach for even the most advanced models. Yes, AI removes drudgery. Yes, it boosts productivity. But the meaning-making? The interpretation? The wisdom? That’s still human territory.
And for anyone responsible for telling stories, shaping messages or guiding customers through transformation, that distinction really matters.
AI has evolved. So has our understanding of what matters.
Across the conference, Copilot appeared in almost every session:
- In Caroline Kallin’s deeply personal and practical session on avoiding cognitive burnout by working with — not against — our brains. Copilot helps us get “better sh*t done,” she joked, but only when we change our habits, not just our tools. For us marketers, that’s a reminder that technology doesn’t erase human behaviour. Our content still needs to meet people where they are, not where the product roadmap thinks they should be.
- In Karoliina Kettukari’s OP Financial Group case study, where AI adoption has exploded from 2,000 users to 15,000 employees — powered by communication, experimentation and leadership support. AI isn’t theoretical for them; it’s embedded. It’s a cue for Microsoft Partners we work with to learn that customers don’t just need features explained; they need stories of real adoption, real friction, and real outcomes for it to resonate.
While every session pointed to the same truth: AI is here, it’s accelerating, and it will reshape how everyone works. It was in the hallways, on the buses, at the Women in Tech lunch, another truth became obvious…
The community showed up and it made all the difference
Some of the most valuable moments happened nowhere near a keynote stage and had nothing to do with AI.
Like meeting Marleen and John, from Dutch MSP OGD ict-diensten, on an escalator and somehow ending up on the same open-top bus heading to the ShareGate party with them hours later.
Or reconnecting with longstanding Valo, Involv and Ichicraft friends and former clients — people we’ve worked with before but rarely see in person.
And then there was the Women in Tech lunch — a different kind of highlight entirely.
Hearing Heather Cook, Karuana Gatimu, Danielle Moon and Laura Dark speak openly about their careers, challenges and turning points was energising. They didn’t talk about scaling models or “frontier firms”. They talked about resilience, representation, leadership… and the power of finding our allies within every level of the Microsoft ecosystem.
As a female founder, it was exactly the reminder: community isn’t just who we meet — it’s who we see. The people who make us feel like we belong in the room. The role models who show what’s possible. The ones who make the path ahead feel less lonely.
It was a moment AI could never replicate.
And because ESPC is as much about shared purpose as shared learning, it was also a pleasure to see our fellow Spotlight on Silver sponsors — companies we’d taken time to profile before the conference. It was a pleasure to meet their teams face to face in real life.
Key takeaways for marketers and content creators
1. Copilot accelerates output. Humans create meaning.
Use AI for the heavy lifting — drafts, rewrites, research — but don’t outsource your judgement. Rafal made it clear: nuance and interpretation remain our uniquely human superpowers.
2. Clarity is now a strategic advantage.
Most employees report receiving content that’s irrelevant or cognitively burdensome. For internal comms specialists, your opportunity? Create content that lightens the load, not adds to it.
3. Community is your differentiator.
Technology can be copied. Product features can be matched. But the relationships, trust and shared history across this ecosystem? That’s our truly human differentiator
4. Our job isn’t to publish more — it’s to help people think.
AI can produce infinite content. But our value lies in choosing what’s worth saying — and saying it clearly.
What this means for Microsoft Partner marketing as we head into 2026
The AI acceleration we’re seeing now won’t slow — but expectations around how we communicate will rise sharply. By 2026, your customers won’t care that you “use AI.” Everyone will.
What they’ll care about is:
- Clear, confident explanations of how AI improves their work
- Responsible communication that avoids hype and focuses on outcomes
- Human stories that show transformation, not just automation
- Content that cuts cognitive noise, not adds to it
The partners who win will be the ones who tell the simplest, smartest, most human stories about this rapidly evolving technology.
The real story of ESPC25?
Yes, AI took centre stage.
Yes, Microsoft’s innovation runway feels limitless.
Yes, Copilot is reshaping the way we work.
But the people — the conversations and the shared experiences — stole the show.
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If you want content that cuts through the noise (and actually helps your customers), Bright Star is here to make the hard parts easier — strategy, structure and storytelling included.
