Will Nelson is the Copilot Lead at Microsoft, where he leads federal executive engagements for Microsoft Copilot, focusing on AI applications. With a background in product operations, internal tooling, and early-stage tech companies, he has launched new products, built scalable systems, and bridged gaps between emerging tools and real-world outcomes. Before Microsoft, Will was a Founding Product Ops Intern at Pie Insurance, where he grew the commercial auto vertical from zero to $2 million in premiums.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [1:22] Will Nelson talks about his role as Microsoft’s Copilot Lead and how he transitioned from insurance technology
• [4:43] How Copilot differs from ChatGPT and other AI tools
• [7:01] The role of synthetic data in AI model training 
• [10:20] Microsoft Copilot as an AI coordinator that integrates context, tools, and user data
• [13:41] How Copilot safeguards and indexes organizational data 
• [22:11] Tips for prompting AI chatbots to improve responses
• [25:58] An overview of Microsoft Copilot’s research agent and real-world use cases of the tool

In this episode…

Many organizations are racing to adopt AI but struggle to apply it securely, effectively, and at scale. Leaders worry about whether they need multiple tools, how to trust AI outputs, and how to prepare their teams for this shift. With so many platforms available, how can businesses identify where AI delivers the most value without adding unnecessary complexity?

According to AI expert Will Nelson, Microsoft Copilot functions as an AI coordinator that integrates tools, data, and context to enhance outputs. This tool allows companies to conduct deep research and secure their data through tenant-based governance. Will maintains that organizations don’t need world-changing use cases to benefit from AI; even simple applications like meeting preparation and document summarization can significantly increase productivity. This can be accomplished through effective, specific prompting. 

In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Will Nelson, Copilot Lead at Microsoft, about how Microsoft Copilot enables organizations to adopt AI effectively. Will talks about the future convergence of large language models, how government agencies are adopting AI, and how to use synthetic data to train AI models.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn
• BWG Connect
• Will Nelson on LinkedIn 
• Microsoft Copilot 

Quotable Moments:

• "This is the worst this technology will ever be. It's only getting better from here."
• "Copilot exists within your tenant. So when you ask a question, that never leaves."
• "We think about Copilot chat as an AI orchestrator, not just a single underlying model."
• "Sometimes it just takes a better set of instructions, a better prompt, and specificity."
• "The output is useful, the process is not. Copilot shifts time back to meaningful work."

Action Steps:

1. Use AI as an orchestrator, not just a chatbot: Treating AI as a tool that integrates context, data, and functionality ensures results are accurate and relevant to your needs. This shifts AI from novelty use to practical daily value.
2. Prioritize data governance in AI adoption: Keeping AI usage within secure organizational systems protects sensitive information and aligns with compliance standards. This builds trust in the technology across leadership and employees.
3. Invest time in crafting better prompts: Providing detailed, specific instructions helps AI deliver more accurate and useful responses. Even small improvements in prompting can significantly enhance productivity.
4. Start with simple, repeatable use cases: Begin with tasks like meeting preparation, email summarization, or report generation before scaling to complex projects. This approach accelerates adoption by showing clear value quickly.
5. Leverage AI for preparation and training scenarios: Role-playing or analyzing meeting notes with AI reduces wasted effort and increases “minutes on mission.” This empowers teams to focus more on impactful, high-value work.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.