Lisa Vu helped plan a memorable celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, for some of her Microsoft colleagues across Australia and New Zealand. The original agenda for the event was “basic” with pre-recorded videos, Vu says, so she used AI as an idea generator to get her creative juices flowing. Microsoft Copilot suggested that the videos be accompanied by virtual rangoli art. Vu put her own spin on the idea by asking participants to use Bing Image Creator to come up with their own interpretations of rangoli — making digital patterns on a screen instead of using the traditional powder, sand or petals — and share them in the event chat. The fun activity drew in people who were there in person as well as those attending virtually. “I find myself more creative, productive and efficient with that little push to get me there,” she says, “rather than trying to figure out all the ideas myself.”