Gen Z doesn't know how to write emails. AI is coming to Outlook, so it might help.

• A new Microsoft AI tool could make up for the soft skills that some managers say Gen Z lacks.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot will us AI to help users write better emails, the company says.
• A group of Microsoft customers have been testing the new tech ahead of its November release.

Companies that use Microsoft Outlook for correspondence are getting an AI-powered tool that will help draft emails beginning next month.

Microsoft 365 Copilot might be just the artificial intelligence tool that Gen Z employees need to help them with the soft skills some of their managers say they lack. The company said Copilot would help create "polished and professional" emails by suggesting edits.

Some managers have complained about their supposedly lazy Gen Z workers, who they need to be supervised all day to ensure they're keeping up with their tasks. Meanwhile, some companies, including KPMG, are offering their recruits training on how to send an email or give a presentation.

ResumeBuilder.com surveyed more than 1,300 US managers in April, and most of them said that Gen Z is the "most challenging generation" to work with. Nearly half of them said it was because Gen Z lacks technological skills — and experts attributed the deficiencies to having received a remote education during the Covid-19 lockdown.

KPMG — along with Visa, General Motors, and Lumen Technologies — is among the first companies to test the ways Copilot can assist with Microsoft 365, CNN reported.

Cherie Gartner, KPMG's global lead partner for Microsoft, said there's been an increase in productivity since the firm's workers have been testing the AI assistant. It's too soon to tell if Copilot has been particularly helpful specifically for young new hires, a KPMG spokesperson said.

The new technology will be available to more corporate customers beginning on November 1.