Microsoft is set to introduce new metaverse features to Teams in the first half of 2023, according to sources reported by The Financial Times.

The announcement came at the BigTech firm’s annual Ignite conference held in San Francisco.

The metaverse has been described as a new phase of interconnected virtual experiences using technologies like virtual and augmented reality.

Teams users will be able to appear as “avatars”, the BigTech’s term for animated cartoons, in their video meetings according to the FT’s sources.

The sources also said that Teams users will be able to use the avatars to visit workspaces - including virtual offices and factories - remotely.

The use of personal avatars is just the first step in a progression where workers would become increasingly comfortable with new forms of virtual interaction, according to the sources.

Jared Spataro, the head of Teams at Microsoft, reportedly said the push to offer users new types of digital interactions came in response to the challenges of the transition to hybrid working.

The BigTech said its research validated that the use of personal avatars gave workers an increased sense of “presence” and freed workers from having to appear on camera.

The sources said Microsoft aims to use artificial intelligence to animate the avatar’s lips, facial expressions, and hand gestures.

The move by Microsoft comes after Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a new branding that aims to reflect the company’s new focus on developing the metaverse.

Cloud-based remote collaboration tools are a large part of Microsoft’s business model; Microsoft 365 produced over $168 billion in sales during its most recent financial year.

Microsoft and Facebook are not the only big players in the technology world to make significant investments in the metaverse.

Japanese conglomerate Softbank led a $93 million Series B funding round in metaverse gaming company The Sandbox earlier this week.

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