The next iteration of Copilot includes autonomous agents – pff-the-shelf or self-build

Microsoft has announced the introduction of autonomous AI agents – coming soon to an office near you.

Microsoft has announced the introduction of autonomous AI agents – virtual employees if you will – that can carry out administrative tasks that chief executive Satya Nadella called a “drudgery” at the event in London yesterday. This includes tasks such as handling basic customer queries and identifying prospects.

Microsoft touted the launch of the latest iteration of Copilot as a tool to free employees from such boredom and allow them to focus on more productive and creative work.

“These tools fundamentally change outsourcing, increase value and reduce waste,” he said.

In addition to offering this functionality out of the box, Microsoft also provides customers with the tools to create and manage their own autonomous agents. These agents can operate independently to set plans, execute long-running tasks, and adapt to changes, making them suitable for use in areas such as customer service or in back-office functions like supply chain management.

Copilot Studio will officially launch next month, but early adopters include companies like McKinsey, which is building an agent to handle requests from new clients. The bot scans incoming emails, extracts relevant information and decides where to send the request, checks if people have already been in contact with the company and responds to messages.

Other early adopters include law firm Clifford Chance and retailer Pets at Home.

Copilot Studio certainly has the potential to democratize AI. Nadella described it as a “code-free way to create agents.” Microsoft powers agents with several AI models developed internally and by OpenAI.

Microsoft is also developing an AI agent capable of carrying out transactions on behalf of users. However, the work is still in progress. The company’s head of AI, Mustafa Suleyman, said he had seen “mind-blowing demos” in which the agent made a purchase independently, but had also experienced “moments of car accident” during development.

Still, Suleyman was optimistic about the timeline, predicting that an agent with such capabilities would likely hit the market within quarters, rather than years.

Microsoft was careful during the launch to emphasize the blending of AI and human beings. Jared Spataro, marketing director of AI at Work, Microsoft compared agents to factory robots.

“We think every organization will be a mix of human workers doing very important work,” he said. “But increasingly, these agents will work under the supervision of humans and then report autonomously to humans.”

Microsoft also announced yesterday that it has signed a five-year strategic partnership with the government to accelerate AI-driven economic growth and digital transformation of the public sector, starting November 1, 2024. The partnership enables public sector organizations to ‘access Microsoft products, including Copilot.

The collaboration aims to improve government services, foster innovation, create jobs and strengthen digital skills through training programs, creating a more responsive, agile and digital public sector.