Microsoft to Launch Autonomous AI Agents

Microsoft will allow customers to create autonomous AI agents starting next month, marking its latest effort to capitalise on the rapidly growing AI market amid increasing investor scrutiny of its substantial AI investments.

Unlike chatbots, these autonomous agents require minimal human intervention and are positioned by Microsoft as “apps for an AI-driven world” capable of handling tasks like managing client inquiries, identifying sales leads, and overseeing inventory.

Competitors like Salesforce are also developing similar tools, which analysts believe could provide a faster path for companies to monetize their significant AI investments.

Microsoft’s customers will be able to use Copilot Studio, a low-code application, to build these agents in public preview starting in November. The agents will utilise various AI models from both Microsoft and OpenAI.

Also Read: Microsoft launches Copilot tool for developers

The company is also launching 10 pre-built agents designed to handle routine tasks such as supply chain management, expense tracking, and client communication. In a demo, McKinsey & Co., which had early access, created an agent to manage client inquiries, identify consultants, and schedule follow-up meetings.

Charles Lamanna, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of business and industry Copilot, explained, “Copilot is the user interface for AI, where every employee will have a personalized AI agent to interact with the broader ecosystem of AI agents.”

Tech giants, including Microsoft, are under pressure to demonstrate returns on their significant AI investments.

Microsoft’s shares dropped 2.8% in the September quarter, underperforming the S&P 500, with concerns arising over the pace of Copilot adoption.

Research from Gartner in August revealed that most IT organisations had not advanced their Copilot projects beyond the pilot stage.

REUTERS/Chidimma Gold