Microsoft lets customers build autonomous AI agents

Microsoft is positioning automated agents — programs that require little human intervention unlike chatbots — as “applications for an AI-driven world ” that can handle customer queries, identify leads and manage inventory.

Other big tech companies like Salesforce have also touted the potential of such agents, tools that some analysts say could give businesses an easier path to monetizing the billions of dollars they invest in AI.

Microsoft said customers can use Copilot Studio — an application that requires little knowledge of computer code — to create such agents in public preview starting in November. The company is using a number of AI models developed by businesses and OpenAI for the agents.

Microsoft also introduced 10 ready-to-use agents that can help handle everyday tasks from supply chain management to expense tracking and customer communications.

In a pilot, McKinsey & Co, which had early access to these tools, created an agent that could manage customer requests by checking interaction history, identifying a consultant for the task, and scheduling a follow-up appointment.

"The idea of ​​Copilot (the company's chatbot) is a user interface for AI. Each employee will have a Copilot, their personal AI agent, and then use that Copilot to communicate and interact with a multitude of other AI agents," Charles Lamanna, vice president of Copilot business and industry at Microsoft, told Reuters.

Tech giants are under pressure to show returns on their massive investments in AI. Microsoft’s stock fell 2.8% in the third quarter, underperforming the S&P 500, but is still up more than 10% for the year.

Some concerns have been raised in recent months about the pace of Copilot adoption, with research firm Gartner saying in August that a survey of 152 IT organizations found that the majority of Copilot initiatives had not moved beyond the pilot stage.