Starting in November, Microsoft will offer its customers the ability to create autonomous AIs that can operate with minimal need for human intervention. The move is part of the company's broader plan to take advantage of the growing interest in AI and its deployment in business. Similar technologies are already being explored by other tech firms like Salesforce, which is looking to offer tools to make it easier to monetise its huge investment in AI.

Microsoft $MSFT is trying to respond to the demands of modern business with autonomous agents, where the pressure for efficient task management and communication is growing. These autonomous agents, which the company envisions as "applications for an AI-driven world," will be able to handle client queries, identify business opportunities or manage inventory. Unlike traditional chatbots, these systems are intended to operate with minimal human intervention, greatly increasing their utility and flexibility.

Copilot Studio: Easy creation of AI agents

A key tool for creating these autonomous agents will be an application Copilot Studiowhich, according to Microsoft, does not require the user to have advanced programming skills. It will be launched in November for public testing and is already garnering a lot of attention. The app combines several AI models developed by Microsoft itself, but also in close collaboration with OpenAI, which is known for its cutting-edge technology.

Microsoft will also bring pre-built agents that focus on routine tasks such as supply chain management, expense tracking or customer communication. Companies can then start using the technology immediately without the need for complex development of their own "agents".

Case in point: McKinsey & Co.

One company that has had the opportunity to test these new tools before their official release is McKinsey & Co.. As part of a demonstration project, they created an autonomous agent that was able to manage client queries, analyse communication history, assign tasks to the right consultants and schedule follow-up meetings. This example shows the wide range of possibilities autonomous agents offer, especially for companies that rely on extensive customer communication and process management.

Copilot as a new interface for interacting with AI

According to Charles Lamanna, vice president for Microsoft Copilot, autonomous agents are becoming the new interface for working with AI. "Every employee will have their own Copilot, a personalized AI agent that will serve as an interface to interact with the world of autonomous agents," Lamanna said. This approach has the potential to change the way companies manage their day-to-day operations and how they use AI to achieve greater efficiencies.

Challenges and expectations

Despite the positive expectations, Microsoft is facing pressure from investors to start showing a return on its large-scale investment in AI. The company's shares fell 2.8% in the third quarter, while the S&P 500 index rose. Still, Microsoft has maintained more than 10% growth since the beginning of the year.

Some analysts and surveys point to slower adoption of tools like Copilot. A Gartner study this August, for example, revealed that most of the 152 IT organizations surveyed hadn't progressed beyond the experimentation stage with their Copilot pilots. This means that Microsoft and other companies face the challenge of convincing users of the practical benefits of these technologies.

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Source. Finance