Microsoft Autonomous AI agents will soon be able to carry out routine tasks

From November, Microsoft customers will be able to create their own autonomous AI agents that can carry out numerous routine tasks. These software systems should go well beyond what is already known as AI chatbots.

A variety of help

Autonomous agents, different from traditional chatbots, are described by Microsoft as “apps for an AI-driven world.” These programs can, among other things, independently process customer inquiries, find out sales opportunities and take over inventory management, the news agency reports Reuters. Other large technology companies such as Salesforce also emphasize the potential of these tools. Starting in November, Microsoft customers will be able to create their own autonomous agents through the Copilot Studio application, even if they have little programming knowledge, it said.

The tool uses various AI models that were developed both by Microsoft itself and by OpenAI. Additionally, Microsoft offers ten prebuilt agents that can handle tasks such as managing supply chains, tracking expenses, and communicating with customers.

In a demonstration, the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., which had early access to the tools, showed how such an agent can be used. This manages customer inquiries at the company, checks previous interactions, finds the responsible advisor and plans follow-up appointments. Microsoft predicts a great future for these systems: “Each employee will have their own, personalized AI agent that they will use to interact with a variety of other AI agents,” predicts Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft.

Investors are putting pressure on you

The introduction of the agents was announced some time ago, but it took time to make the complex adjustments in the background. However, these offers are essential for the Redmond company – especially in view of the growing pressure from investors to derive tangible economic results from the high AI investments.

Investors have rewarded Microsoft’s commitment to AI with significant share price growth. However, there are concerns about the speed at which Copilot solutions are being implemented in companies. A study by market research firm Gartner found that the majority of IT companies surveyed have not yet taken their Copilot initiatives beyond the testing phase.