Microsoft Launches Autonomous AI Agents, Opens Copilot Studio Public Preview to Counter Salesforce

Oct 21, 2024, 12:30 PM

Microsoft announced that starting in November 2024, it will allow customers to build and manage autonomous artificial intelligence agents through its Copilot Studio platform, which is moving from private to public preview. These agents, designed to operate with minimal human intervention, can handle routine tasks such as client inquiries, sales lead generation, and inventory management. The company is also introducing ten new autonomous agents in its Dynamics 365 suite, aiming to enhance productivity and streamline business processes. "Copilot is the UI for AI, and with Copilot Studio, customers can easily create, manage, and connect agents to Copilot," said Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO. The autonomous AI agents will utilize models developed in-house and by OpenAI, allowing them to act as virtual workers capable of carrying out a series of tasks without supervision. This move comes as Microsoft seeks to deepen its AI capabilities and counter competition from Salesforce, which unveiled its own AI agent system in September. By enabling businesses to create customized AI agents, Microsoft is positioning itself to capitalize on the growing demand for AI-driven automation in the enterprise software market.