Microsoft Allows Customers to Create Independent Artificial Intelligence Agents

Coin World News Report:
Microsoft customers will begin building their own artificial intelligence agents starting in November as part of their efforts to leverage the growing technology industry amid intensifying competition.
At the same time, Microsoft is also considering countering competition from Salesforce, which launched its own configurable AI tool last month. Microsoft revealed this progress at the Artificial Intelligence Tour in London, promising businesses the opportunity to start building their own customized AI assistants.
Microsoft’s AI agents will serve as virtual workers
Microsoft initially announced its artificial intelligence agents in May, which were previously available in a private preview. However, as more and more companies begin building their own agents, agents that can function as virtual workers will be launched in November.
AI agents are seen as a significant evolution from chatbots, serving as large language models (LLMs) that create a seamless and integrated experience.
With this initiative, Microsoft is positioning autonomous programs that require minimal human intervention as “applications that drive the AI-driven world,” capable of responding to customer queries, identifying sales leads, and managing inventory.
Peers in the tech industry, such as Salesforce, also believe in the potential of AI agents and tout their capabilities. Analysts believe that these tools may help tech companies monetize the billions of dollars invested in the AI industry.
For Microsoft, the company states that its customers can utilize the Copilot Studio, an application that does not require extensive knowledge of computer code, to create such agents in a public preview in November.
The tech giant also revealed that customers can use both internal models and OpenAI’s models as agents.
Microsoft introduces 10 ready-to-use agents
According to Reuters, Microsoft has also introduced 10 ready-to-use agents that can assist with daily tasks such as supply chain management, expense tracking, and customer communication.
One of its customers, McKinsey & Co., has already been using these tools. In a demonstration, the company created an agent that manages customer inquiries by examining interaction history, identifying advisors for specific tasks, and scheduling follow-up meetings.
During the demonstration, the agent was shown browsing emails to understand the content of the communication. The agent examined its history, mapped it to industry-standard terms, and found the appropriate company to take the next steps, CNBC reported.
Charles Lamanna, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Business and Industrial, told Reuters, “Our idea is that Copilot, our chatbot, is the user interface to AI. Every employee will have a Copilot, their personalized AI agent, and then they will interact with the upcoming abundance of AI agents using that Copilot.”
Lamanna added.
In recent months, there have been concerns about the adoption of Copilot, and Microsoft is facing pressure. A survey by research firm Gartner in August of 152 IT organizations showed that most organizations’ Copilot plans had not progressed beyond the pilot stage.
The tech giant’s stock price fell 2.8% in the quarter ending in September, but it is still up 10% for the year.