Microsoft has unveiled its new Copilot Agents, which the company says will help small businesses use artificial intelligence to “automate and execute business processes.”
Users can create, manage, and deploy agents across platforms, such as Teams, websites, and mobile apps, to streamline many day-to-day operations.
Copilot Agents are designed to be highly customizable and tailored to the unique needs of each business. Microsoft sees the technology as a tool that can work “with or for people.”
Microsoft wants to stimulate SMEs with Copilot Agents
With a variety of use cases, Agents can vary in complexity. Common tasks include retrieving information, performing tasks, and in some cases operating autonomously by taking action without the need for human intervention.
Companies can create Agents in Copilot Studio in a process that is designed to be user-friendly. Microsoft sees employees with little to no programming experience developing their own Agents using natural language prompts.
Companies can manage their Copilot Agents through centralized controls to ensure security and compliance.
For the end user, interacting with an Agent can be as simple as sharing new information and asking questions via @.
Charles Lamanna, Corporate VP OF Business & Industry Copilot at Microsoft, said: “We believe that autonomous agents will fundamentally change business processes.”
Lamanna added: “We believe that organizations that embrace AI will create and use many Copilot agents. There will be as many agents as there are documents or SharePoint sites in an organization.”
According to Microsoft, Copilot users typically see more time saved and improved efficiency. The addition of Copilto Agents will hopefully keep SMBs in the loop as larger enterprises with more resources invest more in emerging technologies.