Microsoft turns Copilot into a work tool with code and AI agents

On Friday, Microsoft presented a major update to Copilot, the app meant to serve as companies' AI assistant. The goal is to make Copilot a single place where office workers can get their tasks done, rather than just a chatbot.

One of the new features is called "Code." The tool makes it possible to build apps, dashboards and other software by writing ordinary sentences instead of programming code. It runs on the same technology as Microsoft's developer tool GitHub Copilot. This means ordinary employees without coding experience can create small programs to, for example, organize data or automate tasks.

The new coding tool will first be released to select test customers at the end of September, while subscribers to 365 Premium and Pro will get access to a test version later in the year.

In addition, Microsoft is launching "Autopilot," a further development of the "Scout" agent that was shown off earlier in the year. It is an AI agent that can work independently as a kind of digital colleague. The agent gets its own identity in the company's user directory, and the company can control which permissions and access it should have.

Microsoft is also integrating Word, Excel and PowerPoint directly into Copilot, so you can work in these programs without having to switch between different apps.

A Microsoft executive, Annie Pearl, explains that many companies have found it difficult to adopt AI agents because of concerns about security and control. Microsoft therefore says it has built the solution so it can be used safely in large organizations.

Finally, companies get new tools to keep track of what AI usage costs. This should make it easier for managers to keep up with spending as more employees use AI in their daily work.

The update is an attempt to keep Copilot competitive against other AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude, with which Microsoft competes for business customers.

What this means for you

If you use Microsoft 365 at work, it may soon become easier to build your own small tools without needing to know how to code. Keep an eye out for updates to Copilot at your company if you subscribe to 365 Premium or Pro. If you are a manager, the new management tools can help you keep track of what AI usage costs and who has access to the AI agents. Talk to your IT department about when the new features will be available at your company.