Despite concerns about job losses due to automation, Microsoft argues that Copilot agents will remove repetitive and mundane tasks rather than replacing jobs entirely. The company has built controls into Copilot Studio to prevent the AI from going rogue and automating tasks freely. The new Copilot extensions will allow developers to build connectors that extend Copilot across line of business systems, and a new Team Copilot feature will allow the assistant to manage meeting agendas and notes, moderate team chats, and help assign tasks and track deadlines in Microsoft Planner.
Key takeaways:
- Microsoft is developing AI-powered Copilots that can perform tasks automatically, such as monitoring email inboxes and automating data entry, working like virtual employees.
- The company is previewing this new capability to a small group of early access testers, with a public preview expected later this year.
- These Copilot agents will be able to handle tasks such as IT help desk service tasks and employee onboarding, and will be triggered by certain events and work with a business's own data.
- Microsoft is also developing new Copilot extensions that will allow developers to build connectors that extend Copilot across line of business systems, and a new Team Copilot feature that will allow the assistant to manage meeting agendas and notes, moderate team chats, and help assign tasks and track deadlines.