Microsoft allows customers to build AI agents for daily tasks starting next month

According to the Zhitong Finance and Economics APP, starting from next month, Microsoft (MSFT.US) will allow its customers to establish autonomous artificial intelligence agents. This is the latest move by the company to utilize AI technology as scrutiny over its massive AI investments increases. Microsoft is positioning these autonomous agents, which are different from chatbots that require human intervention, as "applications that drive the world with artificial intelligence." These programs can be used to handle customer queries, identify sales leads, and manage inventory. Other major tech companies like Salesforce (CRM.US) are also praising the potential of these agents. Some analysts have stated that businesses are facing the dilemma of monetizing billions of dollars invested in AI, and these tools provide a simpler way to do so. Microsoft has stated that starting from November, company customers will be able to use an application called Copilot Studio, which does not require extensive knowledge of computer code, to create such agents. This application is utilizing several artificial intelligence models developed internally and by OpenAI for the agents. Furthermore, Microsoft has also launched 10 ready-made agents to help with daily tasks such as managing the supply chain, tracking expenses, and communicating with customers. In a demonstration, McKinsey & Company, which had early access to these tools, created an agent that manages client consultations by examining interaction history, identifying task advisors, and scheduling follow-up meetings. Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President of Business and Industry Copilot at Microsoft, stated, "Our idea is that Copilot (the company's chatbot) is the user interface for artificial intelligence." "Every employee will have a Copilot, which is their personalized artificial intelligence agent, and they will then use this Copilot to interact with the multitude of artificial intelligence agents that will emerge." As artificial intelligence continues to thrive, tech giants are facing immense pressure as the market closely watches the returns generated from their significant investments in this field. Microsoft's stock price fell by 2.8% in the third quarter, underperforming the S&P 500 index, but its year-to-date increase still exceeds 10%. Additionally, in recent months, some individuals have expressed concerns about the adoption speed of Copilot. A survey conducted by Gartner in August with 152 IT organizations showed that the majority of companies' Copilot plans have not yet passed the pilot phase