The technology giant said in a press release that 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies already use Microsoft 365 Copilot, reporting significant productivity gains. Lumen Technologies, for one, projects US$50 million in annual savings from using Copilot with sales associates, while Honeywell claims productivity equivalent to adding 187 full-time employees.
The new autonomous agents, which will enter public preview next month, are designed to handle tasks ranging from sales qualification to supplier communications. Microsoft describes these agents as “the new apps for an AI-powered world,” capable of executing business processes independently.
“Every organization will have a constellation of agents – ranging from simple prompt-and-response to fully autonomous,” Microsoft said.
These agents will integrate with Microsoft 365, drawing data from various business systems to automate processes.
According to Microsoft, early adopters are already seeing results. UK retailer Pets at Home created an agent for its profit protection team that could potentially generate seven-figure annual savings. McKinsey & Company’s pilot showed a 90 percent reduction in client onboarding lead time and 30 percent less administrative work.
The company emphasized that all agents include security measures, data governance controls, and follow Microsoft’s responsible AI commitments.
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