- Microsoft unveils Autopilots, its next generation of AI agents
- Autopilots will run in the background and perform tasks on your behalf
- Microsoft Scout is the first autopilot, connected to your Microsoft 365 apps
Microsoft has announced the launch of Autopilots, a new form of AI agents that can run autonomously in the background, allowing you to focus on the tasks that really matter.
Speaking at Microsoft Build 2026, CEO Satya Nadella unveiled Scout, the company’s first Autopilot, similar to the OpenClaw offering, integrated with Copilot and Microsoft 365.
Autopilots will work in the background, learning how you work and operate, with the ability to act without needing to be prompted, performing tasks independently.
Microsoft Scout
“You can think of Autopilots as enterprise-grade Claws: They are autonomous, long-lived, fully enterprise-compliant agents that run in your tenant,” Nadella noted.
“It’s a whole new way to reduce work and get you back to what you love.”
Users can customize autopilots however they want, including names and speaking styles, as well as full control over their context and memory. They will also be able to set specific permissions and policies that autopilots will also have to adhere to, ensuring they don’t do anything they shouldn’t do.
“Today we are introducing a new category of agents called Autopilots,” Microsoft said in a blog post announcing the news. “Autopilots are permanent agents who work autonomously, with their own identity and act on your behalf.”
Scout will be able to perform a wide range of tasks, including keeping an eye on your Outlook inbox and Teams messages, alerting you to calendar information or specific emails, to monitoring anything that might need your attention, such as helping you prepare for meetings and tasks.
“Scout works where you work…this is the future of what we think about, of the Copilot ecosystem itself,” Nadella added.
Frontier users can try Scout now – Nadella said he’s already using it himself – with Microsoft set to expand the platform over the coming months, adding more agents and also allowing users to create their own autopilots.
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