- Copilot Cowork is Microsoft’s complete autonomous AI assistant
- Anthropogenic models also available alongside OpenAI in Copilot
- Agent 365, coming soon, integrated into the all-new E7 plan
Microsoft confirmed details of the so-called “third wave” of Microsoft 365 Copilot shortly after rumors began circulating about a potential M365 E7 plan.
The company says this third wave has pushed AI beyond just helping people complete tasks and run workflows on behalf of users – in other words, it marks the shift from generative to agentic AI.
And despite a long-standing relationship with OpenAI and an initial heavy reliance on GPT models, Copilot Cowork uses Claude Cowork’s Anthpic models of the same name.
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Microsoft 365 relies entirely on agentic AI
With the Anthropic-backed upgrade, M365 Copilot will be able to handle long-running, multi-stage tasks that develop over time, making the AI much closer to a human worker. The tool works by coordinating actions across applications and files for deeper context.
A separate article from Business Apps and Agents President Charles Lamanna shows agents working to clean calendars and conducting detailed research. A video presented by Lamanna shared on LinkedIn also details how Copilot Cowork supports additional skills and plugins.
Anthropic’s Claude templates will also be available in M365 Copilot Chat alongside the usual OpenAI templates for more customization, should businesses choose.
Microsoft boasted that while the number of Copilot users increased 160% year over year, the number of actual daily active users increased tenfold, highlighting the need for better management.
For agent management, Microsoft plans to make Agent 365 generally available starting May 1, priced at $15 per month. The company drew parallels between A365 and existing people management tools in terms of observability, governance, management and security.
“In just two months, tens of millions of agents have appeared in the Agent 365 registry,” Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft Commercial, wrote of the platform’s preliminary customers.
And as for that rumor about the E7 plan? Well, it comes with this exact naming structure, and it will cost $99 per user, which is cheaper than putting each item together separately. The E7 plan, as previously speculated, includes M365 E5, M365 Copilot and A365, all in a single billing subscription.
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