Key Highlights:
- Microsoft is planning to introduce mini AI agents that can perform as individual employees.
- The concept is currently codenamed as Agent 365.
- It will provide access to existing Office 365 apps and services, along with complete automation abilities.
Microsoft has quietly teased a concept which could bring a major shift in enterprise workflow. The company has showcased a new class of AI agents that can act as independent users inside the workforce of an entity. The details were revealed in Microsoft’s latest roadmap where it plans to give agentic users their own identity, access to corporate systems and apps, and the ability to collaborate with humans and other agents.
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Microsoft’s MIB Moment: Agent 365
The concept is codenamed Agent 365 or A365 as per some documents identified by licensing specialist Rich Gibbons. It mentions that Microsoft will launch a standalone license for Agent 365, which will be different from its Office 365 and other products. Once the user or enterprise purchases and activates the license, they will also be granted access to existing Office ecosystem apps with the ability to automate them using AI.
The A365 tool will reportedly be able to perform daily activities like attending meetings, editing documents, send emails, and also respond to official communication channels over emails and messages. They can almost perform like virtual users, as if having a chatbot hired as a full-time employee in the office.
While its an ambitious project, it also raises concerns over control and governance, as the AI agent will have access to the entire digital system and infrastructure of the company. Employees are expected to maintain a sense of discipline and follow SOPs of the entity with respect to business strategies, NDA, and other confidential information. However, in the case of AI, agents and chatbots are often known to hallucinate and perform rogue actions, which can harm the ethics of the business.
These concerns have been raised by Gibbons himself. The documents containing the excerpts of Agent 365 were also reportedly seen by a Microsoft MVP named Joao Ferreira, and confirmed by him. However, Microsoft has not announced anything officially yet.
