Microsoft to Let Clients Build AI Agents for Routine Tasks from November

General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
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Microsoft to Let Clients Build AI Agents for Routine Tasks from November

General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

Microsoft will allow its customers to build autonomous artificial intelligence agents from next month, in its latest push to tap the booming technology amid growing investor scrutiny of its hefty AI investments.
The company is positioning autonomous agents - programs that need little human intervention unlike chatbots - as "apps for an AI-driven world" that can handle client queries, identify sales leads and manage inventory, Reuters said.
Other big technology companies such as Salesforce have also touted the potential of such agents, tools that some analysts say could provide companies with an easier path to monetizing the billions of dollars they are pouring into AI.
Microsoft said its customers can use Copilot Studio - an application that requires little knowledge of computer code - to create such agents in public preview from November. It is using several AI models developed in-house and by OpenAI for the agents.
The company is also introducing 10 ready-for-use agents that can help with routine tasks ranging from managing supply chain to expense tracking and client communications.
In a demo, McKinsey & Co, which had early access to the tools, created an agent that can manage client inquires by checking interaction history, identifying the consultant for the task and scheduling a follow-up meeting.
"The idea is that Copilot (the company's chatbot) is the user interface for AI," Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president of business and industry Copilot at Microsoft, told Reuters.
"Every employee will have a Copilot, their personalized AI agent, and then they will use that Copilot to interface and interact with the sea of AI agents that will be out there."
Tech giants are facing pressure to show returns on their big AI investments. Microsoft's shares fell 2.8% in the September quarter, underperforming the S&P 500, but remain more than 10% higher for the year.
Some concerns have risen in recent months about the pace of Copilot adoption, with research firm Gartner saying in August its survey of 152 IT organizations showed the vast majority had not progressed their Copilot initiatives past the pilot stage.



US Auto Sales Set to Modestly Rise in First Quarter as Tariffs Signal Bumpy Ride

New vehicles are seen at a parking lot in the Port of Richmond, at the bay of San Francisco, California June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
New vehicles are seen at a parking lot in the Port of Richmond, at the bay of San Francisco, California June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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US Auto Sales Set to Modestly Rise in First Quarter as Tariffs Signal Bumpy Ride

New vehicles are seen at a parking lot in the Port of Richmond, at the bay of San Francisco, California June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
New vehicles are seen at a parking lot in the Port of Richmond, at the bay of San Francisco, California June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

US auto sales likely inched higher in the first three months of the year on steady demand, data from the carmakers will show on Tuesday, as the industry braces for the fallout of President Donald Trump's latest tariffs.

Market research firm Cox Automotive has estimated that US new-vehicle sales volume increased 0.6% to 3.79 million units in the first quarter from a year earlier.

"Automotive tariffs — now set to take effect on April 2 — might have pulled ahead some vehicle purchases in Q1," said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at automotive data provider Edmunds.

General Motors pickup trucks and SUVs are expected to help it retain its top spot in the quarter, followed by Toyota Motor's North America unit and Ford, according to Cox, Reuters reported.

Electric-vehicle maker Tesla is also forecast to report a drop in first-quarter vehicle deliveries on Wednesday.

President Trump's move to levy tariffs on US auto imports is widely seen as weighing on consumer sentiment and forcing a rethink on purchases.

The tariffs could also reduce the number of lower-cost imported vehicles on the market, such as Ford's compact Maverick pickup truck, further straining affordability as the average new-vehicle price nears $50,000.

"The potential for higher inflation due to new tariffs at American borders will all potentially hold back new-vehicle sales in 2025," Cox said.

Caldwell said tariffs would likely create challenges for the industry in the second quarter and beyond and expects discounts to be "harder to come by".