Microsoft launches AI agents, deepening rivalry with Salesforce

Microsoft is launching a set of artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to send emails, manage records and take other actions on behalf of business workers, expanding an AI push that intensifies competition with rivals like Salesforce.

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The Redmond, Washington-based software maker said Monday it would roll out 10 "autonomous agents" to complete tasks on behalf of people in areas such as sales, customer support and accounting. The agents will be available in "public preview," beginning in December and continuing through early 2025. Microsoft also said that Copilot Studio, which lets companies build their own agents, will soon get the capability to have those agents act on their own initiative. That will be released in a preview version next month.

The agents are like smartphone apps for the AI age, said Jared Spataro, who oversees Microsoft's workplace AI products. The AI tools, some acting autonomously and others in concert with a worker, can complete tasks like researching and sorting through sales leads or updating a customer support ticket after a phone call.