Microsoft’s annual Build event this year was heavily focused on AI, reflecting the current trend among Big Tech companies. Google had just showcased its own AI products at the Google I/O event the week before. At Build, Microsoft introduced Team Copilot, an AI chatbot designed to act as a co-worker for teams and companies. It uses shared knowledge to answer questions and queries, and interestingly, it bears a striking resemblance to Google’s own AI chatbot for teams called AI Teammate.
But Microsoft didn’t stop there. Shortly after announcing Team Copilot, the company unveiled another AI product called Copilot Agents. These agents serve as AI assistants for employees and co-workers. This feature also shares similarities with a product Google introduced at Google I/O. Microsoft’s Copilot Agents are described as AI-powered features that can independently orchestrate tasks for users. Users can provide a custom job description or choose from pre-made templates, and Copilot will create an AI agent to complete the assigned tasks.
Copilot is designed to seek help when it encounters situations it cannot handle or needs more information. It can refer to existing knowledge and learn from new feedback to improve its performance. To make it even more accessible, Microsoft has made it easy for anyone to build their own Copilot agents using Copilot Studio.
The concept of AI personal assistants is not new. Google’s AI Agents, for example, can handle tasks like processing product refunds from online shopping orders. Microsoft’s examples, on the other hand, focus more on business automation, such as onboarding new employees. However, neither Microsoft’s Copilot Agents nor Google’s AI Agents are currently available to the public. They are being tested with a select group, and a public preview is planned for later this year.
The fact that these AI products are still in the testing phase raises questions about their actual capabilities when they eventually hit the market. Can they truly perform the tasks they are being promoted for? Would you trust an AI agent from Microsoft or Google to autonomously complete tasks for you? While these concepts may be appealing, it is important to approach them with caution when they become available. It remains to be seen how effective and reliable these AI agents will be in real-world scenarios.
