Microsoft is set to allow its customers to create autonomous AI agents starting next month, as part of its strategy to capitalize on the rapidly growing AI sector amid increasing investor scrutiny over its substantial AI investments.

The company is promoting these autonomous agents—programs that require minimal human input, unlike traditional chatbots—as "applications for an AI-driven world," capable of managing customer inquiries, identifying sales opportunities, and overseeing inventory.

Other major tech firms, like Salesforce, have also highlighted the potential of such agents, which analysts believe could offer companies a simpler route to monetizing their significant AI investments.

Microsoft announced that customers can use Copilot Studio—an application designed for users with little coding knowledge—to build these agents in a public preview starting in November. The agents will utilize various AI models developed both in-house and by OpenAI.

Additionally, the company will introduce ten pre-built agents that assist with routine tasks, including supply chain management, expense tracking, and client communication.

In a demonstration, McKinsey & Co, which received early access to the tools, created an agent capable of managing client inquiries by reviewing interaction histories, identifying the appropriate consultant, and scheduling follow-up meetings.

"The concept is that Copilot (the company's chatbot) serves as the user interface for AI," said Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president of business and industry Copilot at Microsoft, in an interview with Reuters.

"Every employee will have their own Copilot, a personalized AI agent, which they will use to interact with the multitude of AI agents available."

Tech giants are under pressure to deliver returns on their large AI investments. Microsoft's shares fell 2.8% in the September quarter, trailing behind the S&P 500, but are still over 10% higher for the year.

Concerns have emerged recently about the rate of Copilot adoption, with research firm Gartner reporting in August that a survey of 152 IT organizations revealed that most had not advanced their Copilot initiatives beyond the pilot phase.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters file