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.
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.