Microsoft has introduced Microsoft Scout, an always-on artificial intelligence agent designed to autonomously handle workplace tasks across Microsoft 365 applications.
Scout falls under the category of AI assistants called autopilots. Unlike traditional AI chatbots that respond only when prompted, autopilots are designed to remain active in the background, understand ongoing work, and take action on behalf of users while operating within organisational policies and permissions.
Scout integrates with key Microsoft 365 services, including Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint. It can access work-related data such as emails, chats, calendars, contacts, and documents to help users stay organised and productive.
According to Microsoft, Scout can proactively coordinate meetings across time zones, flag important events, prepare briefing materials, and automatically schedule focus time for upcoming deadlines. It can also identify potential workflow bottlenecks, such as stalled decisions or delayed tasks, and alert users before they become larger issues.
A key component of Scout is a system called Work IQ, which learns how users work over time. Microsoft says Work IQ helps the agent understand priorities, build context, and become more useful by anticipating future needs rather than waiting for instructions.
The company also highlighted its focus on enterprise security. Scout operates using its own governed identity through Microsoft Entra, allowing organisations to track and manage every action performed by the AI agent. Sensitive tasks can require human approval, while existing security tools such as Microsoft Purview, data loss prevention policies, and sensitivity labels remain enforced.
Microsoft said OpenClaw, an open-source technology platform, powers Scout, and the company is contributing new policy compliance tools back to the OpenClaw community. These tools are designed to help organisations verify that their AI environments meet security and compliance requirements.
The company revealed that Microsoft employees have already been testing an early version of Scout internally, using it to manage coordination tasks, surface risks, and reduce administrative workload.
Microsoft Scout is being rolled out to select customers through a private preview programme and to organisations participating in Microsoft’s Frontier initiative. Access requires Frontier enrollment, Intune policy configuration, and user opt-in, while GitHub Copilot licence holders can download the experimental release and begin testing the technology.
The launch marks Microsoft’s latest push towards AI-powered workplace automation, where agents are expected to take on more responsibilities beyond answering questions and generating content.
