Microsoft launches AI that works like an executive assistant

Microsoft Corp. launched new artificial intelligence software designed to function like an always-active executive assistant, the latest evolution of its workplace AI efforts.

While AI bots like ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot are only visible to the user, the new tool, dubbed Scout, will appear on internal email and calendar systems as if it were just another helpful employee, the software maker said on Tuesday.

This means Scout will able to handle a wider range of tasks autonomously, Charles Lamanna, who leads product development for much of Microsoft’s business applications and workplace AI teams, said in an interview.

For example, the assistant could autonomously ask a meeting organizer to reschedule if there is a timing conflict, he said. Salespeople could ask questions of their boss’s Scout assistant.

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUE READING BELOW

“It has its own identity and therefore is shareable,” Lamanna said.

Microsoft made the announcement in San Francisco on Tuesday at Build, its annual developer conference, where the company is showcasing efforts to deploy AI tools across its software.

Microsoft’s stock has lagged behind cloud rivals like Amazon.com Inc. this year owing in part to a slower-than-expected uptake of Copilot and increased competition for AI coding tools. Now the company is working to show customers and Wall Street that its products are state-of-the-art.

Anthropic PBC and OpenAI have each promoted AI assistants this year that can take actions by accessing users’ desktops. Scout’s uniqueness partly rests on the fact that it has been integrated with other Microsoft products.

Microsoft has spent years trying to package cutting-edge AI technologies in a way that’s palatable to cautious corporations. Scout is built on OpenClaw, a platform that turns the models behind ChatGPT and Claude into always-on agents. OpenClaw went viral earlier this year owing to its ability to handle complex tasks by taking control of a user’s computer but also spurred worries about potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities. (Internally, Microsoft dubbed its initiative Project Lobster.)

ADVERTISEMENT:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

Lamanna didn’t disclose pricing for Scout, which will initially require a subscription to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot coding assistant. Customers will likely be charged based on how much they use the software, rather than a flat subscription fee, he said. In the long run, as the cost of accessing AI models continues to tumble, Microsoft would like to include more AI products in subscription plans, Lamanna said.

Microsoft is working to encourage more customers to pay additional fees for its AI tools, including through a new software bundle dubbed “E7.” For now, only a small percentage of subscribers are also paying for Copilot, the flagship AI assistant.

© 2026 Bloomberg

#Microsoft #launches #works #executive #assistant