The Microsoft Copilot app is set to undergo major changes. A complete overhaul of the AI tool consists of three components: Home serves as the new starting point, Code forms the basis for custom application development, and Autopilot will operate autonomously.
Microsoft compares the intended impact of Copilot to that of Office. The app is designed to be the foundation for all types of interaction, from chat features to agent-based workflows.
Within Copilot, Home will serve as the new starting point, with Chat and Cowork as options. Chat remains the quick conversation mode. Cowork is intended for work that, according to Microsoft, users can delegate, such as an RFP response, a launch kit, or a financial closing. Soon, users will no longer have to make that choice themselves, the tech giant promises. Copilot will then automatically route the task, a promise that sounds as ambitious as it is error-prone.
Cowork was announced earlier this year as an autonomous agent that creates its own plan and carries out tasks based on that plan in Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint. The name is borrowed from the Claude app, where, until recently, Cowork was also a separate mode that enabled non-developers to use the same projects and domain-specific purposes that Claude Code already provided for developers.
Code opens app development to everyone
With Code, any employee can describe an app, tracker, dashboard, or workflow in natural language, according to Microsoft’s promise. Copilot then selects an approach and builds the app as requested. The underlying technology is the same as that of GitHub Copilot. Code runs in a sandbox and can be hosted within the user’s own tenant. According to Microsoft, developers will continue to use GitHub Copilot as usual.
The update also includes new infrastructure in the form of Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime, now in public preview. This hosting solution allows Code to run securely within an organization’s Microsoft 365 environment, under IT management.
Autopilot gets its own identity
Autopilot was previously called Scout, an agent based on the open-source project OpenClaw. The agent is given a name, role, and purpose, and then continues to operate without a prompt. It resides in the tenant with its own identity, memory, and workspace, and can be @mentioned in Teams and Outlook.
Billing will also be split. Chat and the Office apps fall under a user subscription license. Cowork, Code, and Autopilot operate on usage-based billing with Copilot Credits.