AI Agents have been one of the hottest topics at Build this year. Improvements to Windows 11 allow AI agents to run in sandboxes to protect the rest of the operating system. Security features will ensure you can see what agents are doing on Windows.
Even Microsoft's unveiling of the Surface Laptop Ultra focused heavily on agents. So it should come as no surprise that Microsoft has several improvements in the works to help agents.
Microsoft IQ, which was just featured Build, is a new context layer that grounds agents. Using different tools, it can use both general knowledge and enterprise-specific information.
"Agents are only as good as the context we give them," said Elijah Straight during the Build keynote.
What if your apps and agents understood work like people do? That’s the vision behind Work IQ. The Work IQ API helps developers build agents that go beyond data—understanding context, intent, and organizational signals. Preview now. GA starting June 16. Read more:… pic.twitter.com/2OwK1c8jAIJune 2, 2026
A main benefit of Microsoft IQ is that it's grounded. By gathering internal enterprise knowledge and data from the web, Microsoft IQ can yield specific results based on specific data.
Microsoft IQ is now available across GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Foundry, and Copilot Studio. It is made up four parts:
- Work IQ: Captures what happens across Microsoft 365, organizational systems, and external sources.
- Fabric IQ: Provides a shared semantic foundation over business data.
- Foundry IQ: Connects data together and can retrieve information from enterprise knowledge and the web.
- Web IQ: An AI-first web search stack that Microsoft claims delivers relevant results 2.5 times faster than the best alternative.
The Work IQ APIs will become generally available on June 16.
Microsoft Scout was also announced at Build. It's a personal agent for work that's available in preview to Frontier customers. Scout is built on OpenClaw and WorkIQ and integrates with Teams, Outlook, and other tools.
Scout understands how you work, according to Microsoft. It can proactively perform tasks such as preparing for a meeting and sorting scheduling conflicts based on the services you connect it to.
Why you should care about agents
AI agents automate the boring part of using a PC. When they have enough data and context, agents can act like personal assistants built specifically for you, not just generic AI tools. They watch for the patterns in how you work, understand the information you rely on and step in to handle repetitive tasks.
Agents work in the background and take care of routine actions, freeing you to focus on work that requires creativity or insight.
The new agent layers unveiled at Build and highlighted during the conference should connect AI to specific data to make more personal tools and drive better results.
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