- Microsoft is reportedly working on an OpenClaw alternative
- Copilot users are on the up, but nowhere near ChatGPT levels of engagement
- New M365 E7 and Agent 365 plans target increased demand for AI agent management
Microsoft is thought to be working on its own autonomous AI agents, inspired by OpenClaw.
Per The Information reporting, the proposed agentic platform could replace or work alongside existing Copilot tools, bringing proactive, always-on style AI to workers who, if they choose Microsoft's AI today, only have reactive assistants.
It's unclear whether the company would target local or cloud-based agents, or a hybrid of the two, but if today's Copilot is anything to go off, they would likely either only work within Microsoft's ecosystem or, at best, work best there.
Microsoft wants to build proactive AI agents
If Microsoft were to come out with its own OpenClaw-like agentic platform, it would likely target enterprise customers at first, building on existing Copilot Cowork development.
We could see role-specific agents for sectors like sales, marketing and accounting, and likely access controls and permissions on a per-agent basis, with AI agents being increasingly treated like humans.
The Information's sources also claim Microsoft is targeting agents that are "safer" than competition (read OpenClaw).
Compared with other hyperscalers and AI companies, Microsoft initially fell short on the AI front. ChatGPT is still, by far, the most popular AI chatbot, accounting for four in five sessions globally (per Statcounter). Maybe Microsoft hopes that getting ahead of the curve on the proactive agentic front could regain lost enterprise customers.
The company recently confirmed the launch of a new E7 tier, which bundles parts of Microsoft 365, Copilot and Agent 365 for a new world in which bosses are expected to manage humans and AI agents simultaneously.
Microsoft also recently declared Copilot users had grown 160% year-over-year, and daily active users were up ten times.
