Microsoft has introduced the AI agent Cowork to handle complex tasks within Microsoft 365. It can interact with ecosystem applications like Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.

“Describe your desired outcome, and Cowork will automatically lay the groundwork for your work in emails, meetings, messages, files, and data,” the announcement states.

Once given a task, the assistant transforms the request into a step-by-step plan. This plan is executed in the background with clear checkpoints. Users can confirm progress, make adjustments, or pause the task at any time.

If the AI needs clarification, it will reach out to the user. The interface allows users to review all proposed actions and approve changes.

“Cowork easily handles multiple tasks simultaneously, each progressing while you focus on your work,” the company noted.

Microsoft provided several examples of how the tool can be used:

  • Calendar optimization — the assistant can reschedule meetings, review the Outlook calendar, prioritize tasks, and identify less significant meetings;
  • Preparation for negotiations — the AI agent can independently extract necessary data from emails or files, gather materials for client meetings, and create presentations;
  • Company analysis — the algorithm will find financial reports and documents from the SEC database, then compile a brief analytical summary;
  • Product launch planning — Cowork will create a competitor comparison in Excel, highlight distinguishing features in documents, and generate presentations. It will also assign roles, outline key milestones, and define next steps.

The agent operates in a secure cloud environment, allowing tasks to be completed across different devices. This technology is integrated in collaboration with Anthropic and is based on the Claude Cowork model.

Copilot Cowork is currently available in a testing phase as part of the Research Preview program.

Recall that in November 2025, Microsoft experts presented a testing environment for AI agents and identified vulnerabilities inherent in modern digital assistants.