Microsoft Copilot has already proven itself as a powerful tool for productivity and creativity. But with the latest announcements from Microsoft Build 2024, Copilot is taking things to the next level—moving beyond individual support to become a true driver of business transformation.
These updates mark a shift from just helping individuals to enabling entire teams and automating processes that directly impact how businesses operate.
Team Copilot: From Personal Assistant to Team Member
Team Copilot evolves Copilot into an active participant in your team’s day-to-day work. Integrated into tools like Microsoft Teams, Loop, and Planner, it supports meetings, helps organize projects, and keeps communication clear.
Here’s what it can do:
Meeting facilitator: It manages the agenda and takes shared notes that anyone in the meeting can co-author
Group collaborator: It highlights key messages in chats, tracks action items, and keeps unresolved issues visible
Project manager: It creates tasks, assigns them, tracks deadlines, and notifies team members when input is needed
These capabilities will be available in preview later in 2024 for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers.
Agents: Automate Your Unique Business Processes
Every company has its own way of working. That’s why Microsoft is introducing a powerful new concept in Copilot Studio: agents.
Agents are custom copilots designed to run business processes from start to finish. They can:
- Automate long-running workflows
- Reason over user actions and decisions
- Use memory to maintain context
- Learn from user feedback
- Handle exceptions and ask for help when needed
Think of an “order taker” agent that can manage everything from receiving an order to suggesting alternatives for out-of-stock items and ensuring delivery. These capabilities are now in private preview and expected to roll out more broadly later this year.
Build Custom Copilots with SharePoint and OneDrive
Much of a company’s knowledge lives in SharePoint and OneDrive. Now, you can create custom copilots that understand your organization’s files and help teams get what they need—instantly.
These copilots are editable in Copilot Studio and will be available in preview later in 2024.
Copilot Extensions and Connectors: Expand What’s Possible
To make Copilot even more flexible, Microsoft introduced Copilot extensions and Copilot connectors. These make it easier for developers to customize Copilot’s behavior and connect it to company-specific data and systems.
Developers can use Copilot Studio or the Teams Toolkit in Visual Studio to build these experiences quickly and securely.
Microsoft Copilot is no longer just a helpful AI—it’s becoming a core part of how modern businesses work, communicate, and grow. Whether you’re leading a team or building solutions, the tools are now in your hands to go beyond support and unlock real business value.
