Microsoft has unveiled a suite of new AI agents designed to enhance productivity within its Microsoft 365 ecosystem, as announced during the Ignite 2024 conference.

The overarching vision is to provide every employee with a personal assistant named Copilot, aimed at alleviating common workplace challenges such as meeting overload and email management.

These new AI agents illustrate Microsoft's ambition to integrate artificial intelligence into daily workflows, enabling employees to focus on more meaningful tasks and improving overall efficiency.

The Interpreter agent, set to release in early 2025, will offer real-time speech-to-speech interpretation in up to nine languages, simulating the speaker's voice for natural communication.

New SharePoint agents allow employees to create custom agents tailored for specific files, folders, or sites, facilitating quick access to insights and workflow management.

As these tools are rolled out in 2024 and beyond, Microsoft aims to reshape business processes towards a more AI-augmented workplace.

In Microsoft Teams, the 'Facilitator Agent' will take notes and summarize discussions during video calls, while an 'Interpreter Agent' will provide real-time translation of spoken words.

Next year, Copilot will also be able to translate PowerPoint presentations into 40 different languages while maintaining the original layout.

Additionally, Copilot will soon be able to capture visual content shared on screen in Teams and process it into meeting notes, providing brief summaries of files shared in chats.

Key features distinguishing these agents from traditional models include memory for task continuity, entitlements for data access permissions, and tools for necessary application integration.

Microsoft's strategy suggests potential future changes in pricing as AI becomes more integrated into productivity software, making it more accessible.

These AI agents build on previous Microsoft AI implementations, which were more focused on sales and finance, now broadening their functionality within Microsoft 365.