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Microsoft Tests Always-On Copilot Agents Inspired by OpenClaw

The effort focuses on enterprise-grade safeguards to reduce the risks seen in DIY agents.

Overview

  • Microsoft, which confirmed Monday it is exploring OpenClaw-style technology, is testing always-on agents inside Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise use.
  • The agents are designed to run autonomously over long stretches, handling multi-step work like watching Outlook and calendars to surface a daily task list.
  • Microsoft is piloting role-specific bots for functions such as marketing, sales, or accounting to cap permissions and keep access siloed from the rest of a company.
  • The company has not decided whether these agents will run locally or in the cloud, a key choice given that OpenClaw runs on users’ machines and has drawn serious security concerns.
  • Microsoft plans to show some of the features at its Build conference on June 2, building on recent Copilot efforts like Cowork, Anthropic’s Claude integration, and the cloud-based Copilot Tasks preview.