Microsoft is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) tool offerings to include “ agents» which are designed to support different human processes.
The US software maker said the new offerings are designed to help users carry out certain business activities with little or no human involvement. Agents are expected to be offered to some users in the coming weeks. A full version is expected next year.
Microsoft said its agents are designed to develop so-called chatbots. A chatbot is an AI tool that can work on its own to produce human-level writing or discussion. Such systems – also called generative AI – can also produce images and videos based on short text descriptions.
Although chatbots perform some functions on their own, they also rely heavily on humans to operate and guide them. The idea behind AI agents is to give them the ability to take over entire business processes with little or no guidance from people.
In a statement Last month, Microsoft said it was preparing for a world in which every organization would have a set of AI agents to perform different business activities.
In another statement Published last week, the company said the agents under development are designed to “operate around the clock” to reduce the workload on human workers. Examples of agent tasks include processing customer orders or returns and review shipping records to avoid errors.
Microsoft has moved quickly to bring AI technologies to everyday users of its business software. The methods are largely based on models built by AI developer OpenAI, creator of the chatbot ChatGPT. Microsoft has invested around $13 billion in OpenAI.
Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer, said the public should “view agents as the new applications of an AI-powered world.”
The company added that its customers will be able to use its Copilot Studio service to create their own AI agents to meet specific needs. Copilot is Microsoft’s existing AI chatbot tool. Additionally, the company announced that it has introduced 10 ready-to-use agents to achieve routine commercial activities.
Charles Lamanna is Copilot’s Vice President of Business and Industry. He told the Reuters news agency: “The idea is that Copilot is the user interface for AI. » He added: “Each employee will have a Copilot, their personalized AI agent. And then they will use this Copilot to interact and interact with the sea of AI agents that will be there. »
In an online explanation of the AI tools, Microsoft said: “instead of just helping you, agents can work alongside you or even in your name.” This could include “a range of things, from answering customer questions to more (complex) or multi-step engagements,” the company added.
The capabilities of AI agents remain limited for now. But the continued development of the tools raises concerns about certain risks associated with the technology. Microsoft officials said the company has developed responsible AI guidelines to protect users from potential security or privacy issues.
Other major tech companies are also aiming to develop such agents. These include Salesforce, Nvidia, Google and Oracle. Industry experts said these tools could offer companies an easier way to make money from the billions of dollars they invest in AI systems.
My name is Bryan Lynn.
The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Microsoft reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.
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Words in this story
agent –n. a person or system whose job is to manage someone else’s affairs
customer –n. a person or organization that purchases goods or services from a store or business
routine – adj.. a regular task that is repeated over and over again
interface –n. a connection between a person and a computer system
in (someone’s) name – sentence act for someone else