Microsoft announces Scout, an autonomous AI agent built on OpenClaw

# Microsoft unveils Scout, an autonomous AI agent built on OpenClaw Source: [https://www.computerworld.com/article/4180103/microsoft-unveils-scout-an-autonomous-ai-agent-built-on-openclaw.html](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4180103/microsoft-unveils-scout-an-autonomous-ai-agent-built-on-openclaw.html) ## Scout is the first of a new breed of ‘autopilot’ agents in Microsoft 365 that can carry out tasks independently\. Microsoft has developed a new AI agent that can run autonomously around the clock to complete tasks across Microsoft 365 applications\. Microsoft Scout, unveiled at the company’s[Build event](https://build.microsoft.com/en-US/home)Tuesday, is a new type of always\-on agent based on the OpenClaw agent framework that Microsoft calls “autopilots\.” These act on a user’s behalf with their own governed Entra identity,[Omar Shahine](https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarshahine), corporate vice president at Microsoft, said in a blog post\. “Autopilots stay active in the background, understand how work gets done across your apps and systems, and take action without needing to be prompted each time,” said Shahine, a Microsoft veteran who recently announced he is leading a new team to bring OpenClaw\-based personal assistants to Microsoft 365 apps\. Microsoft Scout connects to apps such as Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint, and accesses data from chat, email, calendar, and contacts\. Accessed via Teams, it can also interact with a user’s browser and with external apps via model context protocol \(MCP\)\. The tool functions across cloud, desktop, and the web\. Shahine said Scout can reduce mundane tasks that office workers face, such as coordinating and scheduling meeting times with colleagues, or blocking times in a user’s calendar based on upcoming work commitments\. “It can also spot risks, like stalled decisions, so you can address them before they become blockers,” he said\. It’s available as an “experimental release” to customers of the company’s Frontier program, Microsoft said, and will require Intune policy configuration and “opt\-in attestation\.” Scout is the latest in a range of agentic tools available in Microsoft 365 apps, including[Agent Mode](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4163305/agent-mode-is-now-available-in-microsoft-word-excel-and-powerpoint.html), where users can interact with Microsoft 365 Copilot inside apps such as Word and Excel to create content, and[Copilot Cowork](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4142551/m365-copilot-gets-its-own-version-of-claude-cowork.html)— Microsoft’s version of Anthropic’s Claude Cowork agent that can complete tasks independently\. Despite the company’s big AI push, Microsoft has struggled to convince businesses that Microsoft 365 Copilot is worth the additional cost; it’s advertised at $30 per user each month for large businesses\. Around[3% of Microsoft 365 customers pay](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4124591/microsoft-touts-m365-copilot-momentum-claims-15m-paid-users.html)for the add\-on subscription, the company said in January, with 15 million paid users\. \(Microsoft[announced last month](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4166676/microsoft-now-has-over-20-million-paying-copilot-users.html)that that figure has now risen to 20 million\.\) It’s not clear whether Scout will be included in Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions or charged separately\. Microsoft did not immediately provide additional details about pricing\. The launch follows Google’s recent announcement of Spark, an autonomous agent that runs within the Google Workspace application suite\. Spark can also be considered a response to the launch of OpenClaw last year, initially under the name “Clawdbot\.” OpenClaw has[drawn scrutiny](https://www.csoonline.com/article/4134540/six-flaws-found-hiding-in-openclaws-plumbing.html)due to[apparent security flaws](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4125939/by-whatever-name-moltbolt-clawd-openclaw-this-uber-ai-assistant-is-a-security-nightmare.html), but Microsoft promises Scout is built with “enterprise\-grade security and controls, so it can be trusted in your organization from day one\.” Microsoft said it will also contribute upstream to the open\-source OpenClaw project\. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER ### From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below\.  [Matthew Finnegan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjfinnegan/)is an award\-winning tech journalist who lives with his family in Sweden; he writes about Microsoft, collaboration and productivity software, AR/VR, and other enterprise IT topics for[Computerworld](https://www.computerworld.com/)\. He joined Foundry \(formerly IDG\) in January 2013 and was initially based in London, where he worked as both an editor and senior reporter\. In addition to his reporting work, he has also appeared on Foundry’s[Today In Tech](https://www.computerworld.com/videos/today-in-tech/)podcast as a tech authority and has been honored with journalism awards from the[American Association of Business Publication Editors](https://asbpe.org/)and from[FOLIO’s Eddies](https://www.eddie-ozzie.com/)\. In his spare time he enjoys long\-distance running\. ## More from this author ## Show me more