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Microsoft (MS)
An American software and cloud giant that offers the Windows and Office suites, the Copilot AI assistant, and enterprise tools for AI agents.
In plain terms
You likely know Microsoft from Windows, Word, Excel, and Teams. In recent years, the company has also become one of the largest players in artificial intelligence: it has integrated an AI assistant named Copilot into almost every product.
Imagine it as a retail chain that stocks other manufacturers' products alongside its own private-label goods. Microsoft develops its own AI models, but Copilot relies largely on OpenAI models, and some of its products allow models from other companies, such as Anthropic, to be selected.
It differs from other AI companies in that its strength is not a single chatbot, but distribution: it is present on office computers, in corporate email, and in the cloud. Thus, AI arrives where people are already working.
How it works
- Microsoft Azure operates a cloud service built on massive data centers worldwide. AI models, both the company's own and those of partners, run in these centers.
- The models are integrated into familiar programs: Copilot writes text in Word, analyzes in Excel, summarizes meetings in Teams, and drafts emails in Outlook.
- In the corporate subscription, Copilot accesses workplace emails, files, and calendars, but only to what you are authorized to access. This is why it can provide answers tailored to your own work.
- Companies can build their own agents using Copilot Studio and Azure developer tools, which independently perform multi-step tasks, such as processing customer requests.
- Developers have access to a programming assistant and coding agent called GitHub Copilot, offered by the company-owned GitHub.
An everyday example
You missed a one-hour Teams meeting and ask Copilot to summarize what was discussed and which tasks fell to you. Half a minute later, you get a list of decisions and deadlines. The same assistant can also draft a meeting memo in Word from the notes.
Who is affected
A common misconception
Limits and risks
- Copilot can also make mistakes and fabricate data, so always verify numbers, names, and quotes.
- The corporate version has access to everything you are authorized for; if sharing settings are misconfigured at the company, sensitive files may appear in responses.
- If a company entrusts its email, files, and AI to Microsoft, switching providers later becomes expensive and difficult.
- Many different products with varying capabilities and prices run under the name Copilot, so always check exactly which one is being referred to.
Similar, but not the same
- OpenAI – OpenAI is the developer of ChatGPT and GPT models and is an independent company. Microsoft is its largest investor and partner, integrating these models into its own products.
- Copilot – Copilot is the product name for Microsoft's AI assistants, while Microsoft is the company itself, which offers much more.
- Azure – Azure is Microsoft's cloud service, meaning the data center network on which AI services run, not the entire company.
Related concepts
Tech giants, AI service provider, Cloud service provider
Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, Azure, Copilot Studio
A brief history
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. The company invested one billion dollars in OpenAI in 2019, then increased its investment by several billion dollars in 2023. The first Copilot product, GitHub Copilot, launched in 2021, and from 2023, Microsoft began integrating generative AI into almost all its products under the Copilot brand name.
Where things stand
As of late 2026, Copilot is a built-in part of Windows and Microsoft 365, and the company is shifting its emphasis from simple assistants to independently working agents and their enterprise oversight. It is also developing its own models and working with other model developers besides OpenAI.
In the news
- Activists break into Microsoft data centre construction site in AmsterdamNov 6, 2026 · Agent Age
- Attackers use agentic tooling to find exposed secrets in public GitHub reposNov 6, 2026 · Code
- Protests against AI data centers span 15 European countries, with Amsterdam construction site stormedNov 6, 2026 · Ipar
- Big tech firms and green groups are drafting joint US data center guidelinesNov 6, 2026 · Ipar
- Microsoft and DepEd to credential 2,000 Filipino teachers in AI literacyNov 5, 2026 · Education & Family
- Apple, Microsoft and Meta tighten internal AI usage limitsNov 5, 2026 · Code
- Microsoft scales back neocloud deals: winds down Oracle rental, turns down NscaleNov 4, 2026 · Agent Age
- OpenAI to acquire Pierre Computer to strengthen CodexNov 4, 2026 · Code
Also known as
Microsoft · MS · MSFT · Microsoft Corporation · Microsoft AI · Redmond-based company
Sources
This entry was machine-edited and has undergone machine expert review; the “In the news” section updates automatically from Agent Age stories.