Short answer: Microsoft Copilot Autopilot is a business AI agent. Microsoft's persistent, proactive and personal agent (formerly Scout): give it a name, a role and a goal and it keeps working in the cloud inside your Microsoft 365 tenant, even when you are not.
Microsoft Copilot Autopilot
Key facts
| Website | https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/09/25/introducing-the-new-copilot-with-home-code-and-autopilot/ |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Microsoft |
| Channels / category | Microsoft 365: Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents (you @mention it like a colleague); cloud-hosted in your tenant |
| Pricing / availability | Private preview (expanding from end of September 2026); no public sign-up or general availability date published. Runs on usage-based billing (Copilot Credits); Autopilot-specific prices not published |
| Launched | 2026-09-25 |
| Funding (reported) | n/a (Microsoft product) |
| Channels confirmed | Microsoft TeamsEmail |
| From the site (verbatim) | “We’re reimagining Microsoft Copilot to enable work as it evolves and to help expand what every individual and every organization can accomplish in the flow of human ambition. Today we’re introducing the new Copilot to connect the tools people rely on with the next generation of capabilities they’ll ” |
| Sources | [1] [2] [3] [4] |
| Last checked | 2026-11-11 |
What can Microsoft Copilot Autopilot do?
- Announced 25 Sep 2026 as 'a persistent, proactive and personal agent that keeps working even when you're not'; previously called Scout source
- Give it a name, a role and a goal: it watches channels, follows up on threads, runs recurring work and picks a project back up days later without waiting for a prompt source
- Cloud-hosted in your Microsoft 365 tenant with its own identity, memory, computer and workspace, built on Microsoft IQ source
- Works in Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents; you @mention it like a colleague, with permissions, audit and governance behind it source
- Runs on usage-based billing alongside Copilot Cowork and Code; admins can set spending policies in Agent 365 source
- Built on the open-source OpenClaw agent runtime; Microsoft contributes policy-conformance checks upstream source
- Scout was introduced at Build in June 2026 as Microsoft's first Autopilot agent; Microsoft says Autopilots will also come to consumers (PCMag, 25 Sep 2026) source
- Private preview expanding from end of September 2026, with no public sign-up or general availability date (Witivio analysis, Oct 2026) source
Frequently asked questions
What is Microsoft Copilot Autopilot?
Microsoft's persistent, proactive and personal agent (formerly Scout): give it a name, a role and a goal and it keeps working in the cloud inside your Microsoft 365 tenant, even when you are not.
How much does Microsoft Copilot Autopilot cost?
Private preview (expanding from end of September 2026); no public sign-up or general availability date published. Runs on usage-based billing (Copilot Credits); Autopilot-specific prices not published
Where can you use Microsoft Copilot Autopilot?
Microsoft 365: Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents (you @mention it like a colleague); cloud-hosted in your tenant
Compare Microsoft Copilot Autopilot
- Microsoft Copilot Autopilot vs OpenAI Dots
- Microsoft Copilot Autopilot vs Gemini Agent
- AgentSpot vs Microsoft Copilot Autopilot
- ChatGPT Work vs Microsoft Copilot Autopilot
- Business vs personal agents
Related business agents
Always-on agents ('AI teammates') with their own cloud computer that sign into your tools and work across apps and inboxes.
Always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, each with its own cloud computer, working towards your goals 24/7.
Agentic workspace for non-coding knowledge work: give it a goal and it works across your files and tools.
Use cases to try
Updated