Short answer: 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. OpenAI Dots: Always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, each with its own cloud computer, working towards your goals 24/7.
Microsoft Copilot Autopilot vs OpenAI Dots
Sourced facts only. “Unknown” means not verified yet.
Key facts side by side
| Criterion | Microsoft Copilot Autopilot | OpenAI Dots |
|---|---|---|
| Type | business agent | business agent |
| Vendor | Microsoft | OpenAI |
| Channels / category | Microsoft 365: Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents (you @mention it like a colleague); cloud-hosted in your tenant | ChatGPT (web, desktop, mobile), Codex, Slack, Microsoft Teams |
| 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 | Included in ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium (eligible markets); Enterprise beta. Pro access excludes the EEA, UK and Switzerland at launch (per The Decoder) |
| Launched | 2026-09-25 | Unknown |
| Funding (reported) | n/a (Microsoft product) | Unknown |
| Channels confirmed | Microsoft Teams, Email | Unknown |
| Verified facts | Announced 25 Sep 2026 as 'a persistent, proactive and personal agent that keeps working even when you're not'; previously called Scout; 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; Cloud-hosted in your Microsoft 365 tenant with its own identity, memory, computer and workspace, built on Microsoft IQ; Works in Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents; you @mention it like a colleague, with permissions, audit and governance behind it; Runs on usage-based billing alongside Copilot Cowork and Code; admins can set spending policies in Agent 365; Built on the open-source OpenClaw agent runtime; Microsoft contributes policy-conformance checks upstream; 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); Private preview expanding from end of September 2026, with no public sign-up or general availability date (Witivio analysis, Oct 2026) | Launched 29 Sep 2026 at DevDay; Connects to 4,000+ apps through plugins; Needs approval before sensitive actions (per The Decoder); One dot per user at launch |
| Website | https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/09/25/introducing-the-new-copilot-with-home-code-and-autopilot/ | https://openai.com/index/introducing-dots/ |
| Sources | [1] [2] [3] [4] | [1] [2] |
| Last checked | 2026-11-11 | 2026-11-11 |
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.
What is OpenAI Dots?
Always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, each with its own cloud computer, working towards your goals 24/7.
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
How much does OpenAI Dots cost?
Included in ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium (eligible markets); Enterprise beta. Pro access excludes the EEA, UK and Switzerland at launch (per The Decoder)
Are Microsoft Copilot Autopilot and OpenAI Dots the same type of agent?
Microsoft Copilot Autopilot is listed as a business agent and OpenAI Dots as a business agent.
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