Microsoft unveiled a redesigned Copilot on September 25, 2026, built around three tabs: Home, Code and Autopilot. Autopilot is an agent you brief once. In Microsoft's words: "Give it a name, a role and a goal, and it goes to work."
The four-part brief (fill in the blanks)
| Part | What to write | Your version |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A clear name, so you know which agent did what | ______ |
| Role | The job it owns, in one line | ______ |
| Goal | The outcome you want and by when | ______ |
| Boundaries | What it may do alone, and what it must check with you first | ______ |
Microsoft's framing: "You set the objective and boundaries; Autopilot handles the rest while keeping you informed and in control."
Worked example: a supplier review
This brief is illustrative. It's built on the example Microsoft itself gives.
- Name: Supplier Review Lead
- Role: Run our supplier review process.
- Goal: Build the schedule and workback plan, then handle prep, meetings and follow-ups.
- Boundaries: Reach out to stakeholders for updates. Check with me before anything leaves the team.
Microsoft says it can "set up and manage a full supplier review process: building the schedule and workback plan, then handling prep, meetings and follow-ups on its own, right down to reaching out to stakeholders for updates."
Good jobs to hand it
Fortune lists these tasks:
- Project updates
- Tracking work decisions and deadlines
- Reminding colleagues when commitments are due
- Gathering prep materials
- Reaching out to partners
What makes it different from chat
- It keeps going. It watches channels, follows up on threads, runs recurring work and picks a project back up days later, "without waiting for a prompt."
- It lives in the cloud. "It keeps working while you sleep or your attention is elsewhere."
- It has its own identity. Each agent keeps a distinct identity, memory and workspace inside your organization's Microsoft 365 environment.
- It's governed. Agent 365 provides permissions, audit records and admin controls.
Access and cost
- Access: Autopilot is expanding to private preview at the end of September 2026. Broad rollout depends on how testers rate it.
- Cost: You need a Copilot subscription. Autopilot is billed by usage on top of that. Microsoft has not published detailed rates.
- Home and Code: rolling out first in Microsoft's Frontier program.
Sources: Microsoft Official Blog, Fortune, VentureBeat (September 25, 2026).