Microsoft is taking enterprise automation to the next level in its development of AI “Agentic Users,” a groundbreaking advancement designed to give artificial intelligence a real place within the hierarchy of the workplace. Unlike traditional helpers like Copilot, these AI agents will be built as independent digital employees, complete with their own identity, access rights, and responsibilities within an organization.
A New Generation of Digital Colleagues
According to the Microsoft roadmap, this means AI agents will behave as if they were independent users within enterprise ecosystems: each agent will have a unique digital identity, including an email address, Teams account, and directory entry, just like a human employee. This is a major evolution from supportive AI tools to self-operating digital entities that handle complex workflows and communications on their own.
It will soon be releasing these agents through a specific Microsoft 365 Agent Store, where enterprises will be able to select and deploy agents suited for particular roles or departments. According to Microsoft, enterprise rollouts would begin in November 2025 under a new license tier called A365 (Agent 365).
How Microsoft’s Agentic Users Work
The key innovation is Microsoft Entra Agent ID, a newly developed identity and access framework that securely manages autonomous agents. In this system, each agent can access company resources with permissions and privileges, just like any other employee would—but with tight governance controls in place.
These AI agents will function within Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Office apps to perform tasks such as
- Attend meetings, take notes, and summarise key actions
- Joint editing or drafting of documents
- Sending and receiving e-mails
- Manage repetitive or cross-system workflows
- Coordinating tasks between departments or even with other AI agents
This interoperability at the cross-platform level is facilitated by A2A (agent-to-agent) communication via standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing them to exchange data, context, and intent across enterprise tools and systems.
Why It Matters for Enterprises
With this move, Microsoft has said that enterprises will soon integrate AI into their workforce in a very different way: rather than passive assistants, these new AI agents will become active participants in enterprise processes.
For instance, an AI “meeting agent” might attend a virtual call, identify action points, follow up with relevant employees, and update project documentation—all without human intervention. In a similar vein, a “workflow agent” might automate approval processes, track performance metrics, and flag risks before they escalate.
This capability can save enterprises thousands of hours of productive time, reduce wasted communication, and minimize the amount of time spent on regular or administrative tasks. The most important point is scalability: companies can deploy dozens or hundreds of agents in parallel to handle workflows efficiently.
Security, Governance, and Ethical Considerations
While the potential is enormous, Microsoft also recognizes that deploying autonomous agents will bring security and governance challenges. Each AI agent holds access privileges; thus, enterprises will have to implement least-privilege principles, strong authentication, and continuous audit trails to prevent misuse or data breaches.
Microsoft’s security team has published frameworks governing autonomous agents, with a key focus on identity management, transparency, and accountability. The company further cites the need for human oversight to make sure that AI agents also remain aligned with corporate policies and ethical guidelines.
Other pressing issues are those of accountability: if an agent sends an incorrect message, updates the wrong data, or makes a decision with consequences—where does that leave accountability? Setting up these accountability structures will be paramount before organizations can fully depend on their autonomous digital workers.
Preparing for an AI-Driven Workforce
In this respect, it is time for enterprises to get ready for the next wave of AI automation. Key steps include:
- Workflow Analysis: Identify processes that can be automated, particularly those that are repetitive and cross-functional.
- Identity and Access Review: Company directories and access management systems, such as Azure AD and Entra, need to be ready for AI identities.
- Governance Framework: Lay down rules on the deployment, usage, monitoring, and deactivation of AI agents.
- Pilot Programs: Start with non-critical workflows to test agent behavior and return on investment.
- Training and Change Management: To provide training to the employees on how to collaborate with AI colleagues.
The Road Ahead
With “Agentic Users,” Microsoft is laying the foundation for AI-integrated enterprises where digital agents feature alongside human teams as trusted collaborators. This evolution is about much more than efficiency; it’s a broader transformation in how work gets organized, executed, and optimized. Wherever the endgame may be, as enterprises prepare for the rollout in late 2025, one thing is certain: from now on, the future of work will no longer be just about human effort but rather about the synergy between intelligent agents and the people they empower.
