Microsoft unveiled Scout at Build 2026, an always-on artificial intelligence agent designed to operate independently across Microsoft 365 applications. Scout can access Teams, Outlook, calendars, contacts, OneDrive, and SharePoint to assist users without constant prompting.
Built on Microsoft’s OpenClaw framework, Scout uses advanced reasoning to prioritize tasks and surface relevant information. The agent learns user patterns and preferences over time, personalizing its assistance.
Scout differs from traditional chatbots by running continuously in the background rather than requiring users to initiate conversations. The agent can identify important messages, schedule meetings, and compile reports without explicit instruction.
Privacy controls allow users to set boundaries on which applications Scout can access and what data it can retrieve. Enterprises can define policies governing Scout’s behavior across their Microsoft 365 tenants.
Scout integrates with the Microsoft Foundry model catalog, which contains over 11,000 models including OpenAI‘s GPT-5.5, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and thousands of open-source alternatives. Organizations can choose which underlying model powers their Scout deployment.
Availability begins with preview access for enterprise customers in late 2026. General release follows in 2027.
