Microsoft previews Scout, an always-on AI helper inside Teams

In short: Microsoft announced Scout, an AI helper in Microsoft Teams that can handle routine office tasks by using your messages, calendar, and email.

What happened

Microsoft introduced Scout at its Build developer conference. Scout shows up in Microsoft Teams like a coworker you can message. Microsoft says it can look through work chats, calendar events, and email to do tasks such as rescheduling meeting conflicts and drafting professional-sounding replies.

Scout is what Microsoft calls an AI agent, meaning it can take actions for you instead of only answering questions (like a helper who not only suggests what to do, but also does the clicking and scheduling). If you tell Scout your preferences, it can work in the background. For example, Microsoft executive Omar Shahine said he told Scout to protect family dinnertime, and it would flag meetings that land in that slot and suggest new times.

Microsoft is starting with a limited rollout to a small group of customers. It is also testing a Scout desktop app for people who opt into “frontier” features, but it currently requires a GitHub Copilot subscription. Microsoft says it is building admin tools so companies can track what the agent does.

Why it matters

Tools like Scout could save time on the small tasks that pile up, like moving meetings and writing follow-ups. At the same time, Scout needs broad access to workplace information to work, which raises privacy and security questions. Wired notes risks like “prompt injection” attacks, where someone tricks an AI tool into doing something it should not, like sharing information. Early testers should also expect mistakes, Shahine said his Scout once sent a poorly formatted email.

Source: Wired