Microsoft Corp. is reportedly developing a new suite of “always-on” artificial intelligence (AI) agents for its Microsoft 365 Copilot ecosystem.
The initiative, according to The Information, marks a strategic jump toward proactive automation inspired by the viral open-source project, OpenClaw.
The project is spearheaded by a specialized internal team led by Corporate Vice President Omar Shahine. Dubbed “Ocean 11,” the group is tasked with evolving Copilot from a reactive assistant into a proactive operator capable of executing complex, multi-step tasks independently, The Information reported.
The catalyst for this shift is OpenClaw, an open-source agent created by developer Peter Steinberger. Unlike traditional AI, OpenClaw runs locally and maintains long-term context, allowing it to navigate apps like Slack, Telegram, and various web browsers to complete workflows without human intervention. Its popularity has been so explosive that it has even triggered a documented surge in sales of Mac Mini desktops, the preferred hardware for running the resource-intensive local agent.
Microsoft’s version aims to capture this agentic magic while solving OpenClaw’s primary Achilles’ heel, security.
While the open-source project offers deep system access, it remains vulnerable to prompt injections and data leaks. Microsoft intends to leverage its robust enterprise infrastructure — including identity management and isolation layers — to provide a sanitized version of these autonomous capabilities.
The move builds upon Microsoft’s recent flurry of AI activity. In March, the company unveiled Copilot Cowork, a cloud-based intelligence layer powered by its Work IQ technology and Anthropic’s Claude models. While Cowork began the transition toward task-oriented AI, it remains tethered to the cloud.
The new Claw-like features would take this further. According to Shahine, the goal is to provide an assistant that works 24/7.
“People are hungry for this,” Shahine noted. “Not another tool that helps when you remember to ask. An always-on agent that works on your behalf.”
Potential enterprise applications include tailoring email responses based on the sender’s relationship to the user rather than using generic templates; actively managing Outlook, Calendar, and OneDrive to resolve scheduling conflicts in real-time; and generating reports and coordinating tasks across the 365 suite without constant prompting.
Despite the hype surrounding Copilot, reports suggest only a fraction of Office 365’s massive user base currently pays for the premium AI features. In transforming Copilot into a digital coworker that delivers tangible time savings through autonomy, Microsoft hopes to justify the subscription cost and fend off rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Industry analysts expect Microsoft to provide a first look at these autonomous agents at the Microsoft Build 2026 conference in San Francisco in June.
As the AI race shifts from “who is the smartest” to “who is the most useful,” Microsoft is betting that the future of work isn’t just a smarter chat box — it’s an agent that never sleeps.
