Agentic AI, AI Agents

•

From Copilots to Agents: The Next Step in AI Evolution

Book a Consult

We’ve come a long way in a short time.

Just 18 months ago, the biggest AI shift most business users experienced was a faster way to write emails or summarize meeting notes. Microsoft Copilot embedded itself into Word, Teams, and Outlook—enhancing how we work within the apps we already use, but always waiting to be told what to do.

Now, that dynamic is changing.

At Microsoft Build 2025, CEO Satya Nadella declared that we’ve entered “the age of agentic AI”—a turning point where artificial intelligence doesn’t just respond, but starts to act. The spotlight is shifting from tools that help us work faster, to intelligent agents that can work with us, and in some cases, ahead of us.

This is more than another tech milestone. It’s a fundamental mindset shift, and it’s changing how businesses think about productivity, automation, and competitive advantage. So, how can your business prepare to take advantage of this incredible opportunity and steer clear of the risks along the way? 

In this article, we’ll take you through a recap of: 

Where We Are Now: Everyday Use of Copilot

Before we leap into the future, it’s worth grounding ourselves in what’s already changed.

Since its launch in February 2023, Microsoft 365 Copilot has rapidly become one of the most widely adopted generative AI tools in the enterprise space. As of November 2024, nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 were already using it—an adoption curve that speaks for itself.

What makes Copilot so powerful is its invisibility. It lives inside the tools many of us already use—Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and now Windows 11—offering intelligent assistance exactly where it’s needed, with minimal friction.

Some use it to summarize long threads of Teams chats or extract action items from meetings. Others draft emails faster, reword documents more professionally, or generate slide decks based on quick prompts—similar to having an assistant that can help you structure ideas and content quickly into a usable first draft. According to real-world users in this popular Reddit thread, some of the most valued everyday use cases include:

  • Meeting notes and action item summaries in Teams
  • Slide deck generation in PowerPoint, especially when paired with voice-to-text dictation in Word
  • Summarizing email chains and surfacing key action items as to-do lists
  • Searching internal files and chats by asking Copilot contextual questions, like “what did I discuss with client X last week?”
  • Starting documents from scratch, including reports, policy drafts, or project plans
  • Creating or troubleshooting scripts in PowerShell, Excel, or Power Apps
  • Summarizing technical documentation to make dense material more readable

“It’s like having a company-specific search engine that also drafts content for you,” one user shared. “I almost never need to ask someone again about something I missed or forgot—I just ask Copilot.”

It’s clear that Copilot is already delivering measurable value. But even as these reactive tools help us respond faster, the next wave of AI is about helping us work proactively… before we even have to ask.

What’s Next: Agentic AI

If Copilot represents a helpful assistant, Agentic AI is a capable teammate.

This next generation of artificial intelligence isn’t just embedded in apps. It’s designed to operate autonomously, completing multi-step tasks, making decisions, and even initiating work based on context or triggers. So, what is agentic AI exactly?

What is Agentic AI? What are AI Agents?

Agentic AI is a system that can “take autonomous action—making decisions, completing workflows—without constant human instruction.” In practice, that means an AI agent could monitor your inbox, recognize a new sales lead, draft a reply, pull in relevant documentation, and save the entire package for your review—all before your first coffee.

“The real shift is that Copilot Studio agents don’t just wait for you to ask a question anymore,” says Francisco Paniagua, Team Lead of AI & Modern Workplace at Convverge. “Agentic AI can take autonomous action, complete tasks, and prep your day before you even log on.”

What Are Copilot Studio Agents?

At the core of Microsoft’s push into agentic AI is Copilot Studio—a low-code development environment where businesses can create their own AI-powered agents. These aren’t just chatbots. They’re customizable systems that:

  • Connect to internal data sources like SharePoint, CRM, and ERP systems
  • Automate repetitive workflows across tools like Outlook, Excel, Teams, and more
  • Trigger actions based on defined events (e.g. new lead email, document uploads, etc.)
  • Run scheduled tasks like compiling reports or checking compliance checklists
  • Pull from external APIs and MCP Servers to enrich data or complete actions (e.g. property listings, weather, booking systems)

Real-World Examples of Agentic AI

If you need help visualizing exactly the type of tasks AI agents can help you perform, here are a few early examples Francisco has observed in his research: 

  • Morning prep agent flows that start running at 4am, collect data across systems, summarize call transcripts, and generate client-ready reports before the team starts their day
  • Customer service agents that auto-draft responses based on historical case handling and internal knowledge
  • RFP assistants trained on a decade of successful bids, able to generate strong first drafts that save hours of manual work
  • Sales agents that assess lead quality, identify gaps in outreach, and initiate follow-up suggestions based on pipeline patterns

These are not science fiction scenarios—they’re already in use today by enterprise early adopters. Global organizations like Dow are using Microsoft Copilot Studio agents to scan 100,000+ invoices and surface billing errors, saving millions annually. BDO Colombia cut their payroll and finance operational workload by 50% and optimized 78% of their internal processes. Meanwhile, Eneco’s customer service AI chatbot services over 24,000 chats per month and now resolves 70% more customer conversations without a handoff to a live agent. 

Microsoft is also rolling out out-of-the-box agent templates, such as a Data Analyst Agent, while GitHub Copilot is quietly evolving with agent capabilities that assist developers through entire build-test-deploy cycles.

The Benefits: Why Agentic AI Matters

Agentic AI might seem like just another wave in automation, but it’s truly a paradigm shift in how work gets done. By combining autonomous action with human oversight, agentic systems offer real, measurable value across industries and roles.

First, there’s speed. What once took hours—or even days—can now be completed in minutes. Consider Estée Lauder’s ConsumerIQ agent. Marketers who previously spent hours collecting data can now generate insights in seconds, freeing them up to make faster, more confident decisions.

Then there’s scale. With the right structure in place, a single agent can perform thousands of tasks simultaneously without breaking a sweat. T-Mobile’s PromoGenius agent, for example, is accessed by more than 83,000 employees and launched over half a million times per month, keeping frontline workers equipped with up-to-date product details.

There’s also accuracy. BDO Colombia’s BeTic 2.0 agent reaches 99.9% accuracy in managing payroll and finance tasks, reducing duplicative work and streamlining internal processes with near-perfect precision.

But beyond the metrics, the true promise of agentic AI lies in its ability to serve as a collaborative partner, not just a tool. These agents don’t just wait to be told what to do—they anticipate needs, orchestrate workflows, and hand off clean, actionable outcomes to human teammates.

“With agentic AI, the goal isn’t to replace people, but to remove the repetitive friction that slows them down,” says Francisco. “It’s about giving humans more space for strategic, creative, and high-impact work.”

In other words, agentic AI doesn’t just help you do more. It helps you do what matters better.

How to Prepare Your Business for Agentic AI

Agentic AI has incredible potential, but accessing its full value requires more than turning on a feature. Successful implementation depends on technical infrastructure, data readiness, and thoughtful governance.

“You can’t just flip a switch and expect results,” says Francisco. “You need a clean data foundation, robust integrations, and a clear vision for what the agent is actually solving.”

Start with Use Cases

Don’t build agents just because you can. Start with specific, high-friction processes where automation will have a measurable impact—like compiling reports, summarizing internal requests, or pulling cross-system data. Microsoft’s out-of-the-box agents like Researcher, Analyst, and Sales Agent are designed to solve exactly these kinds of tasks and can be customized to suit your environment.

Ensure Data & API Readiness

Agents rely on structured, accessible data and the ability to interact with various systems, so cleaning up data sources and setting up strong API connections through tools like Microsoft Copilot Studio is essential. Without this foundation, even the smartest agent won’t have what it needs to succeed.

Prioritize Governance

With great autonomy comes the need for clear governance. Your business should define rules for how agents behave, where human oversight is needed, and how to maintain compliance and auditability, especially in regulated industries.

The organizations seeing the best results are the ones who treat agentic AI not as a plug-and-play product, but as a strategic capability they’re building for the future.

The Next Chapter Starts Now

Agentic AI isn’t a far-off future—it’s already transforming how businesses operate, scale, and innovate. And while the technology is evolving rapidly, the companies seeing the greatest impact are the ones preparing intentionally and moving early.

The difference between experimentation and transformation? A clear strategy and the right foundation.

“We’re in a moment where the companies who act now will gain a serious competitive edge,” says Francisco. “Agentic AI is a leap forward, and the sooner you start preparing, the sooner you’ll see real value.”

If your team is exploring how Copilot, Copilot Studio, or custom AI agents can support your goals, now is the time to build your AI roadmap. Convverge can help.

Ready to take the next step?

Let’s talk about how your organization can get ahead with AI and start making major leaps today. Reach out to the Convverge team to get started with your AI roadmap.

Contact Us
More to read