Microsoft Unveils Enterprise AI Assistant "Scout" and Tests OpenClaw Integration for Copilot
Microsoft has announced a new enterprise AI assistant named Scout and is separately testing the integration of capabilities similar to the open-source OpenClaw project into its Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Scout AI Assistant
Announcement and Availability
Scout was officially announced at Microsoft's Build conference, described as an "always-on personal agent" integrated into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
- A desktop preview version became available in the same week as the announcement to US Frontier customers.
- The assistant requires a GitHub Copilot subscription.
- A limited preview is scheduled for the coming months, with a full cloud version planned for a later date.
- Over 3,000 Microsoft employees currently use Scout internally.
Technical Foundation and Capabilities
Scout is built on the open-source OpenClaw project. Microsoft stated it is contributing directly to OpenClaw's core technology.
- Scout can monitor calendars and road traffic to suggest departure times.
- It can read Teams threads, transcripts, and emails to surface information.
- The assistant features a persistent identity and a style that users can customize.
- It includes prepackaged skills for tasks such as calendar management and drafting meeting agendas.
- Users can develop custom skills through ongoing feedback, and the assistant adapts to user patterns over time.
- Scout can be given goals and preferences. For example, a user configured Scout to protect family dinner time, prompting automatic rescheduling of conflicting meetings.
- The system includes a "policy conformance system" with audit trails.
Corporate Statements
"Your company essentially hires your assistant. The whole point of having a personal assistant is that they're working when you're not working."
— Omar Shahine, corporate vice president of Microsoft Scout
Shahine also noted that Scout could have errors, such as sending an email with "one big run-on sentence, no formatting."
Internal Strategy Document
An internal Microsoft strategy document, seen by 404 Media, outlines a plan for Scout, previously codenamed "ClawPilot." The document lists three phases: "Make people addicted" as the first stage, followed by additional stages leading to an "agentic platform." The document is titled "ClawPilot: Overview and Plan with Project Lobster." Scout was piloted internally as "ClawPilot" since March under the project name "Project Lobster."
Security and Privacy
Microsoft stated that Scout operates in a sandboxed cloud environment. The company also stated that OpenClaw is treated as untrusted and does not have access to Microsoft 365 data.
Security measures include Agent 365, Purview, and Defender, in addition to red teaming and privacy reviews.
OpenClaw-like Features for Microsoft 365 Copilot
Testing and Development
Microsoft has confirmed to The Information that it is testing ways to integrate features similar to the open-source OpenClaw project into its existing Microsoft 365 Copilot tool. According to The Verge, Microsoft is expected to demonstrate this new capability or an upgraded version of an existing tool at its Build conference in June.
Target Features
Microsoft stated that one main feature would be a version of 365 Copilot that operates continuously, capable of taking actions at any time and completing multistep tasks over extended periods.
The new features are reportedly geared toward enterprise customers, with Microsoft stating they would have better security controls than the open-source OpenClaw agent. It is not yet clear whether Microsoft's implementation would run locally on a user's computer or would adopt other OpenClaw features.
Related Microsoft Agentic Tools
Microsoft has announced several other agentic tools in recent months:
- Copilot Cowork: Announced in March, designed to take actions in Microsoft 365 apps. It is powered by "Work IQ" technology and can optionally use Anthropic's Claude model. It runs in the cloud.
- Copilot Tasks: Introduced in February and released in preview, designed to complete tasks such as organizing email and organizing travel and appointments. It runs in the cloud.
Background on OpenClaw
OpenClaw is a tool that runs locally on a user's computer and can create agents to perform tasks on behalf of the user. The open-source project can run on Windows machines, but the Mac Mini has been a common platform for its users.
While OpenClaw can work with multiple AI models, Claude has been a preferred model for many users. The project gained popularity in early 2026, and its momentum declined after its founder was hired by OpenAI. Microsoft previously compared OpenClaw to a virus before embracing it.
Google is also developing its own version of the OpenClaw concept, called Gemini Spark, for its Workspace apps.