Microsoft resets Copilot

Microsoft is folding Copilot into a new Microsoft 365 E7 package, shifting the product from a standalone add-on to a bundled enterprise layer. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com) Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 E7 on March 9, 2026, and said the suite will be generally available on May 1, 2026, for $99 per user per month. The package combines Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Entra Suite, and Agent 365. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com) Agent 365 is Microsoft’s new control plane for artificial intelligence agents, the software bots that can carry out multi-step work inside business systems. Microsoft said it gives companies centralized governance, visibility, and control over those agents. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com) Microsoft paired the new bundle with Copilot Wave 3, a product update the company said moves Microsoft 365 Copilot “beyond assistance” toward built-in agent features that can complete actions. Microsoft’s March 9 blog post also introduced Copilot Cowork for long-running tasks inside Microsoft 365. (microsoft.com) The technical change underneath the packaging is model choice. On March 30, Microsoft added “Critique” and “Council” to its Researcher agent so multiple models can review the same task inside one workflow. (techcommunity.microsoft.com) Reuters reported on March 30 that the new setup lets users run multiple artificial intelligence models simultaneously, and Microsoft said Researcher now supports Claude models from Anthropic alongside OpenAI systems. Microsoft’s support page says Claude can be used directly with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot. (reuters.com) (support.microsoft.com) That marks a change from the earlier Copilot pitch, which centered on a single assistant embedded in Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook. The new sales message ties Copilot to security, identity, and agent management in the same contract. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com) (microsoft.com) Microsoft is also responding to a problem that has dogged workplace artificial intelligence products: one model can write fast, but businesses still need checks, permissions, and audit trails before software acts on company data. Microsoft said Agent 365 uses Defender, Entra, and Purview to govern agents in the same way companies already govern employees and apps. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com) Outside observers have described the move as the end of the “single-model era” for enterprise artificial intelligence, with GPT and Claude checking each other’s work inside Microsoft 365 Copilot. Reuters said the company is using the changes to improve adoption of Copilot. (geekwire.com) (reuters.com) The next test is whether large employers buy E7 as a default workplace bundle instead of treating Copilot as a separate experiment. Microsoft set May 1, 2026, as the date when that reset reaches general availability. (microsoftpartners.microsoft.com)