Cybersecurity teams today face an overwhelming task: sifting through endless alerts, potential phishing emails, and threats to sensitive data. For many, the daily grind involves evaluating mountains of suspicious messages or tracing the source of a data breach. Microsoft thinks it can help—and it's putting AI agents to work to do just that.  

From Generative Chatbots to AI That Gets Work Done

You've probably heard of generative AI like ChatGPT, but Microsoft is pushing ahead into the next phase of artificial intelligence: agentic AI. These are intelligent systems designed not just to chat or generate text, but to take action on behalf of users.

These agents can run code, perform in-depth searches, and now—thanks to Microsoft's latest cybersecurity tools—even help defend networks against real threats.

It's a move that could prove vital to companies big and small, especially those relying on Microsoft 365 services like Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams.

Security Copilot: The Foundation of Microsoft's Cyber AI

This isn't Microsoft's first foray into AI for security. In 2023, the company introduced Security Copilot, an AI-powered toolset that works across its core security products: Defender, Sentinel, Purview, Intune, and Entra.

Starting April 2025, Microsoft users will be able to opt-in to using AI agents that don't just analyze threats—they take steps to manage them. These AI agents are designed to address two major issues in cybersecurity today:

Phishing: Still a Major Problem, But Now Easier to Tackle

In 2024 alone, Microsoft reported detecting over 30 billion phishing emails. That's an astonishing number—and someone has to triage all of it. Now, one of Microsoft's new AI agents embedded in Defender can take on that first level of triage. Here's what it does:

If an email looks dangerous, the agent can suggest blocking the sender's domain—and with just a click, the human user can approve the action. If something was marked as spam by mistake, users can explain why in plain language. This not only corrects the mistake but helps train the AI to be more accurate in future decisions.

AI Agents for Breach Investigations and Insider Threats

Another area where Microsoft's AI agents lend a hand? Data loss prevention and breach response.

If a company suffers a breach, these agents can:

This streamlines a process that can otherwise take hours—or even days—manually.

Keeping Systems and Users Secure, Automatically

Beyond phishing and breach investigations, Microsoft's agents are also taking care of the day-to-day work IT teams often struggle to keep up with. These agents can:

Think of it as having a junior security analyst working 24/7, but with complete transparency into what they're doing at every step.

Human in the Loop – For Now

One important point: these AI agents don't take any action without human approval. For now, everything they suggest is subject to user confirmation. However, Microsoft hints that in the future, some tasks could be fully automated, allowing teams to scale their security response even further.

What's Next: Beyond Microsoft Ecosystem?

Currently, Microsoft's AI agents work within its own ecosystem—Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and so on. But support for third-party platforms like Slack and Zoom could be on the horizon, making the system even more versatile for businesses using mixed tools.

The Bigger Picture: Making Cybersecurity More Manageable

Cybersecurity isn't getting any easier. With threats becoming more sophisticated and security teams stretched thin, Microsoft's new AI agents offer a much-needed productivity boost. By taking on repetitive, high-volume tasks, these agents allow human experts to focus on what matters most: strategy, response, and staying ahead of attackers.

And if this early rollout succeeds, it's easy to imagine a future where AI not only defends networks—but does so quietly and efficiently in the background, with little human involvement needed at all.