Microsoft launches Scout, an all-day AI assistant for 365 users

Microsoft unveiled Scout, an all-day AI assistant, at the Build 2026 developer conference. It's the company's first 'true personal assistant' that works deep inside Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams. Scout checks traffic and your schedule to suggest the best time to leave for work or pick up kids. It reads your Teams chats, meeting notes, and emails to learn what matters to you and show you the right info.

Scout can also handle scheduling, expense reports, draft emails, and even call you. Microsoft says it's 'completely different from a chatbot.' 3,000 Microsoft employees already use it to manage work and personal life.

Microsoft is being careful with the rollout. This week, only US Frontier customers get the desktop preview. In the coming months, more users will get a limited version. Eventually, Scout will be fully cloud-based. For security, Scout runs in a cloud sandbox and is treated as untrusted, so it doesn't hold secrets or access your 365 data directly.